25 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

Welcome! You are about ready to experience the most amazing dive opportunity...to dive on a REAL TREASURE WRECK LOOKING FOR TREASURE!

The following FAQ will help you better understand the booking process as well as the experience itself! And please feel free to ask any question you may have!


Q. HOW TO FIND THE TRIPS OPEN FOR THIS YEAR?
A. You can click HERE for a quick summary of this year's Atocha Adventure Dive Weeks or simply look at the topics/trips listed below this pinned topic. Once you see the dates, please click on the title/name of the trip you are interested in. Then post/reply to ask questions or to express interest in the trip or to even sign up! We have a simple and secure online payment interface which will facilitate your booking experience found in the upper left corner in purple or on our home web page or in my signature line at the bottom of this post. In the meantime we'll help answer all your questions and book your trip via email, phone or the internet! Thank you and we look forward to helping you enjoy this amazing experience!

Q. HOW DO I CONTACT SINGLEDIVERS.COM FOR HELP BOOKING OR OTHERWISE? A. You can reach us a number of ways and I will be happy to personally help you! Our contact info is as follows:

Kamala Shadduck
Founder SingleDivers.com
Exclusive Booking Agent of the Atocha Adventure Dive Week
atocha@singledivers.com
864-557-6079 cel
888-480-0962 fax


Q. HOW DO I ASK A QUESTION VIA THIS SITE OR IN ONE OF THESE TOPICS?
A. (1) You will need to register on the site first. It is FREE and simple to do. (If you register as a premier member for $35/yr you will get $25 back on EVERY trip you book via SingleDivers.com including all the Atocha Adventure Weeks plus MANY MORE DISCOUNTS on gear, travel and merchandise!) To register for FREE simply click HERE! (2) While logged in click on the topic/thread you want to reply in or ask a question. Then look in the near upper right for a button that says ADD REPLY. Click on it and a dialog box will pop up. Type in your question and then click on the POST REPLY BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM and your question will be asked. (3) Check back to see what the reply is.

Q. CAN YOU REALLY STILL FIND VALUABLE TREASURE? LIKE SILVER AND GOLD??? A. Absolutely! See HERE for gold and silver just found this year! The Blue Water Rose crew just came in from the Margarita site with 1 silver coin, 48 gold flakes, 5 gold nuggets, 2 gold flowerets, and 1 gold bead!

Q. WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO IN KEY WEST?
A. There are tons of things to do in Key West besides hunt for treasure including diving the Vandenberg, shopping, great food, museums, TONS of Bars and fun! See HERE for more details and listings of things to do!

Q. WW - PLEASE "SELL" THIS TO US. I AM ALL FOR THE ADVENTURE DIVES, BUT HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS WORTH $2500? I AM CERTAINLY INTRIGUED, BUT I AM NOT SURE WHAT MAKES THIS A VALUE FOR THE MONEY? TEMPT ME MORE!
A. Of course I think its worth the money or I would not have done 4 trips personally myself and then agreed to book these trips for the Mel Fisher family in exchange for the exposure if I did not believe it was a great value. However HERE is the full reply to the guy that asked this question from myself and several members. Please take a moment to read it in full HERE!

And his reply? Thanks for your answers, this is exactly what I wanted to know! Click HERE for the balance of his comments!

Q. CAN MORE THAN ONE PERSON SPLIT AN INVESTOR POSITION?
A. YES. See how HERE!

Q. CAN WE SEE WHAT IT IS LIKE DIVING THE VANDENBERG?
A. Absolutely! Here is a link to 'Diving The Vandy' HERE!

Q. WOULD THEY LIKE SOMEONE TO DOCUMENT THE TRIP VIA STILLS AND VIDEO?
A. Several people have documented the trip including a team of pros.... click here for more!

Q. IS NITROX/AIR, TANKS & LEAD PROVIDED?
Some is and some is not! Please click HERE for what is and what isn't.

Q. HOW DEEP IS THE WRECK AND DO I NEED TO BE CERTIFIED? IF YES HOW MANY DIVES DO I NEED?
The average depths are 30-35ft. Yes you have to be certified and you should have enough dives under your belt that you don't spend the entire dive worrying about the basics like bouyancy, running out of air, etc. (Ask us and we can help you determine if you can make these dives and still enjoy the experience enough to find treasure! On the SingleDivers.com trips (usually 2 a year) you can hire a private DM to be your buddy and not only help you with your diving but also to SHOW YOU THE ROPES OF TREASURE HUNTING!

