Treasure hunters off Martin may hit jackpot today

[wreckdiver1715]

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2007/sep/02/30treasure-hunters-may-hit-jackpot-today/

 

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[billinstuart]

I'm going out there today to see whats happening. Unfortunately, Martin County has destroyed its beaches, so no beach hunting.

 

[Chagy]

You all want to hear a funny story......Jason, Tom and I have been doing some research on the 1715, so this weekend Jason, Lucy and my self decided to take a road trip and go beach MDing to see what we could find.
We were in the general area on Friday.....Friday night we looked at googleearth and we found the spot were we wanted to be (right behind these 3 houses) when we got there BIG SURPRICE!!!!!! the Poly-L was right there
There was a 77 year old man standing on the beach watching the Poly-L and he told me: When I was a kid we found cannons in the general area were that boat is right now, I am just waiting to see if the find them....

 

[billinstuart]

There was no inlet there in 1715..it was hand dug a little over 100 years ago. Went out there today..dead flat sea. Can't be more than a couple hundred feet off the beach.

 

[FISHEYE]

So wheres the jackpot?

 

[ScottyLee]

More news about the Polly L

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2007/sep/02/treasure-hunters-find-piece-promising-timber-still/

 

[ScubaDude]

Now that they have the site "sewed up" can anyone speak as to what was found there under the exploration lease earlier this summer?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Does anyone know if cobs, timbers or artifacts were ever found on those beaches?

 

[Chagy]

Does anyone know if cobs, timbers or artifacts were ever found on those beaches?

Hey BiggyC.

Yes the old man that was talking to me on the beach told me that cobs had been found in the beach before..

 

[FISHEYE]

Nothing is true about that site till someone has solid proof(photos or see it in person) of anything found,ballast stones,cannons,wood,gold or silver,or other artifacts.track down the sources of stuff found there.stories from some old man dont count.

 

[Chagy]

Nothing is true about that site till someone has solid proof(photos or see it in person) of anything found,ballast stones,cannons,wood,gold or silver,or other artifacts.track down the sources of stuff found there.stories from some old man dont count.

OK....stories from some old man dont count...what about 2 old man .....While I was talking to the old man another old man showed-up and was taking pictures of the Poly-L then Jason started talikng to him....as we were walking back to the car I told Jason the story of the cannons that the old man told me....Then Jason says; the old man that was talking to me told me that many years ago he had done a survey, diving in that same general area were the Poly-L was and that he had seen cannons.

 

[FISHEYE]

chagy,

Ok so now you have 2 old men telling stories about seeing cannons,so did anyone ask the old man why he didnt get a lease with the state to work the site?im always skeptical about anything i hear till i see real proof.years ago someone told me about cannons he found in the ICW while fishing with his son in a canoe,so i told the guy we will bring a boat and you show us where you found the cannons.we got to the site,put a diver in the water and found what this guy thought were cannons.10 feet down in crystal clear water with 30 foot vis were 4 brown in color 10 foot long corrugated dredge pipes with no crustation on them.if some old man doesnt know what hes looking at underwater.it could be anything.

 

[diverlynn]

OK Guys, here's an update. No there were no cannons found yet. We did find some wood that was photographed, documented and placed back in the hole and the state is aware if it. Due to the status of the weather, we are going to try to get the &%$ out of here and head south at high tide.

NC Brad, some pottery shards were found in the spring when the Polly L was here and worked 29 days.

As for what has been found in the area, I personally don't know, There is a letter written back in April from an elderly man who found some of the cannons, when I have time I will try to post it if I am allowed. I took the weekend off and when I returned we had quite a lot of visitors, Dave Jordan and family members (owner of the lease), 2 camera crews and a newspaper reporter. Fox news is running the story tonight (at least that is what I was told), tune in folks!!

Fisheye, Being skeptical is ok, we are sometimes also but how about some positive support instead of assuming everything is lies.


That's my story and I am sticking to it.
ok bye bye

Diverlynn

 

[Skimmer]

Lynn:
Well said and reported! Thank you for your continuing updates. Good luck and HH!Mike

 

[diverlynn]

Recently it was brought to my attention that there were some negative post concerning the Fisher's and even tho this is not one of the Fisher's leases, I would also like to take this time to voice my, Doug Pope's and our crew's opinion on Taffi Fisher and the whole Fisher family and company. We have the utmost respect for the Fishers. They are trustworthy, loyal and above all very professional in every manner pertaining to treasure hunting. They go out of their was to accommodate us and we hope to do business with them for many years in the future.

