Metal detecting underwater in Florida

[OBXmetalDet]

From what I understand, you can't metal detect in the water off of Vero Beach and nearby areas because of that company that has a lease off shore right? By the way, I think this is very unfair and offensive.

What areas (from where to where) are you not allowed to metal detect underwater right off shore?

Where are you allowed to detect underwater?

 

[goldnugget]

It's a No No to Detect in the Water in that area Best bet is the Low Tide Line to the High Tide line is a Public Beach, Some one will give you a Better Answer on the Treasure Coast.

 

[Jose The Goon]

^^ "From what I understand, you can't metal detect in the water off of Vero Beach and nearby areas because of that company that has a lease off shore right? By the way, I think this is very unfair and offensive."

Yes, it is unfair but................from what I remember, & things may have changed since ten years ago, you can make a deal with the lease holder where you will split what you find in the water 50/50. I don't remember the lease holder's name, but I remember his initials are B.B.
I always use this story when I tell people what you can find in shallow water off the Treasure Coast. A father & son in 3-4 feet of water off of Vero Beach, and you can see in the video, the anchor of their boat is stuck in the sand on the beach, found 4.5 million in gold coins from the treasure fleet. I'm sure they split it with B.B., but 2.25 million is pretty darn good for a sub-contractor. I don't know if B. B. will bust your balls for small, recent stuff not related to the fleet. It's always good to seek out the lease holders & ask what the deal is, otherwise from the dunes to the low-tide line is all yours.
LINK to Vero Beach find video:
https://www.floridatoday.com/videos/news/local/2015/08/19/31979083/

 

[OBXmetalDet]

^^ "From what I understand, you can't metal detect in the water off of Vero Beach and nearby areas because of that company that has a lease off shore right? By the way, I think this is very unfair and offensive."

Yes, it is unfair but................from what I remember, & things may have changed since ten years ago, you can make a deal with the lease holder where you will split what you find in the water 50/50. I don't remember the lease holder's name, but I remember his initials are B.B.
I always use this story when I tell people what you can find in shallow water off the Treasure Coast. A father & son in 3-4 feet of water off of Vero Beach, and you can see in the video, the anchor of their boat is stuck in the sand on the beach, found 4.5 million in gold coins from the treasure fleet. I'm sure they split it with B.B., but 2.25 million is pretty darn good for a sub-contractor. I don't know if B. B. will bust your balls for small, recent stuff not related to the fleet. It's always good to seek out the lease holders & ask what the deal is, otherwise from the dunes to the low-tide line is all yours.
LINK to Vero Beach find video:
https://www.floridatoday.com/videos/news/local/2015/08/19/31979083/

Thanks for the info. I think I might have heard of this story before. A 50/50 split would explain how they were able to do that.

I would like to read some posts where people got caught detecting the 1715 wreck and what happened.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

It's a No No to Detect in the Water in that area Best bet is the Low Tide Line to the High Tide line is a Public Beach, Some one will give you a Better Answer on the Treasure Coast.

I know the water is off limits but what about the beach itself that is a part of the 1715 fleet area like Vero Beach?

 

[achanceforgold]

I know the water is off limits but what about the beach itself that is a part of the 1715 fleet area like Vero Beach?

The beach can be detected. From low tide area to the dunes. Don't go into the dunes.

The story I heard goes like this.
When Mel Fisher Found the Atocha, it was further than 3 miles offshore of Florida state waters.
But within 10 miles of U.S. waters.
The nuts in Tallahassee Florida tried to claim the Atocha treasure by increasing the Florida State waters to 10 miles in that area.
Mel sued them. The lawsuit went to the Supreme Court and Mel won the suit and was awarded 2 million dollars in legal fees.
The Supreme Court issued a ruling the State waters can only extend 3 miles. The states cannot randomly change it.

Florida did not want to pay 2 million dollars, so Mel worked out a deal to get the rights to the leases for the 1715 Treasure Fleet in exchange for the 2 million in legal fees.

The leases sat dormant for quite a while. But after Mel's death, A company called Queens Jewels bought the lease rights from the Fisher family. Because The 1715 fleet is within 3 miles of Shore, The State has first right to any find. If it is thought to be of historical significance. Florida can claim it and give the finder a percent of the determined value. I think 25 percent. Else, any find they don't want to keep. The State gets a percent of the value, the lease holder gets a percent, and the finder gets a percent. The State determines the value.

Or this is how I remember. Someone may correct me.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Here are the cords. Click on the link and go to thread...

Thread '1715 Treasure Fleet GPS Cordinates'

Feb 8, 2014

Here it is, I found it again....



SOUTHEAST FLORIDA SITES:



INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SITES:



– North of the inlet is "Chuck’s Steakhouse", also known as Half-Reale Beach, after the large numbers of Spanish 1715 cob coins found here! Evidently one of the 1715 Fleet galleons sank just off this beach, or this is the site where one of the captains went down after loading a keelboat full of salvaged treasure and trying to make it to St. Augustine, sinking and drowning just a mile north of the inlet in his overloaded boat. The general strategy here is to metal detect the beach in the area N. of...