Q. WHAT TIME SHOULD WE ARRIVE AND DEPART?
A. The week starts on Monday and you need to arrive in Key West no later than 5pm. If you arrive early that is fine but please make arrangements for any add'l days you plan to be in town. We have a very nice place on the water near Stock Town via a Mel Fisher friend of the family so please ask us about this great option for luxurious extra days in Key West at VERY affordable pricing! If you do arrive early you will be able to check into the house or condos starting at 1pm. As far as check out goes, you can leave anytime on Sunday that you desire or no later than noon.

[WreckWench]

A few updates on the Treasure Hunting Progress to date....


The calm weather is starting to move in and the wreck sites are heating up!

The Blue Water Rose crew just came in from the Margarita site with 1 silver coin, 48 gold flakes, 5 gold nuggets, 2 gold flowerets, and 1 gold bead!



Over the weekend John Corcoran, our Senior Conservator, was able to complete the conservation of the clump of 47 coins that were recently found by the DARE on the Atocha wreck site and they have been turned over to Sue Pierson, our Curator. As we anticipated some of these coins are incredibly rare due to the fact that they were the personal cargo of one of the passengers on board the ship along with the fact that they were found in a clump which would allow many of the coins to remain protected from ocean wear.

We are in the preliminary stages of research and are beginning to cross reference different coin books because some of the coins are so rare that there is only a handful of the same kind that our conservators have ever seen. Carol Tedesco, Sue Pierson and John Corcoran have begun to analyze the markings on each of the coins and have found some very intriguing distinctions that indicate some are Santa Fe de Bogota coins along with a couple from Cartagena. Other markings including direction of lines, positioning and arrangement of the lions, the presence or lack of a pomegranate and the shaping of the letters all indicate nuances that set each of these coins apart. It is impossible to value the collection of coins at this point but it is safe to say they will be well above your average silver coin.

Sue Pierson reports that, our continued investigation has uncovered earlier research of the coins by Sandy McKinney for the original Research Collection coins. From her original findings for her book, "Coins from the Atocha and Margarita", she states, "to our knowledge, no coins minted at the Santa Fe de Bogota and/or Cartagena mint during the period of 1621-1622 exist apart from those recovered from the Atocha and Margarita. The coins were minted by Alonso Turillo de Yebra and in a letter to Phillip IV in 1623, he stated, that he had "minted coins of gold and silver with much more perfection than that which are minted in some other mints." He also stated, "and that most of the coins he minted during this period were lost on one of the ships of the fleet which included the Atocha." Interestingly enough de Yebra was a passenger on the 1622 Fleet. According to Sandy McKinney in her Research Collection write-up, "The ship he travelled on was saved, but he was forced to wait in Havana for the sailing of the next fleet "and thus he carried out his voyage in much necessity because part of what he carried for his expenses was lost in one of the galleons that sank." Its certainly conceivable that these 47 coins found in a clump were the property of the mint master himself.



John Corcoran reports that the silver-gilt rosewater dish conservation is also moving along very well. John has been very carefully removing the remaining concretion to reveal some amazing marking and beautiful detail on the front of the dish. He along with our researchers and archaeologists are looking into the history behind the crest located in the center of the dish in an effort to try to determine its origin. There is still quite a bit of work to do to complete the conservation and stabilization process but it is coming along very well.



We are also very excited to announce the return of Aqua Survey and their new and much improved pulse induction sled. Ken Hayes, President of Aqua Survey gave us a summary of the latest improvements. He said, “I am pleased to report our 3-meter sled’s new electronics have passed their sea trail at Sandy Hook, NJ. The 3 receiver coils are now stable with a background noise of only 5-10 mV with the system run at 24 amps. Likewise our diver-maneuvered coils (1-meter wide) are also stable in sea water with background noise of 1-3 mV at 24 volts.”

