Diving near the Atocha wreck site

[OBXmetalDet]

Some company called Queen Jewels LLC has the salvage rights to the Atocha site so you can't dive there.

How close are you allowed to get?

Asking for a friend.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Treasure_Hunter]

You can dive on it as long as you do not have a metal detector with you, and they are not on the site working.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

You can dive on it as long as you do not have a metal detector with you, and they are not on the site working.

How close can you dive to the site with a metal detector?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

How close can you dive to the site with a metal detector?

There is a thread on our beach forum with the info.

1715 Treasure Fleet GPS Cordinates

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...

www.treasurenet.com

 

[OBXmetalDet]

Very interesting link, but I didn't see anything about the Atocha or diving near the Atocha. Did I miss something?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Very interesting link, but I didn't see anything about the Atocha or diving near the Atocha. Did I miss something?

Atocha is about 20 miles SW of Key West in about 60 feet of water, not on the Treasure Coast.

The same laws and rules applies to Atocha, you can dive it but not with any kind of metal detector and it violates Florida state law to remove anything from a wreck if someone is not part of company who owns the lease.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

Atocha is about 20 miles SW of Key West in about 60 feet of water, not on the Treasure Coast.

The same laws and rules applies to Atocha, you can dive it but not with any kind of metal detector and it violates Florida state law to remove anything from a wreck if someone is not part of company who owns the lease.

Thank you.

But how CLOSE can you get to the actual Atocha site without being in violation of law, i.e. 1 mile, 5 miles, 10 miles?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I never researched it. Here is a link that might be able to help you.

Join the Adventure - Mel Fisher's Treasures

Your description

www.melfisher.com

 

[OBXmetalDet]

I never researched it. Here is a link that might be able to help you.

Join the Adventure - Mel Fisher's Treasures

Your description

www.melfisher.com

BTW that link to 1715 was pretty good. I would like to come down to FL to dive offshore and detect underwater where I could.

I'm still trying to find out where I can do that.

 

[Flipperfla]

BTW that link to 1715 was pretty good. I would like to come down to FL to dive offshore and detect underwater where I could.

I'm still trying to find out where I can do that.

Treasure Salvors in Key West has the lease sites, locations/ boundaries. If you try to dive these sites, guaranteed you will get busted. Spotter planes, FWC, cameras, homeowners that live on the beaches, even paid sunbathers on the beach. Fines, impoundment of detectors, vehicle and boat possible. I watched this guy working on the cameras communicating with a boat off the beach while a spotter plane flew up and down the coast. I think Treasure Salvors offers dive trips to the Atocha.

 

[ARC]

BTW that link to 1715 was pretty good. I would like to come down to FL to dive offshore and detect underwater where I could.

I'm still trying to find out where I can do that.

Technically you cannot metal detect in any water without a permit to do so.
Now...
Park and public beach shallow water detection is not enforced but again technically and according to Florida Law... not permitted.
Disturbing submerged land is illegal without authorized permit.
So...
If you plan on diving out to find treasure or shipwrecks...
you will be in for a rude awakening with arrest and confiscation of any found artifacts.
You can detect all you want... you just cannot dig... or remove anything older than 50 years of age.
These items are property of the State Of Florida without permitted salvage lease agreements.

 

[ARC]

Laws - Division of Historical Resources - Florida Department of State

Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes :->2007->Ch0253->Section 12 : Online Sunshine

Just to be clear and simplified... it basically boils down to the very words of FPAN (The Florida Public Archaeology Network )...
"artifacts embedded in Florida waters are protected by Florida statute (Ch. 267) and they should not be removed. "

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Even if you have no detector with you, it is illegal to remove anything from a shipwreck lease site without the permission of the lease holder, everything found is declared, even by lease owners.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

Technically you cannot metal detect in any water without a permit to do so.
Now...
Park and public beach shallow water detection is not enforced but again technically and according to Florida Law... not permitted.
Disturbing submerged land is illegal without authorized permit.
So...
If you plan on diving out to find treasure or shipwrecks...
you will be in for a rude awakening with arrest and confiscation of any found artifacts.
You can detect all you want... you just cannot dig... or remove anything older than 50 years of age.
These items are property of the State Of Florida without permitted salvage lease agreements.

I guess I won't be going down to Florida.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I guess I won't be going down to Florida.

You can detect the shoreline along the Treasure Coast between sand dunes and low water line and keep what you find. You can detect in the water that is not along the treasure leases locations and keep what you find.

 

[ARC]

I guess I won't be going down to Florida.

Well if you were coming just to try and find treasure... don't bother.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

You can detect in the water that is not along the treasure leases locations and keep what you find.

So there are cases where you can detect in the water, but wouldn't this be a violation of taking something that is older than 50 years?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

So there are cases where you can detect in the water, but wouldn't this be a violation of taking something that is older than 50 years?

We detect in the water ever day, both sides of the state. We find gold and silver, as well as coins and relics, as long as you are not hunting in the water on the treasure lease sites no one cares.

You can hunt the treasure coast beaches, just NOT in the water, you can hunt from toe of the sand dunes to the water line and keep what you find, just NOT in the water where the treasure leases are located.

 

[OBXmetalDet]

We detect in the water ever day, both sides of the state. We find gold and silver, as well as coins and relics, as long as you are not hunting in the water on the treasure lease sites no one cares.

You can hunt the treasure coast beaches, just NOT in the water, you can hunt from toe of the sand dunes to the water line and keep what you find, just NOT in the water where the treasure leases are located.

Thankyou for posting this. I think this clears up a lot of uncertainties I had.

 

[Blak bart]

Interesting thread.....you guys are figuring it out......you can metal detect the waters that aren't leased or within 1300 feet of a historical wreck site. You cannot have a metal detector in the water in the national parks, and state parks have the ability to say yes or no to metaldetecting, and you must ask the head ranger or gate ranger.....sometimes they say yes sometimes they say no. Either way nothing over 50 years old is supposed to be taken. I just got done with the first half of a you tube detecting video.....we are 1300 feet from 2 known wrecks, and at a popular shallow water tourist drinking spot. Everybody metal detects this spot and nobody says a thing.....ever !! There are many spots like this, and big fat spanish 8 reales can also be found here. Some laws are enforced alot, and others not so much.....don't ask to many questions, and then ask a little forgiveness if confronted.....right.? It's very grey and there is alot of questions about artifacts too.....aren't coins really just money, and not artifacts per say ?? And isn't jewelry just jewelry.......im allowed to pick up new money and knew jewelry only ?? There's alot of grey area that hasn't been tested by law, and we don't push it. I'm not sure about atocha except to say rhat there really isn't any way of keeping people off of it, but if they are on site , and you even come close to where they are diving more than one chase boat will intercept you. And as for a wreck site it's widely scattered shipwreck debri field, and much of it is still missing.....so there really is no wreck site. Your not gonna get next to the wreck because it's spread over miles. Now you are also in the national marine sanctuary, and should have an exploratory permit. Any way....there's a thousand questions, and lots of answers......I have dove and sper fished all around the so called Atocha site......if you were caught with detecting gear on the bottom there im sure you would draw attention......how much trouble in a court of law you would get in is a mystery to me, but from fishing experience.......it is damn near impossible to bust someone stealing from your traps in a court of law......you have to haul your trap in with the theirs arm in the trap to win in court. People are diving and taking stuff every day down here.....the Archie's, state, and feds have made it so every tourist can walk off with whatever they find because no one checks or cares.....tourist dollars are what matters !!