Visiting Florida and looking out at this beautiful ocean I realize how my time here on earth is but a millisecond in relation to what has all come before me and what will come long after I am gone. If you could see all that has passed up and down the coast line and what continues to sail by it would be amazing.
There is truly Treasure, pirates and swashbuckling adventure on these high seas!
Right in front of my locatioon on this beach out in the ocean is where the famed Fleet of the 1715 went down.
The 1715 Treasure Fleet refers to one of the 11 ships returning from the New World to Spain.
July 31, 1715, seven days after departing from Havana, Cuba, all 11 ships were lost in a hurricane near present day Vero Beach, Florida.
Pieces of Eight will still wash up on the beach from time to time.
Thousands of sailors perished from these ships while some survived on lifeboats to tell the stories.
The treasure had been lost lost for hundreds of years until the 1980s when famed treasure hunter Mel Fisher located the sunken ships with the newest technology then available.
It took months for the treasures to be brought up by Mel Fisher's team and armed guards were always visible floating just above the surface keeping the treasure safe.
There were frequent skirmishes with pirates and others who came to take part in salvaging some treasure.
There were frequent skirmishes with pirates and others who came to take part in salvaging some treasure.
The Mel Fisher museum located in Vero Beach has much of the treasure on display and available for purchase.
Mel's biggest find has been The Atocha off the coast of Key West and has yielded a cache fo $450 million dollars!
Mel fought over 100 court battles before the US Supreme Court finally ruled that the treasure was his. The state of Florida tried to claim the treasure for themselves.
Diving the Atocha!!
Adventure seekeres can go down and look for jewels at this underwater emerald city.
Adventure seekeres can go down and look for jewels at this underwater emerald city.
Professional divers will use their high tech blowing equipment to help you search.
41 Emeralds were found by tourists on their last trip!
They have found nine bronze cannons!
