|
|
 |
: Editorial
|
|
Mel Fisher- The World's Greatest Treasure Hunter |
Mel Fisher's interest in diving began in childhood. He eventually opened his first dive shop in a feed shed on his
family's chicken ranch. His dream was to find sunken treasure Spanish galleons filled with gold, silver and jewels.
His discovery and the documentation on CBS Today Show,
changed the world of archeology, and the process of sharing the attained wealth from the discovery. His approached brought the search into
every household worldwide and stimulated others to make films and adventure deeper into other wrecks such as the Titanic.
His 76-year-old voyage in life had both glory and anguish. Mel combated public opinion, and government, to pursue his
lifelong dream of combing the ocean floor for buried treasure.
Mel found the first silver coin from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha in 1971. His triumph came in 1985 when his son, Kane, discovered the
wreck of Nuestra Senora de Atocha. The Spanish galleon sank in September 1622 off the Marquesas Keys, small islands west
of Key West. The find contained an estimated $400 million worth of gold, silver and jewels. The Atocha was a gamble that
paid off at the bank but had a costly effect on the family. Fisher lost a son and daughter-in-law when the search boat
they were on capsized in 1975.
Florida officials maintained that wrecks discovered within Florida's three-mile territorial waters belonged to the
state. Fisher took his fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which awarded him all the artifacts from the
Nuestra Senora de Atocha.
"I think that perseverance has paid. That's one of the main things, just hang in there and do your thing and when people
try to tear you down or get jealous, just let it go in one ear and out the other and keep on going." Mel Fisher
Photo of Monte at Pirates Week Festivale 2008
Top of Page
Web site first created 14 March, 1996
|
|
|
Email Us for Information Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman! |
 |
|
|
Information
Site Created with NotePad - BSQ Network Communications
------------