Modern Day Treasure Hunting
There is never a shortage of outdoor adventure in Florida. If you get tired of fishing, golf, theme parks, NASCAR, swimming, hiking, camping, water skiing, boating, rocket launches or dozens of other warm weather activities you can always go treasure hunting. Is this a great state or what?
But before you strap on your scuba tanks, warm up your metal detector or buy your first treasure map there are a few things you need to know. You may have recently seen the heartbreaking story of the treasure salvage company that spent over 2 million dollars researching and recovering an estimated 500 million dollar treasure from the Spanish ship “Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes” 180 miles off the coast of Portugal only to have the United States Federal Court order them to turn it over to the Spanish government.
International Maritime Law is a complicated matter. If you would have asked me before this decision came down I would have bet that anyone that found a wreck in the ocean and spent their own money finding it and bringing it back to shore would own it. It turns out that this case was decided in favor of Spain due to the argument by Spain that the “Nuestro Senora de las Mercedes” was sunk in 1808 by the British and not a storm and that makes it a warship instead of a commercial trade vessel. According to International Maritime Law a sunken warship remains the property of the country much like the U. S. Battleship “Arizona” in Pearl Harbor.
Recent Claims to Sunken Treasures
Another more recent find may help make this point clear. Treasure hunter Greg Brooks of Sub Sea Research says that his salvage company has located the ship “S. S. Port Nicholson” which was sunk by a German submarine? in 1942 during World War II. The wreck is located 50 miles off the coast of Maine. It reportedly carried 71 tons of platinum bars worth an estimated 3 billion dollars. It may also contain gold and diamonds. Since the ship was British and the cargo was from the Soviet Union to pay the United States for war supplies all three countries are claiming the cargo as their own. This on promises to be in the courts for some time to come.
Of course when these international cases occur you can not rule out politics. Certain countries are going to favor certain other countries for their own reasons. And the person or company that does all the work usually comes in last. It will behoove those going after such treasure troves to negotiate with the potential claiming governments before expending large sums of money on a salvage operation.
Update Sept 2013: Treasures are still being discovered off Fort Pierce from the 1715 fleet in 15 feet of water.
Florida Rules on Treasure Hunting
However, most of us are not going to be going far offshore searching for for treasure in international waters. The state of Florida follows Federal law concerning shipwrecks. The Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 and the Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1988 gives ownership to the state of Florida of all wrecks in Florida waters. It also protects the wrecks as an archeological site. In addition the state of Florida passed the Florida Historical Resources Act which covers all navigable bays, rivers, streams, and lakes plus all waters 7 miles into the Gulf of Mexico and 3 miles into the Atlantic.
What all this means is that no one should remove anything from a shipwreck site without prior permission from the state of Florida. Also, anything found inside a state park or on federal land belongs to them. With that said it is possible to search for coins from shipwrecks on any public beach. According to the Florida Department of State website www.flheritage.com the rule of thumb is that if it is not wet you can pick it up. On that website the Florida Division of Historical Resources is concerned with the archaeological integrity of shipwrecks and other historical sites.
The good news about this type of treasure hunting is that mother nature is your best friend. Florida is known for its tropical storms. Right after any coastal storm is a great time to go looking for coins from a shipwreck on the beach. According to reports you may even find more than coins. Some have found jewelry and other objects.
The rules were developed to protect archaeological sites and officials require citizens to notify them of finds. But the consensus is that because any treasures found are property of the state, the luck explorer that finds a treasure is more likely to keep a tight lip and not report the find to authorities because it will be confiscated. Many say because of the strict rules most treasures found go unreported.
If you are unsure whether you can keep your finding or to report artifacts found contact The Bureau of Archaeological Research at 1001 Desoto Park Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32301. Their telephone number is 850-245-6340.
Where are Florida Treasures?
Additional good news is that just about every part of the Florida coastline is a good place to take your trusty metal detector. Carry a sieve, colander or other device with holes in it to shake the sand through when you get a good indication from the detector. Here are some well known places with shipwrecks close to the Florida shore to get you started.
Fernandina which is just across the Saint Mary's River as you enter Florida on I-95 from Georgia is a great place to start. The Saint Mary's River was well used by pirates the British and Spaniards. The town of Fernandina is on the water and is a great place to visit. They have a well known Shrimp Festival in May of each year. It is also the site of the Civil War Fort named Fort Clinch. It is a state park but there are great beaches and several well known shipwrecks.
Saint Augustine is just south of Fernandina and the large city of Jacksonville. The Spanish founded it in the early 1500's so it has been around for a long time. Plenty of time for shipwrecks and coins lost by the Spaniards, British and early American settlers. There is another fort located there built by the Spanish that is similar to other forts located in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and many other Spanish ports in the Caribbean and South America. There have been reports of a Spanish ship that sank at the mouth of the inlet to the beautiful bay harbor and coins being found on Conch Island which is a barrier island accessible just east of the city.
As you travel south past the famous Daytona Beach you will find yourself at the Space Coast which is home to NASA's launch site. Many of the beaches are off limits due to Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Kennedy. However, if you can locate an inlet it is another good place to search since this is the beginning of what is known as “The Treasure Coast.” Just about every coastal town from here to Fort Pierce will have a story of shipwrecks and coins and jewelry showing up in the sand and surf. Stuart, Vero Beach and Sebastian Inlet are all great places to look after a storm.
As the Spanish rounded the Florida Keys and picked up the fast moving Gulf Stream to help them on their way to Spain with their gold it was not unusual to run into a storm. It could be a hurricane from the Southeast or a powerful Nor'easter. The state coastline juts out from Palm Beach to Miami forcing many ships to sink just offshore as they ran for cover near land.
Speaking of the Florida Keys, you could spend years on those islands and not exhaust the opportunities to find treasure.
Within the Great White Heron & Key West National Wildlife Refuges governed by the National Parks Service you are not allowed to use metal detectors to search for antiquities, artifacts, or treasures.
On the west coast of Florida the famous pirate Gasparilla even has a festival named after him celebrated in Tampa in February each year. As you travel up the west coast from Everglades City you will encounter The Ten Thousand Islands. Unfortunately for treasure hunters this is mostly a state park but it will give you an idea of the many hiding places for a pirate. Gasparilla has left many legends and stories of buried treasure all along the west coast of Florida.
If you travel to the interior of Florida there are even reports of treasure far inland. One of the most interesting is the story of an appearing and disappearing treasure chest in a spring located at DeLeon Springs near Deland Florida. In the book “A Cracker History of Okeechobee” the author mentionsseveral ships and boats and even treasure lost on and around Lake Okeechobee.
By John Paul Holmes - February 29, 2012
Tools for Beach Treasure Hunting
We sell on our store a great beach scoop to use when metal detecting on the beach called The Sand Dipper.
More on Treasure Sites and Treasure Hunting
The Treasure Beaches Report is a Blog with beach reports on the Treasure Coast. Learn how to read the surf, wind and tides to find treasures on the beaches of the Treasure Coast.
So no matter where you find yourself in Florida you are only a few miles from a genuine adventure!
DISCLAIMER: We provide information on this website for your convenience. This information is provided as a guide for Florida fishing, diving & boating and is not conclusive. We will not be responsible for the accuracy of information on referring websites. We will not be held liable for any damages if you rely on the information or regulations listed on this website.
