Mel Fisher: why it is called the king of hunters

During the life of the American Mel Fisher called the "king of hunters". In 40 years he abandoned everything and went in search of the treasures of sunken ships. On the way to the goal Fisher has experienced many disappointments and the death of the beloved son, however, did not give up. After almost 20 years of searching, he succeeded. In 1985, treasure hunters found a sunken Spanish Galleon "Atocha" and raised from the seabed treasures amount to 450 million dollars.

Mel Fisher was born on the farm where his father had chickens and geese. Future treasure hunter admitted that since childhood was passionate about the dreams of the sea and adventure. In his Museum and is now kept diving helmet assembled from pots, garden hose and Bicycle pump. Under water for the first time Fisher has fallen at the University, where he studied engineering.

Next was the military service and participation in the Second world war. When he was in the civilian world, he decided to continue his father's and started breeding chickens. However, the dream of the sea was taking its toll. Fisher went for broke and opened the California shop selling diving equipment. He later organized a school for novice divers.

Mel Fisher with his wife Dolores

Life companion of Chalk was beautiful Dolores, with whom he raised four children. When Mel Fisher walked with his wife along the shore of the ocean, found in the sand a gold coin of the seventeenth century. From this moment his entire life locked up in treasure hunting. True, Dolores has supported the idea of a brave husband.

The search for treasures, especially underwater — employment is expensive and not always beneficial. However, Fischer decided to risk it a second time and moved to Florida, where his friend Kip Wagner opened a company in search of Spanish Galleons. To attract investment into the project mates went to the trick.

They invited rich people to dive with them under the water and was tweaking that people found in the sand a few gold coins. Fisher and Wagner congratulated the lucky one who ashore was usually already gone by the investor of the company. The first major production came in may 1964. Near the city of Fort pierce friends raised from the ocean floor 2500 gold doubloons.

Find treasures helped was developed by Mel Fisher's pipe, which issued a jet of water erodes the sand. However, after initial success started a series of failures that continued for many years. Debts grew, workers who participated in the search for a share in the treasure, left, and gold could be seen.

Failure is not forced Mel Fisher to give up the dream. He was attracted to the quest of archaeologist Duncan Matheson, with whom he planned to find the legendary Galleon "Nuestra Señora de Atocha". The ship sank in 1622 off the coast of Florida and transported from America to Spain and treasures. Great work in Spanish archives has done the historian Eugene Lyons. Together they outlined the plot for the search, which began in 1970.

Six years passed with no findings, but on July 13, 1975 the son of Mel Fisher — Drake, combing the seabed near the island of Quicksands. In the sand he noticed a log, and when it came closer, we realized it was guns, next to which lay two silver bars. The symbols on the metal bars, confirmed that they from the hold of the Galleon "Atocha".

The weather forecast promised a storm and Mel Fisher demanded that the son stopped searching and left the square until the situation improves. But he persuaded his father and left. July 20, the storm began to subside, and Drake Fisher, along with his wife angel and diver Rick Geidam went out to the ocean.

Suddenly, their ship had sprung a leak and capsized on its side. Phishers Ganj and not managed to get out of cover and drowned. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that Drake did not have time to tell my dad the exact coordinates of the finds. The ocean took the Chalk of his son, but instead gave nothing.

The death Drake was for Mel Fisher's a real tragedy, but she did not break it. The search continued, and in 1980, the magnetometers showed a strip of the seabed, studded with gold. It turned out that the jewelry is not "Atocha" and Galleon "Santa Margarita".

Exactly 10 years after his son's death on 20 July 1985, under the age-old build-up of algae Fisher's divers found a mountain of silver ingots. It was the treasures of the "Atocha". Over the years Mel Fisher lifted from the bottom 3200 emeralds, 150 thousand silver coins, thousands of silver ingots weighing 15 to 40 kilograms, and many other jewels.

Team Mel Fisher after raising from the bottom of the first silver bars

Estimated value of the treasure — $ 450 million. According to the decision of the U.S. Supreme court Fischer withdrew 25% of found. Area finding the "Atocha" in 2008, the national Oceanographic and Atmospheric administration declared a reserve, and any activity there is forbidden.

Silver coins in plastic buckets

Experts believe that on the bottom left of the treasure at $ 500 million. In December 1998 Mel Fisher, whom everybody called "king of hunters" died, but his work was continued by children. Under the management of grandson Sean Fisher company Mel Fisher's Treasures continues to search for sunken treasure. A lot of jewelry with the "Atocha" is stored in the Museum, Fisher island and Key West.

The treasures of the Galleon "Nuestra Señora de Atocha" in the Mel Fisher Museum:

The familiar Fisher said he was until his last days he reproached himself for the death of his son, who was allowed the day of the accident to continue their own search.