Just Getting Started

[Land-Sea]

Hello to all.

I have had an armchair affair with treasure hunting, history, research since childhood. Raised a family and am now reaching a stage in my life where I can start to play (work) a little with this life long love. I have a friend in the shipwreck business who had a nice run of fame for a few years in the 80's, another with some money, and a third who is a scientist. I have very nice library of books but really getting out there and just doing it is I assume the way to go. So.....Help. It seems almost overwhelming.

I live in California, however I am able to work out of Florida. I am interested in the best probabilities for finds perhaps along the west coast of Florida. Any information anyone can send along will be appreciated. I can plot out all the shipwrecks from books, but how do you know if they are being worked on, if some one has the rights etc?? Do I need to have a specific ship in mind to go out and look?

Do I need a permit of some sort to just go out and look? I feel that with the assistance of my friends I can be brought up to speed fairly quick on equipment, so I really just need some pointers on getting started legally.

Any help??

Thanks,
Jake

 

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[Land-Sea]

Thanks Cornelius for the advice.

I was concerned about starting in a search with equipment on board like a side scan sonar without very specific plans. If it is true I do not need a permit to just look, that will sure ease my mind in the early stages. I was thinking that with drug running, terrorist activities etc that the coast guard would be out in the waters and my activities might be subject to question. Thats why I was concerned about the permits.

Do you think it is feasable to do 90% of my research through the internet and the library of books available to me since I am in California, looking for a Florida target? Do you know of any online access to Spanish Archives?

I really appreciate the help. It may take me awhile to get it together but it WILL happen.

Has anyone out there ever used a "sniffing" technigue to find a shipwreck? It is a thing I have been talking to my science pal about. He one time worked on a program for sniffing out meth labs from fumes picked up by a guage in an aircraft. I spoke to him about possbily a gadget that would "sniff" out oxides from silver etc. Maybe too far fetched??

Anyway,
Thanks again. Jake