Getting started and many questions

Darren,

You beat me to it!

Nitrox,

Welcome to the forum. Are you trying to obtain a subcontractors lease or a lease on a new site? And where are you wanting to search or recover?

Robert in SC
 

Just trying to educate myself in the basics. I'm at the beginning point of "I don't know what I don't know". I guess a basic example would be: "If I wanted to go and dive on the Atocha or 1755 sites, and actually bring something up (If so lucky), what would be the proper way to go about it?

Example 2: If I studied and said to myself "Eureka, I think some treasure is down there somewhere, brought tons of gold and the ship's bell up", what should I do?

Nitrox
 

Nitrox,

This is copy of a reply to the same question when I asked it several years ago. Alot has happened since then. I have been actively involved in several small projects here in SC and have secured an Exploratory Survey Permit for the Virginia Gold Project. I can tell you this, getting started is the hardest part. It takes money and time. And when I have the money, it seems I never have time. I look at this obsession as a hobby. I know I may never strike it rich, but I have made many new friends along the way! You will find alot of people on the forum willing to work with you and help you in any way.

Robert, this is how the Fisher lease program works in a nut shell. You pay them 1 thousand dollars to work the 1715 wrecks that they have salvage writes too along the East coast of Florida, Basically this includes all the wrecks (I think six of the eleven lost in 1715, is the number that has been found to date), and in an aria about 3000 feet out in each direction from the center of the ballast pile. Some of the recovery arias overlap one another, and stretch from Fort Pierce northward to Sebastian.
You become a sub-contractor for the Fisher operation. You are responsible for supplying your own salvage vessel, fuel and crew and get to work the wrecks for the season. In these parts, for the purpose of diving, the season is about 100 days on the average, and starts as early as April and runs until as late as September. During this time the ocean surface is flat and the visibility improves enough to let you see what you are doing.
Your boat finds, recovers, tags, documents and turns in everything that you recover, and the Fishers do the preservation work at the Museum in Sebastian. At the end of the dive season the State of Florida comes down and claims there 20% of everything that has been recovered during that season. After the Federal Judge rules that the State and the Fisher Organization are squared away. Each sub-contractor splits the remaining booty that you recovered, 50/50 with the Fishers. Then you, as the sub-contractor pay your crew a percentage to be determined by agreement between you and your crew.
All in all this operation appears to me to be a good deal for all involved. I have been looking into this for some time. The only reason that I?m not anchored over one of the wreck sites now is having to spend all that time in desert. Last December, upon returning from my reserve units last rotation to the desert I purchased a 33 foot vessel to outfit for salvage. There is much work to do in preparation, both in research and salvage vessel rigging. So, this season I?m sitting on the side lines splitting my time between family, work and getting my boat ready for the next season.

You can contact Taffi Fisher-Abt at the Mel Fishers Treasure Museum
1322 US Highway 1, Sebastian , FL 32958
(772) 589-9875

Good Luck and follow your dreams!

Robert in SC
 

Robert, I recognize that handwriting!

Nitrox, welcome to TreasureNet Forums. Basically everything Robert said is correct, except I think the state may get 25% now. As far as the Atocha is concerned, thats a little differant case for that operation, They don't provide for subcontractors. As I understand it you either work directly for them, or you are an investor (Expensive buy-in), and can dive with them.

Again, welcome aboard and good hunting.

Q
 

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