Diverlynn and the Crew of the Polly L

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Mystery Ship of the 1715 Fleet
http://www.treasureexpeditions.com/MysteryShip.htm

 

[wreckdiver1715]

Recently it was brought to my attention that there were some negative post concerning the Fisher's and even tho this is not one of the Fisher's leases, I would also like to take this time to voice my, Doug Pope's and our crew's opinion on Taffi Fisher and the whole Fisher family and company. We have the utmost respect for the Fishers. They are trustworthy, loyal and above all very professional in every manner pertaining to treasure hunting. They go out of their was to accommodate us and we hope to do business with them for many years in the future.

Diverlynn and the Crew of the Polly L

Thanks Lynn, and if I may add that the Fisher clan are my Treasure Hunting Hero's as well. This Family and company has done more for treasure hunters than anyone else.

Tom

 

[ScubaFinder]

As an employee of the Fisher's, I can verify that they are an honest and loving bunch. I feel like family after being here only a few months. Most of the negative commentary is completely untrue. Sure some people had hard feelings along the way, but that is true with any endeavor. They have been nothing but open and welcoming to me, and i've enjoyed every minute of my time here, and expect to be conserving artifacts for them for many years to come.

Jason

 

[jeff k]

Treasure hunters in Martin County hope this piece of wood has ties to long-lost Spanish fleet
By Gabriel Margasak
Friday, September 21, 2007

STUART — Jim Sinclair counts a dive to the Titanic and helping legend Mel Fisher find sunken 1715 Spanish treasure off Sebastian among his archaeological achievements.

And local treasure hunter David Jordan is counting on the noted historian to help him identify one more ship from that same Spanish fleet a little farther south, off Stuart.

Rough seasonal surf has forced the team to pack up for the year, but it plans to return in February or March . In the meantime, they are awaiting state and private archeologists to identify a promising piece of wood encrusted with metal they found in the sand.

"The more I work around these shipwrecks, the more I'm sure they're always full of surprises," Sinclair said. "This could very well be a 1715-period shipwreck or it could be something totally different ... although it's sort of in the area if you know what I mean."

If indeed the wood the team located Sept. 2 off Tiger Shores Beach is part of the Spanish fleet, laden with gold and silver, Jordan hopes to find cannons that could confirm the find and continue the search.

"It was only our second or third hole we dug and we found a piece of the ship. So it was promising," Jordan, 44, said. "So it would be more promising if we could find the cannons."

Cannons sometimes have telltale markings that can help identify a ship.

That's what Jordan thought he saw 29 years ago while surfing just north of Stuart Beach.

That memory lead to a family-and-friends effort to find the wreck with veteran treasure hunting and salvage expert Doug Pope, president of Amelia Research and Recovery and captain of the Polly-L.

Pope's eye-catching vessel had been parked over a site — perched on three giant legs that lower into the water and raise the ship above the surf — which had been mapped with a device that suggested there was buried metal there.

"It's tricky," Jordan said. "You would think a cannon would throw off a big signal. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't."

The chances of finding any riches could be even tougher — Jordan is using his own money and Pope's company is financing the rest of the operation.

"People aren't finding large treasures," said Sterling Ivey, a spokesman for the Florida Department of State, which oversees finds of archaeological significance. "We have not issued a salvage contract in the last 15 years (in all of Florida.) It's very rare that the exploration contracts turn into a significant find."

The last such major discovery and contract in Florida waters was actually from the same 1715 fleet Jordan is searching for, Ivey said.

Explorers found wreckage from that fleet starting in the 1960s off the Sebastian coast. In the early 1980s, Mel Fisher and his team discovered gold and silver coins in the same area..

Any small items found by Jordan, such as utensils from a ship or the cannons, would automatically go to the state for preservation.

A new contract would have to be negotiated if Jordan's team finds real treasure.

"We are a long way away from Mr. Pope or Mr. Jordan striking it rich on this site Ivey said.

Even with that knowledge, Jordan had tried to turn the tide.

The team used a giant propeller-driven blower to dig in the sand.

The first thing they found was hardly that old — it was the steering column from a helicopter.

The wood came next.

"(The experts) said it was very old but they didn't want to keep it out of the water very long or it would degrade," Jordan said. "So we put it back in the hole and covered it over."

The team sent detailed pictures to state officials, who were working with Jordan's team to determine the significance.

Although the Polly-L and crew have left the scene, residents might see the ship in the Fort Pierce area for the rest of the year working on some projects for commercial customers.

But the team will be back.

"This is archeology. I don't think I'm ever going to get independently wealthy," Jordan said. "My excitement is just being able to see what I found 29 years ago."

The part-time treasure hunter did see to it that the wood he found so far remains as safe as possible.

"I did put my tag on it so that if 100 years in the future, someone finds it," he said, "they'll know I found it first."

 

[billinstuart]

Is there anyone in the Martin County area who is REALLY familiar with the Unknown S-25 and Power Plant wrecks? If so, contact me please.