[kombookcha]

As I read it, nobody is necessarily in the wrong. I get that they want to be able to confirm this while they're young enough to dive it, but at the same time that may not be the best thing for the wreck itself.

I am guessing you're correct and it's the latter - that they don't feel like the couple and their associates are qualified/equipped to mess around with it if it /is/ archeologically significant. The amount of effort to protect the single piece they were allowed to bring up gives some idea of the kind of sustained effort of many highly trained people it would involve.

Now, if the state believes the raised piece to be from an 1800s fishing vessel as apparently the one expert says, it's also possible that they just don't think it's worth the effort and expense, and that the divers are misinterpreting the wreck site and seeing what they want to see.

Conversely, if it did believe it was the genuine article, there may not be the funds to do an operation like this immediately. Archeological sites are generally fairly stable when left in place, so for an instituation waiting 10 years to make a move on this isn't a big deal, and there are likely other sites that need to excavated before they're destroyed for various reasons - but if you're an aging couple and this is your big dream, then there's an urgency here that may easily be considered reckless if you're evaluating purely based on the best way to approach an archeological site, more so than a sense of romance and adventure.