Lucky sea diver finds gold coins worth Sh465 million

The gold coins represent just a fraction of the treasure which was being transported by a fleet of 11 ships in 1715, when they encountered a hurricane that ran them upon reefs off Florida’s east coast. In June, they found about 50 coins with a total of about $1 million.

The hunt for the treasure of the richest treasure ship, the Capitana, began in 1950 after an Ohio man discovered coins on a Florida beach.

Previous excavations have turned up other important pieces from the shipwreck, giving the region of the Florida coastline its name.

Only 20 such coins were known to exist prior to the recovery of the nine royals, Brisben said.

Brent Brisben, owner of 1715 Fleet-Queen’s Jewels, LLC, said the 1715 Fleet is considered one of the most important maritime tragedies in history.

Among the latest coins found are nine extremely rare Royals, each worth about $500,000 each, Brisben said.

The artifacts were recovered in shallow waters, about 6 feet deep, off the coast of Vero Beach.

“At the end of the year, the state of Florida will come and review what we found, assert an interest into certain artifacts for purposes of displaying in their museum”, Brisben said.

On the 300th anniversary of the shipwreck, Brisben and his team recovered the coins and underwater excitement ensued.

The ships, packed with treasures from the New World, had set off from Havana, Cuba, bound for Spain, on July 24, 1715.

Bountiful haul… Some of the fresh batch of coins recovered from a Spanish galleon wreck off the coast of Florida.

The bounty comes from a Spanish treasure ship which sank during a hurricane in the 18th century.

And “we work extremely close to shore, which is surprising to most people”, he said.

Despite his astonishing find, Bartlett isn’t a full-time treasure hunter, instead diving as a hobby.

The company purchased the exclusive salvage rights to the remains of the 1715 Treasure Fleet from the heirs of treasure hunter Mel Fisher.

Sure enough, he was right.