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The waters off Florida are a virtual treasure trove and there are those that through diligent research, patient perseverance and meticulous hard work have been rewarded with riches beyond imagination. Florida is said to have more sunken and buried treasure than any other place on the planet and although many of the mother lodes have been discovered and salvaged, there are literally millions of dollars worth still waiting to be found.

When one think of Florida treasure, visions of Spanish galleons laden with gold, silver and jewels comes to mind. Dozens of treasure ships have been lost on Florida’s jagged reefs; hurricanes being the ship’s demise and the treasure hunter’s opportunity. While fully fledged expeditions to seek out lost treasure in offshore waters is beyond expensive, opportunities for beachcombers, scuba divers and snorkelers abound along Florida’s shores.

In 1715 a fleet of 11 Spanish ships were wrecked and scattered their precious cargo of over 100,000,000.00 dollars worth of silver coins and bars, gold, emeralds, pearls and priceless K’ang-Hsi Chinese porcelain that was taken to Mexico aboard the Manila galleons, along the Atlantic coast from Stuart to Cape Canaveral. Beachcombing treasure hunters continually find gold and silver coins, jewelry and musket balls. Scuba divers stand a much greater chance of recovery by searching the waters off the beaches with underwater metal detectors.

For Florida scuba diving treasure hunters, other treasures await besides gold, silver and jewels. While searching for the Atocha, the indomitable Mel Fishers kept getting hits in a channel in the Marquesas only to be disappointed to find his metal detectors were pinging meteorites. What was an annoyance to Mel can be a windfall for divers who seek out these very valuable gifts from outer-space.

Other Florida waters give up valuable shark teeth, priceless artifacts and fascinating fossils.
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