Blak bart
Gold Member
After a half a day of fishing on friday we decided to jump in the water. The bosses kids are 10 and 12, at least the 2 that were out with us. They both love to here stories of spanish treasure and love to fondle the coin around my neck. So in the spirit of adventure we decided to snorkel some of the treasure wrecks. We quickly located the coral head in the deep trench behind pacific reef light that the once proud aviso of the 1733 fleet bilged on. She was called the populo or el pinque.the evidence is there in the scattered ballast that lies in 27-30 feet of water. I told them the story of my friend and mentor marty meylach hiding the cannons from this wreck so other salvors would not find and take them before he could.she lies in the Biscayne national park and nothing is to be touched or disturbed. I have dreamed of swinging the coil on this site since I was there age, and im sure they were dreaming the same thing. Any way after that we were back in pennicamp park gazing down at the timbers and ballast of the pillar dollar wreck. It was called the "el Nueva victoriosa" she has slowly started to sand over since she was uncovered this summer by archeologists but if you know where to look her timbers can be spotted from the deck of the boat. Lots of pillar dollar coins were recovered here along with fire opals and many other artifacts. There are many artifacts exposed here right now in plain view and it is an excellent snorkel. This one is another easy one to treasure hunt on if only the state would allow it. again look but dont touch. We moved in to the reef just inshore of her where many pillar dollars were recovered. Strangely shell collecting is allowed in this park with a limit of 15 total shells per day. Only the queen conch is off limits, and only when it is alive. A naturally dead shell is allowed. But if your shell has the tell tale hole in it used to take the animal you will be fined. We dove 2 naturally dead queens 2 tulip shells several nice angel wings and a hard to find chestnut cowry shell. All ours were dead shells on discovery but you are allowed to take them alive except the queen conch. The chestnut cowry must have just been eaten by a predator because it was an AAA+quality shell and a real treasure in its own right. It now sits on the mantle of my bosses wife next to a deer cowry from last year. After this snorkel we rode inshore to the todd wreck this wreck is rarely visited as it sits on the outside edge of the hawk chanel in almost perpetual murky water. It is only in15 16 feet of water. It only gets clear enough to see this wreck a few times a year, usually in the winter during light offshore winds after cold fronts or light north winds. She is scattered for 300 foot radious and has a lot to see. many bottles and other plates and stuff some wood planks and other debri laying around. lots of fish and eels swarm around this wreck and it is spooky. Always feels like a shark is nearby and they are. She is unidentified but ive herd that it was a civilwar era wreck from the rifles and arms that were recovered in the past before this became a park. I would really like to pick on this one there are a lot of easy recoveries here but im happy with my pay and tip for just shareing it with my boss and his kids. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize that im being paid to go and do this stuff. It truly is the best job in the world. Im using my bosses boat and burning his gas to go and do whatever I want to do and he pays me to take him along and show him these things. Unbelievable !!! Oh did I mention that the water temp was 74. I didnt even need a wetsuit . Only in the keys..... and as a bonus we caught a 20 pound mahi mahi that morning. Only in the keys. !!!
