He is not bothered by criticism that he may be disturbing historical sites or by skepticism from museum officials, who question whether the tea chests are still intact after two centuries underwater.

''We've left this alone for more than 200 years,'' Mr. Clifford said. ''Boston Harbor is one of the greatest archeological resources we have. We've already gotten letters from schoolchildren around the country. It's good when something like this focuses attention on a historical event.''

Though the actual site where the tea was dumped, Griffin's Wharf, now lies 150 yards inland under a Boston Edison substation, Mr. Clifford said he believed that tides would have moved the chests into the Fort Point area. He said most of the crates were simple wooden boxes except for about 50 that had an ornate Chinese design.

Today's search was the first step in a project that Mr. Clifford said could take years. Using a chartered lobster boat, he and a crew of five motored to the middle of Fort Point Channel, a part of the harbor between downtown and South Boston.

Three divers wearing dry suits and thermal underwear prepared to dive 35 feet into the water searching for signs of the crates. Mr. Clifford also directed electronic searches using sonar and instruments that draw profiles of the harbor bottom. Got the Idea From Bush