Diving on the Wrecks on the Seabed projectWessex Archaeology uses a staged approach to archaeological investigation in the context of marine development. A scheme of recording levels has been developed to accompany the possible stages of investigation.

These stages reach from the initial desk based assessment to complete excavation and publication.

The application of the levels does not have to follow the numbered sequence. Each level can be applied individually if necessary. This means that each investigation can be tailored specifically to the decisions being made and resources can be targeted accordingly.

The ALSF project "Wrecks on the seabed" aimed at testing level 1b – 2a assessment and evaluation methods in year I and level 3a in situ recording methods in year II.