MEL FISHER

Mel’s dream almost came to a complete halt when the U.S. Government and the State of Florida laid claim to the wreck and it appeared that the treasure he and his family had worked so hard to recover would never be theirs.  After legal battles that would take over 8 years to resolve and cost the Fishers over $4 million in legal fees, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a landmark decision, would finally grant Mel and his family complete ownership of the Atocha wreck and its treasures.

After over $20 million in expenditures and almost 20 years of searching, Mel’s persistence and his enduing optimism finally paid off on July 20, 1985.  Mel learned from his son Kane that his greatest dream had been realized.  In the offices of the salvage headquarters in Key West, Florida the marine radio crackled to life with the words that would change his life forever, “Dad.  Put away the charts.  We’ve got the Mother Lode!”  Just 34 miles west-southwest of Key West and resting in 55 feet of water was the treasure of the Atocha!