Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Exploring Underwater Treasures In Florida Shipwrecks

By Cornelia Reyes


Florida draws more tourists to its warm beaches, to swim in its waters, and draw in its magnificent sunsets than probably anywhere else in the country. Florida's waters are not only beautiful and unforgettable, but one of the hidden facts about the state's waters is they are also some of the most historical in the country. This is because of the many Florida shipwrecks under the waters that have attracted scuba divers and marine historians to investigate, and even preserve its underwater excellence.

The underwater shipwreck industry paints an important historical past for commerce and trade, of which the state's waters were such an important part of. These shipwrecked icons from the past have created a significant part of the tourist industry as scuba divers are fascinated with these underwater ships from times gone by. They tell a story spanning almost a 400 year period, when sailing ships traveled across less known waters from one country to the next, often carrying gold and other timeless treasures.

Not all of these ships, however, made it back to Europe. As fate would have it, some were caught in the ravaging tides of hurricanes, and sunk. Others were attacked by looting pirates, or caught in the difficult reefs and shores of the area.

Due to all of these events, Florida coasts, almost more than any other place is known for its historical sunken ship findings, as well as significant treasures discovered at the bottom of the state's seabed. This, of course, has resulted in many spectators and scavengers to the area, seeking undiscovered ships and their treasures. It has also resulted in a lucrative underwater tour industry, providing excursions and maps to would be underwater historians and explorers.

Some of the discovered ships date to as early as the 1500's. They are a fascinating testament to the commerce and industry of the past. Some of the notable discoveries have been the Emanuel Point Wreck of 1559 in which Spanish settlers had planned to settle the area, but were struck by a hurricane. The sunken ship was found in 1992 and contained at least 300 artifacts.

Another early discovery was a ship that was part of the 27 Tierra Firme Fleet that sailed across Florida in 1622. It had left South America on an excursion of stops, and was traveling across the waters for Spain when struck by a hurricane. In 1885 the ship, containing tons of treasures, was unearthed by a salvager.

These are only two of the important discoveries that have contained gold, jewels and other important artifacts found beneath Florida's coastlines and translucent waters. This is part of what draws tourists and treasure hunters, knowing that many treasures were carried across these waters for hundreds of years. There were treasures that lay dormant beneath the waters until found hundreds of years later, some of which were spread across the floor, with gold and jewels contained in the sediment of Florida's underwater seabed.

Not all sunken ships, of course, contain treasure. What they do contain are stories from the past that allow historians to piece together an important past. They also allow scuba divers, with an eye for adventure to travel to the past and explore Florida shipwrecks and their historical significance.




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