• Treasure_Hunter
• Replies: 46
• Forum: Beach and Shallow Water

• 
• 

 

[Flipperfla]

From what I understand, you can't metal detect in the water off of Vero Beach and nearby areas because of that company that has a lease off shore right? By the way, I think this is very unfair and offensive.

What areas (from where to where) are you not allowed to metal detect underwater right off shore?

Where are you allowed to detect underwater?

Security is very tight. Cameras on the beach, fly-overs. If your in the water, by the time you surface the FWC will be tied to your boat waiting. They can impound your boat, dive gear and detector.
Here is a Tech working on one of the cameras, the pix of the boat with the dark blue sides is the Million Dollar Man.
Lease info and locations. Treasure Salvors Inc. Key West.

 

[Gare]

So flipperfl what your saying is you do NOT SURFACE with a detector ?

 

[OBXmetalDet]

The beach can be detected. From low tide area to the dunes. Don't go into the dunes.

The story I heard goes like this.
When Mel Fisher Found the Atocha, it was further than 3 miles offshore of Florida state waters.
But within 10 miles of U.S. waters.
The nuts in Tallahassee Florida tried to claim the Atocha treasure by increasing the Florida State waters to 10 miles in that area.
Mel sued them. The lawsuit went to the Supreme Court and Mel won the suit and was awarded 2 million dollars in legal fees.
The Supreme Court issued a ruling the State waters can only extend 3 miles. The states cannot randomly change it.

Florida did not want to pay 2 million dollars, so Mel worked out a deal to get the rights to the leases for the 1715 Treasure Fleet in exchange for the 2 million in legal fees.

The leases sat dormant for quite a while. But after Mel's death, A company called Queens Jewels bought the lease rights from the Fisher family. Because The 1715 fleet is within 3 miles of Shore, The State has first right to any find. If it is thought to be of historical significance. Florida can claim it and give the finder a percent of the determined value. I think 25 percent. Else, any find they don't want to keep. The State gets a percent of the value, the lease holder gets a percent, and the finder gets a percent. The State determines the value.

Or this is how I remember. Someone may correct me.

When does the Queen's Jewels lease expire?

Are you saying that ultimately, the finder keeps only 25% of the value?

 

[OBXmetalDet]

Security is very tight. Cameras on the beach, fly-overs. If your in the water, by the time you surface the FWC will be tied to your boat waiting. They can impound your boat, dive gear and detector.
Here is a Tech working on one of the cameras, the pix of the boat with the dark blue sides is the Million Dollar Man.
Lease info and locations. Treasure Salvors Inc. Key West.View attachment 2210571View attachment 2210572View attachment 2210573View attachment 2210574

What if you're diving right off shore? Do they greet everybody in scuba gear after they come onto the beach?

How would they know if you have a detector when you're diving? Do they zoom in on divers with satellites?

I'm really surprised with the amount of effort they put into security. This really shows that you can accomish anything if you set your mind to it.

Anyway, back to metal detecting by scuba diving off the beach. I'm curious to hear stories of people diving right off the beach, then getting accosted approached by the authorities whether they were guilty or not and what was the outcome.

 

[achanceforgold]

What if you're diving right off shore? Do they greet everybody in scuba gear after they come onto the beach?

How would they know if you have a detector when you're diving? Do they zoom in on divers with satellites?

I'm really surprised with the amount of effort they put into security. This really shows that you can accomish anything if you set your mind to it. Just imagine if the entire US government put this much effort into border security over the last 40 years. More Americans would have jobs, crime would be lower and so would the prison population which would save taxpayers a lot of money, then there is.......oh wait! Maybe I shouldn't be talking about this because it's the truth.

Anyway, back to metal detecting by scuba diving off the beach. I'm curious to hear stories of people diving right off the beach, then getting accosted approached by the authorities whether they were guilty or not and what was the outcome.

first,
You will have to check current splits.
My info is from 15 plus years ago.

And yes, a guy up in Cocoa Beach years ago had been detecting around Cape Canaveral offshore.
He found a sword, showed some people and someone ratted him out.
The searched his house and found several items.
He ended up going to jail for it.
I can't remember his name. It was about 10 or 15 years ago.

The beach itself is open for detection. But if you find an artifact, such as a sword, report it.
Coins and such, they don't care about so much.

There is a lot of sunken ships in the Keys. You can dive them. But do not bring anything up.
The State made it illegal back in the 60's to salvage those ships.
The story I heard was too much crime.
Someone would dive a ship, salvage. then someone would come by kill them and take their stuff.
They said it was like the wild west down there.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

first,
You will have to check current splits.


And yes, a guy up in Cocoa Beach years ago had been detecting around Cape Canaveral offshore.

What do you mean by current splits?

If he found coins off of Cape Canaveral, would he have been arrested? Is the problem with diving by Cape Canaveral or the fact that he didn't report the sword or both?

 

[achanceforgold]

What do you mean by current splits?

If he found coins off of Cape Canaveral, would he have been arrested? Is the problem with diving by Cape Canaveral or the fact that he didn't report the sword or both?