Our plans are to deploy the Aqua Survey team on the Dare just north of the Atocha Main pile area where the rosewater dish was recently found. We have chosen this area because it is an area of high probability for finding more silver coin chests, silver bars, and high value personal items such as gold bars, chains and jewelry. We will be testing the sled in an area approximately 500 feet long by 200 feet wide and once targets are acquired and pinpointed by divers we’ll move the Dare in to excavate and haul up the booty. Each time we test and improve the sled, the closer we get to haveing the world’s best EM detection capability and that’s exactly what we need to help us find another big pile of treasure.



Mel Fishers Treasures
200 Greene St.
Key West, Fl 33040

[WreckWench]

You forgot to mention the Coach Outlet Store in Key West!! I'm in .... shopping for Coach Purses and hunting for treasures.

Sweetie...you are too funny!

But she is right...great things to do in Key West such as shopping, awesome museums, Duval Street, HISTORY...both the kind already past and the type you soon hope will pass!

For more info on shopping click HERE!
For more info on diving click HERE!
For more info on the Vandenberg click HERE!

More to come....

[Houston Squid]

WW - please "sell" this to us. I am all for adventure dives, but help me understand why this is worth $2500.

I am certainly intrigued, but I am not sure what makes this a value for money?

Tempt me more.

[secretsea18]

If you find something, you actually get something of equal value up to $2500 (the cost of your trip). They have to document and catalog the item you find first but will replace it with something of equal value. $2500 is what the Mel Fisher people charges to allow you to dive the treasure sites. Since I couldn't run away to join the circus or the NAVY, I have to settle for the treasure hunters. I've wanted to dive the Atocha since I was little and this would be cool even if I didn't find anything.

Since you would be diving and working in a team, how can any treasure find be attributed to any single diver on the team?

While it seems very cool, I just don't see this as anything but an expensive working trip. Interesting concept, get people to pay for the pleasure of performing work.

[WreckWench]

WW - please "sell" this to us. I am all for adventure dives, but help me understand why this is worth $2500.

I am certainly intrigued, but I am not sure what makes this a value for money?

Tempt me more.

If you find something, you actually get something of equal value up to $2500 (the cost of your trip). They have to document and catalog the item you find first but will replace it with something of equal value. $2500 is what the Mel Fisher people charges to allow you to dive the treasure sites. Since I couldn't run away to join the circus or the NAVY, I have to settle for the treasure hunters. I've wanted to dive the Atocha since I was little and this would be cool even if I didn't find anything.

Great questions...

For years the Fisher family has allowed its investors to dive anytime they like on the wreck. They have found emeralds, coins, pottery, bronze items and yes even gold. And in all the millions of dollars of treasure that they've found...they are still missing the stern section which carried the private wealth of the passengers on the boat and is reported to far exceed all the treasure listed on the manifest. The investors pay $10k annually for the priviledge of being an investor and they share in all the treasure found that year. While you won't find this in print yet...(it was research for an upcoming article) I was in the Fisher offices when they did some calculations on how much has been found over the years. As with anything you have good years and not so good years but all in all the averages are pretty amazing despite them NOT liking to do just that...boil the experience down to pure numbers. And while some look at it as a pure investment equation...most consider the $10k cost to be part of their 'vacation fund' as you can split the investment share between 2 people. Alas I digress...

So over the last 10 years or so they have averaged over 3 million in treasure for the investors annually with last year being a low year at just 1 million and the year before being a high year at 14 million. And to keep those averages the Fisher family 'added' to the findings of last year to increase the value to 3 million from their personal reserves for the investors. And they seem to have no problems in figuring out who found what as they take a million pictures as soon as you bring something up. And if you are an investor you can keep the actual 'first' peice of treasure you find up to 6x your original investment.

As an 'Adventure Diver' we have a similar opportunity but at a fraction of the cost. We pay a little more than a typical vacation for a week aka $2500 and we are apprentice treasure hunters. We get behind the scenes tours and opportunities that we'd never have a chance at possibly even as an investor. And if we find treasure they will 'reward' us with up to $2500 in similar treasure. They can not give us what we found as it has to be authenticated, preserved, cataloged etc. and it technically belongs to the investors. But say you find a grade 2 coin which is usually worth $1800 to $2000 then they will give you a grade 2 coin as your reward/souvenier for finding treasure for the investors.

