Atocha Shipwreck took how many years to find??

[OldGold74]

So, a very fair question without a jab at anyone or any family just a question so please go easy on the answers,

How long did the Atocha take to find, was Mr.Fisher really out there day in and day out for 16 years? Nope, so why tell it that way why not say "over a 16 year period he searched on and off for the vessel The Atocha, why say it took 16 years to find, marketing or use of words? Surely it took hundreds or thousands of hours over a 16 year period? Still fair but more accurate and does anyone think maybe there were many other sites trails of other vessels (same era) all thrown in the mix of the "Atocha trail" .... Its something that always bugged me but I found once a friend who passed away this year used to tell people and investors that he was looking for a vessel for XXXXX number of years, when really he looked for it a lot but over XXXX years all time spent was probably 100 days total. Seems with shipwrecks things sound better or different, again its not a jab just a question and if Im wrong point me out, no probs. How long collectively did it take to find the Atocha motherload?

Happy Hunting - GH

 

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[ScubaFinder]

I look at it more as a start to finish type statement. If I start looking for my watch today, and I find it tomorrow, then I have looked for it for one day. Speaking for Mel, once he started looking for it, he never really "stopped" until he found it...an admirable quality in my book. sure he wasn't on the water everyday, but I gaurantee you the Atocha was on his mind every day.

That's how I see it anyways.

Jason

 

[Darren in NC]

I'd say he was looking for it even when he wasn't in the water. When you run out of money and have to go talk to investors, you're still "looking."

 

[pcolaboy]

Ok...I'll throw my hat in the ring as well. Let me ask this question: Did the effort of putting the first man on the moon only begin when the rocket left the pad in July of 1969? Hell no. It took years of developing new technology, trial and error engineering, and the loss of three astronauts before it actually happened. Another analogy would be...if you're a football coach running the same plays over and over again without gaining any yardage do you continue on this course or do you take a timeout to regroup and come up with a different strategy? Damn I think I had a few too many Modelo's at the restaurant tonight . Ok maybe these aren't the best analogies but hopefully you get my meaning.

Fisher certainly devoted 16 years of his, and his family's life in the pursuit of his goal. Much of that time, as with any elusive discovery, required thousands upon thousands of hours doing research, raising capital, managing logistics, etc. etc. If you consider the technology available to him at that time, it was quite an amazing feat to accomplish in only 16 years in my opinion. You're talking about thousands of square miles of ocean looking for something buried beneath water and sand going by clues from ancient charts and accounts that are often riddles themselves. I probably envy Fisher's fortitude and perseverance more than the loot he recovered - well maybe not more but it's at least 50/50

Pcola

 

[Salvor6]

Mel didn't search for the Atocha by himself. He had other crews working with him.

 

[GOHO]

Mels Team also searched over 100,000 linear miles of sea bottom before the Atocha was discovered! That takes a lot of time. The only time his team was not searching for the Atocha was when the wind blew and then they all sat around going over theories on where it might be. It was an on going search and still is. It took 16 years to find the main cultural deposit (mother load) but the search continues today to recover the remains of that one ship (and the boats are out everyday that they can work).

 

[OldGold74]

Those are good answers must have been an amazing man, very strong family. Wonder how Mad4wrecks would answer, I dont feel too bad saying Ive been looking 8 years for one wreck. Have a good friend who worked on the Atocha, what great comradie. Have a good weekend. GH

 

[mad4wrecks]

If finding shipwrecks was easy, everyone would be doing it!

Actually, Mel's search was probably longer than 16 years. Mel seemed to be bored by the time the returns on the 1715 wrecks started slowing down, around 1967, and I know he was already aware of the Atocha at that time and was making plans to look for it.

I work with another group called HRD, Inc. and they have been looking for one of the missing 1715 wrecks since 1992, finding bits and pieces in a trail that leads more than 3 miles offshore.

The fact that so many iron cannons and anchors were removed from the Treasure Coast during WWII, without documenting them, makes our job that much more difficult.

 

[mad4wrecks]

I concur. Usually behind every great man, is a greater woman.

 

[ivan salis]

once started on a project -- your looking for it --and the clock starts and in effect it never stops --- while you may stop to eat lunch or do some other everyday task (like spending hours on shore reading old archive papers translating them or have to quit looking on the sea to get more funding raised) --its all part of the overall effort --and yes it was mel's main "job" during at the time --during those fiscally hard and personally painful (the loss of his son and daughter in law)-- 16 year long streach of time it was his major focus of his bussiness life and one of the main things in his life in general -- no you don't start a stop watch when you leave the dock and stop it when you return --saying we looked for 8 hours today thats 1 / 3rd of a day -- you say we looked for a day - thats why they say he looked for 16 years -- it might be more PC by todays standards to say over a 16 year time span it was his major project in life --mel (and his backers and freinds) invested a lot of hard work into finding that vessel and even afterward had to fight the corrupt govts of florida and the US govt to get what was his by right all along. --you bet he earned it. --- Ivan

I feel no shame in saying that for many years I have worked on finding out more on the pre nov of 1769 capt william fuller map marked shipwreck listed as being off amelia island in nassau sound --- I strongly feel its linked with the oct 24th, 1715 letter by govenor spotswood of virginia --which states in a PS
, that a barcalonga sent from havana to rescue VIP's and (plate) silver was likewize cast away about 40 miles north of st augustine (nassau sound area)

 

[Skimmer]

Yeah...This "Goldfishunter" is the same guy who posted "where are you working" to Greg Bounds (GOHO)after saying he "read your website " I think he's just typing to see himself online.

 

[Chagy]

I don't mean to be rude, but I don't get the point of this thread the term "a year" is used for everything....
If I asked you how long have you been in your job? I bet you would automatically answer 4 years, 6 years(or what ever) or do you stop and calculate all the hours you've worked to answer? this applies for everything else.....How long do you go to highschool for? How long do you need to study be a Dr.? Do you actually only count the hours that you study? How long have you been married? Do you only count the time you spend with the wife? A year is just a way to measure time like, a day, a week, or month.....When you say I have been working for 2 weeks in a row...does that mean that you have been working all 24 hours of each day for 2 weeks or it means that you haven't taken a day off in 2 weeks?

But if you want to look at from that point of view I would have to say it tuck Mel more than 16 years....Do you have any idea how many times we dive from sunrise to sunset, then once we get to the dock we clean the equipment and boat, then we analyze the charts to plan our next day...And that is a good day if we dont need to repair something.......Just because you are not in the water hunting it doesnt mean you are not hunting......

Preparation is the most important part of a task and the part that takes the most time.....

 

[Bobadilla]

Chagy is right......... One clever old treasure hunter told once that successful treaure hunt represents 95% of time looking for right information and only 5% of field work. If you have wrong information, just putting you let´s say one mile off the target, you can loose the whole season looking for the treasure in the wrong spot. As I remember, the same happened to Mel Fisher. He spent the whole year looking in wrong place, because he did not interprete positively one name on the old map.....

Lobo

 

[OldGold74]

Hi Skimmer - thanks for the input your a great guy....full of beans, I am impressed with GOHO and with Aargh as I had not seen such a strong presence for a long time, (ps I missed where his website said he had worked) I was on this site (Tnet) years ago and removed myself it was full of egos and seemed like a pissing contest, Chagy its a question Ive asked and been asked dozens of times, Ive been working with treasurehunters and archaeologists for a very long time and this was always a topic brought up after a long day or 12 hours or XXXX minutes, whats it matter.. well it does and it was a fair question. To those that answered thanks, to those that dont understand, sorry and to Skimmer all the best. GH

 

[Bum Luck]

"..was Mr.Fisher really out there day in and day out for 16 years?" The answer is yes. Even on days when the weather kept them off the water, Mel's mind never left the Atocha. I'm convinced of that.

 

[mad4wrecks]

Mel is still out there on the Atocha......his ashes were scattered there. I guess that makes his an eternal quest.

 

[Chagy]

Hello GH,

I didn’t mean to be rude. I did understand, I just don’t get the point or let me rephrase this, I don’t think is fair or right to say that it didn’t take Mel 16 years to find the Atocha just because he was not in the water every single day…..

This is just my humble opinion….Why? Well I guess everyone else has told you why….

If you have been around treasure hunters for such a long time you should know by now that being out in the water hunting is just one of the many tasks you must fulfill in order to achieve the goal of finding a wreck (target). Obviously is in the water where you want to be the most time possible but in order to do that......
First you need to find a target worth while. Just this task by it self may take days, weeks, months and even years…..Plus the cost of traveling, and hiring researchers……even if you don’t have the money and you need to do another job not related to treasure hunting to earn the funds needed , you are still working for the hunt……..Once you have been able to find the proper documentation to prove this target does exist, now you need to find all the possible documentation on the wreck to narrow down the search area. Then you need to find the right crew, boat(s) design all the equipment needed like blowers , hookah, etc. and install them, also find or build (like Mel did) all the equipment that you will need for the hunt Mds, mags etc. etc.…….Then you need to find the right attorney to get permits (and win 100 of the shares like Mel did).
Ahhh if you dont have the funds you will need to spend time looking for an investor…………
Anyone can find a wreck but finding a wreck and turning it into a 700million dollar industry like Mel did is no easy task……

Once you have accomplish all of the things above mentioned if you are not in the water is because there is bad weather, the boat broke down and you are fixing it or you are resting……

And believe me this is the right way to do it..Yes I have heard of people that are uot there every day and they have stumbled into things but the ones that have hit big they knew what they were looking for and where to look...

Most of the people that replied to your thread are currently subcontractors with the Fisher family and our goal is to finish what Mel started…..

Mel cheers to you!!!!!!!

P.S. I hope I didn’t jab anyone with my humble answer…..

 

[OldGold74]

Chagy, thanks for that - the basis for the question was not aimed at the Fishers or Mel - again a great family and maybe one day I get to their museum or have a beer, I have 11 boats and many staff so understand all the ins and outs of working on water - the question maybe could be refrased better it is more to gauge what people determine as hunting for a wreck and many have answered the question including yourself indirectly to summarise without all the bs, as when dealing with a shrewd lawyer banker or investor the first thing one will ask is how much his investment will get ie: how many hours for the dollars - so its nice to have a thread to show the novice investor or person asking such a question the answers out there from all of your point of views. If you had to put a value on your time for arguments sake invest your time on the water into a company while others fund it - then this post has given light and strength to the diver who has the knowledge time and effort but not the money. Nope Im not looking for investors just looking for input, thank you.
GH