It may have been both.
Certain areas are totally off limits there.
It's a national park.

State/Queens Jewels/Finders split.

this article describes the split.
and a family that tried to hide 50 coins out of 100.
they didn't report them all.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/stolen-1715-fleet-gold-coins-recovered-2579689

 

[OBXmetalDet]

It may have been both.
Certain areas are totally off limits there.
It's a national park.

State/Queens Jewels/Finders split.

this article describes the split.
and a family that tried to hide 50 coins out of 100.
they didn't report them all.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/stolen-1715-fleet-gold-coins-recovered-2579689

Interesting article. I wonder how they found out that he didn't report those other coins.

Edit: According to this website, Schmidt confessed in a text message that he didn't report all of the coins. I wonder what prompted him to do that.

https://1715fleetsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1715FleetGoldCoinTheft.pdf

 

[Flipperfla]

So flipperfl what your saying is you do NOT SURFACE with a detector ?

They also do very low level flyovers.
The experience I personally had was I ran out of Sebastian Inlet in my skiff, shot down the shoreline to the numbers on my GPS I was interested in, threw out the anchor, flipped over the side with my mask and snorkel, did one trip to the bottom surfaced and the FWC was pulling up beside the skiff, tied up. Asked me what I was doing, told them I just jumped in to wash the waterline around my boat ( how’s that for a stupid excuse) looked over the skiff then told me I was on a private lease and to leave which I promptly did.
Another time we were up the coast a ways exploring and a plane did a flyover. He was so low and going really slow it was eyeball to eyeball contact. Just before he came over I tossed my detector in the brush along the trail. Time to go…….then got stalked by 3 huge hogs while making a bee line back to the skiff. Got back to the boat, untied from the shore and started back out to the main channel. We were about 75 yards from the shore. When I looked back at the shoreline,a black Chevy Suburban pulled up and 3 men in black got out on the trail we were just on. Luckily we were facing away from them so they couldn’t read the FL numbers on the boat. That was a close call.
Both these adventures happened years ago. Still want to take the chance?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

It is state law, the state wants their share, the balance belongs to lessee who owns lease.

It is no different than someone leasing land with forests for logging and have someone else sneak in on the land and illegally log trees. Theft is theft.

There is some info in this thread. I know to be a sub contractor required $2,000 per boat with additional requirements for boat.

How does one acquire a Treasure Coast lease and what is the typical cost?

I know we have some here who have done it. What's the process?

www.treasurenet.com

 

[achanceforgold]

They also do very low level flyovers.
The experience I personally had was I ran out of Sebastian Inlet in my skiff, shot down the shoreline to the numbers on my GPS I was interested in, threw out the anchor, flipped over the side with my mask and snorkel, did one trip to the bottom surfaced and the FWC was pulling up beside the skiff, tied up. Asked me what I was doing, told them I just jumped in to wash the waterline around my boat ( how’s that for a stupid excuse) looked over the skiff then told me I was on a private lease and to leave which I promptly did.
Another time we were up the coast a ways exploring and a plane did a flyover. He was so low and going really slow it was eyeball to eyeball contact. Just before he came over I tossed my detector in the brush along the trail. Time to go…….then got stalked by 3 huge hogs while making a bee line back to the skiff. Got back to the boat, untied from the shore and started back out to the main channel. We were about 75 yards from the shore. When I looked back at the shoreline,a black Chevy Suburban pulled up and 3 men in black got out on the trail we were just on. Luckily we were facing away from them so they couldn’t read the FL numbers on the boat. That was a close call.
Both these adventures happened years ago. Still want to take the chance?

Dude you got gold fever.
You're taking a lot of risk for little reward.


I get around all those metal detecting laws.
I use my dog.
Chance in his shipwreck diving gear.

Let them go to court and say my dog was metal detecting an offshore lease.
The judge will laugh them right out of the court.

Just Kidding!
That is some custom from the internet.

I was at an historical site yesterday. Chance, my dog, triggered on a target.
Caretaker wasn't there. I just walked away. No sense going to jail.
They won't let my dog in the cell with me.

 

[Flipperfla]

Dude you got gold fever.
You're taking a lot of risk for little reward.


I get around all those metal detecting laws.
I use my dog.
Chance in his shipwreck diving gear.
View attachment 2210882

Let them go to court and say my dog was metal detecting an offshore lease.
The judge will laugh them right out of the court.

Just Kidding!
That is some custom from the internet.

I was at an historical site yesterday. Chance, my dog, triggered on a target.
Caretaker wasn't there. I just walked away. No sense going to jail.
They won't let my dog in the cell with me.

As I said that was a long time ago. The State knows the locations of everything. That’s why everytime we go to and interesting spot it always seems to be State owned and no trespassing.

 

[achanceforgold]

As I said that was a long time ago. The State knows the locations of everything. That’s why everytime we go to and interesting spot it always seems to be State owned and no trespassing.

That's for sure.
All the sites have been taken over by the state or the feds.
And that's everywhere, not just Florida.