So what do you really end up with? You get an education that to many is worth the price of admission. You get to be one of only a handful of regular people who can dive on a real Spanish Galleon AND if you find any treasure you'll get tons of pictures taken showing you holding it so its documented, you get to keep up to $2500 aka the price you paid for the trip in real treasure and I've just found out that the Fisher family will also credit $1500 of the $2500 towards an investor share if you decide within 30 days after the trip to become a full fledged investor. (I know if I found something amazing I would try very hard to upgrade so I could keep whatever I found...that's for sure.)

A few more tidbits...we will stay in a lovely Key West mansion only a few blocks from the museum and Duval Street. The trip is limited to only 6-7 people and will be hands on as well as relaxing and fun. The first inaugrual trip is June 8-14th, 2009 so myself and 6 others will really know what the week will entail then. (This trip was never posted on the site as it filled up within a week from people who were at BTS working the booth/show.) So I just wrangled another date THIS year in August so others could share in the experience. We've been working with the Mel Fisher staff and they have been very receptive of ideas we've had (such as the one to allow a portion of your price to be applied to the investor position if you sign up within a certain timeframe after the trip) and they have asked us to give them feedback on how to make the trip even better.

For me its a dream come true...something I've always wanted to do since I started diving. I know it sounds silly but I just can't help 'always looking' for something when I dive and everything I find I certainly consider to be treasure to me. That is one of the reasons I love NC wreck diving so much...I have found all sorts of 'treasure' diving there. Now I can dive on a real treasure ship/site and who knows...maybe I'll find something...I know I've been looking all my life so maybe "Todays the Day For Me!" Kamala

p.s. So while I'm not sure I can sell anyone on the trip...I know to me its worth the opportunity which is why I'm taking some of the proceeds of my home sale to do this. And they are finding new things every day...I just posted some of the amazing finds they just discovered in the past few weeks. It seems logical to me that they will certainly have as much luck on these adventure trips. And while no one can guarantee anything in life...I'm sure they would not open up this opportunity if they did not think that divers would find things...afterall how many trips would they sell if no one found things. I'm just saying....

p.p.s. We'll also dive the Vandenburg while we are there for anyone interested in that too!

[Houston Squid]

Thanks for your answers, this is exactly what I wanted to know. I'll do more research and give this some thought.

I had never heard of this wreck or the reality show before this thread.

So my question comes from true innocence and ignorance. I wasn't doubting the legitimacy of the trip, I know Kamala only offers up the best in trip opportunities, but honestly had no clue what this trip was about.

Plus, it must be a cool dive, because my favorite fins were featured there: The Omega Aquatics Flipfins

Squidly Didley

Edited by Houston Squid, 01 June 2009 - 05:14 AM.

[WreckWench]

Thanks for your answers, this is exactly what I wanted to know. I'll do more research and give this some thought.

I had never heard of this wreck or the reality show before this thread.

So my question comes from true innocence and ignorance. I wasn't doubting the legitimacy of the trip, I know Kamala only offers up the best in trip opportunities, but honestly had no clue what this trip was about.

Plus, it must be a cool dive, because my favorite fins were featured there: The Omega Aquatics Flipfins

Squidly Didley

My darling Squidly...I would never doubt your intentions and you are in the majority...MOST HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY...that is EXACTLY why it is so cool that we are the FIRST to get to experience it as non-investors in June! And because I know it will start a huge ripple affect...I have already secured a second date with DESTINY...

I should have done a similar summary in the first post but just couldn't from my remote location in Fiji. Speaking of which we leave today so I'll be offline for awhile as we travel back to reality.

I really just wanted to let everyone know that I had secured dates and that the official trip will be posted soon. Cat fish has done some great research for us and has all sorts of great reading you can do to learn more about these amazing wrecks and this amazing experience.

Thank you for the great questions! kamala

[shadragon]

Sunsets - If in Key West, go see the sunset off the dock. Everyone goes; every night.

[uwfan]

I sure wish I could go on this one, loved the shows "back when" that detailed how treasure was lifted from the ocean and I've always thought it would be really cool to observe first hand...and though it would be work....to actually dive and perhaps find something...THAT would be great!

Dang dates...dang job...keep me posted for the NEXT possible opportunity to dive the Atocha!

[Houston Squid]

Here's a Vandenberg Video put out by the Atocha Folks: