Reported By: Jay Cashmere
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If you've traveled to Key West, chances are you may have heard of man by the name of Mel Fisher.
He set out in the 70's to find a shipwreck and on July 20, 1985, after going bankrupt 5 times, Fisher found the wreck of the Atocha.
His family owned a company that dives the waters off Key West in search of artifacts and fortunes from the wreck of the Atocha.
We joined them last week for a closer look at history in the making.
Our journey begins promptly at 9am. Twin 250's propel us out of Key West for an adventure 35 nautical miles west, past Sunset Key, past the marqueses, through the shallow turquoise waters of the Atlantic to a site rich in history.
"There's nothing better than seeing something that's been covered underground over 400 years and you're the first person to see it."
This is Mel Fisher's Treasures. A company carrying on the legacy of Mel Fisher who found the wreck of the atocha in 1985.
Day by day they bring up pieces of the Spanish galleons which sank during a hurricane in 1622 and is now scattered over 12 miles.
"This is how they keep track of where we have blown holes, where we have found artifacts. Each of these wrecks represents a hole that has been blown."
Before a dive begins a hole is blown in the sand using thrust from propellers on salvage boats redirected downward.
What's left is a 15 foot crater filled with limestone, shells, an occasional sting ray and history.
Divers scour the bottom and sandy rim of the crater using metal detectors.
One digs, one detects, until they lock on to an tone.
Musket balls, used as part of the artillery on the Atocha and worth about $50 are found.
More artifacts come into focus bringing this crew one step closer to treasure.
"If I find anything I'm happy. We're the first to touch that in almost 400 years -- that's pretty wild, the first one to touch that."
The musket balls are a key to determining the next search. Hundreds of them were pulled from two dives.
On board more artifacts are examined and closely scrutinized.
Also from the Atocha, we found the ax head which is a carpenter tool from the Atocha.
"We've recovered somewhere about 70 percent of what in the manifest. There's still a huge amount of artifacts to find from the Atocha."
Mel Fisher always said today's the day and that's the motto this crew recites hoping each day will bring something new -- maybe even more gold.
"This one you can see markings, XXI, two dots, that's 21 half carats."
Millions have been recovered from the ship, consisting of $100,000 gold bars, $150,000 gold disks, $250,000 money chains and emeralds which value at $19,000 per carat. This one is worth half a million.
To date, the Atocha treasure has been valued at $500 million and there's plenty more out there to find.
It's a treasure hunt like no other in the world, carrying on the legacy of one man who dove into history and came up with a fortune.
"Every time you jump in the water you never know what you might find."
The Fisher family has the rights to treasure found on the Atocha.
Investors are the main component of Mel Fisher's treasures.
The family also works jointly with another company searching for treasure on the Atocha's sister ship, the Margarita, which sank nearby.
