The History of Treasure Diving in Florida
THE EARLIEST REFERENCES TO DIVING IN THE FLORIDA KEYS
1500-1700s
After discovering pearl oyster beds in the Caribbean area of the Atlantic Ocean, Spanish explorers routinely enslaved native divers and make them retrieve pearls from the ocean floor. The Spaniards also forced many of their African slaves to learn to dive in the pearl fisheries. The 1622, 1715 and 1733 Spanish Plate fleets were lost in hurricanes off the coast of Florida. The ships were fully loaded with the immense stockpile of accumulated gold, silver, jewels and rare Chinese porcelain plates; hence the name “plate fleet.”
After the 1715 catastrophe, the Spanish government sent numerous salvage vessels to recover what they could of the lost treasure. The Spanish used diving bells and trained Keys natives such as the Calusa Indians to help. The salvage effort was urgent. The losses of treasure seriously damaged Spain’s …
