The Most Amazing Treasures Ever Discovered at The Bottom of the Sea

 

Many of these fascinating gold treasures were made by chance. It is a good idea to keep an eye out for the next occasion you are at the beach!

The San José

The Spanish ship San José dubbed the "holy grail of shipwrecks," had a fortune in silver, gold, and emeralds that would be worth billions today. During the Battle of Cartagena in 1708, the galleon was destroyed by British ships. The shipwreck was found on the ocean bottom in 2015, more than three hundred years after it went down.

In May this year, the discovery news was made public. REMUS 6000, an underwater vehicle developed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was instrumental in locating the ship's unique guns, and recovery efforts are still underway.

Caesarea Treasure

Imagine yourself on a scuba diving excursion and come upon some gold coins you mistakenly believe to be child's play money. There are more than 2,000 precious coins dating back over 1,000 years, and they are all in excellent condition. Diving club members in Israel's historic port city of Caesarea uncovered a treasure much like this in 2015.

The Israel Antiquities Agency then retrieved the most significant gold hoard ever discovered in that nation. The coins' origins and why they were found at the bottom of the ocean are being investigated.

The Atocha

There were several sunken ships in 1985, but the Nuestra Seora de Atocha dubbed the "mother lode," was discovered in July off the shore of Key West, Florida. Mel Fisher, a well-known treasure hunter, sought it for 16 years until he found it.

When the Atocha departed from Havana, Cuba, bound for Spain in 1622, she was carrying a cargo of gold and silver, but she ran aground in a storm. To mark the silver jubilee of the Atocha's discovery, the public was able to purchase gold and emeralds at an auction. The Mel Fisher Museum in Key West has more of the collection, which is believed to be worth $450 million.

1715 Treasure Fleet

Spain's 11-ship treasure fleet went down in 1715 off the coast of Florida in the middle of hurricane season (you may remember that narrative from the 2008 Matthew McConaughey/Kate Hudson film Fool's Gold, which was based on the sinking). Treasure Coast of Florida has been awash with coins since that time. The $4.5 million caches recovered on the same day as the crash 300 years later in shallow water only feet from shore continue to bring in big bucks. According to some estimates, more than half of the $400 million in treasure is still missing.

Heracleion

Atlantis is fiction, yet cities submerged under the earth are real. Underwater archaeologist Frank Goddio found Heracleion, also known as Thonis-Heracleion, off the coast of Egypt at the mouth of the Nile in 2000. Heracles and Helen of Troy are associated with the city in Greek mythology. Sunken sculptures and antique items like jewelry, pottery, and coins make this a priceless—yet valuable—find today.

Conclusion 

There's treasure buried here in the United States, and it's not only for pirates, movies, and movies about pirates. With a metal detector, shovel, or a puzzle-solving mind, there is no shortage of hidden gems to be unearthed.