The Atocha Shipwreck Treasure of Mel Fisher Maritime Museum
Underwater for over 350 years, the remains of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha and Santa Margarita lay waiting for an eager treasure hunter to discover them. Such a diver would prove to be Mel Fisher, famous for his stubborn optimism as he spent most of his life searching for shipwrecks off the coast of Florida. The collection at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West features nearly 100,000 artifacts, such as gold coins, silver, cannons, and instruments from a number of sites in the area, including a horde of contraband emeralds with an impressive 77.76 carat uncut crystal. Distance from hotel: 0.31 miles