Man 'Struck Gold' While Scuba Diving. Experts Reveal It’s Part of Ancient Shipwreck’s Treasure.
A scuba diver's voyage through the Florida coast in 2008 became memorable when he randomly came across a stunning golden chalice. Michael DeMar, was, just 20 years old when he got his diving certification, and as his first plan of action he took a dip into the Florida Keys, The Sun reported. The Blue Water Ventures diver was expecting to collect some keepsakes on his journey but did not expect to come out with an artifact as valuable as a Santa Margarita goblet.
(Image Source: Getty Images/Photo by Douglas Sacha)
DeMar went into the dip with a metal detector, The Sun reported. At one point the equipment started buzzing, and DeMar looked into the waters to reach the source. He dug through around three feet of sand and came across the chalice. He noted that the artifact had beautiful lions and castles engraved on its sides.
DeMar's diving company was also astounded by the discovery, Mel Fisher's Treasure reported. "It's almost five inches tall and it's large enough to set a softball inside," said Dan Porter, captain of Blue Water's salvage vessel.
The diver did not expect to find a treasure worth thousands of dollars, ABC News reported. "It was deep. I thought it was a beer can, so I kept fanning and fanning and fanning, and I came up with this, and time just stopped. It was amazing. It was amazing to see that gold down there," DeMar reminisced about the discovery.
Experts looked at the chalice closely and found a family crest which indicates that it was once aboard a Spanish ship known as Santa Margarita, The Sun reported. The ship drowned in 1622 during a hurricane, carrying a multitude of treasures. The vessel's contents have been hunted by explorers from all over the world, ever since its wreck was discovered in the 1980s. Researchers believe the found chalice was used like a communion cup by Catholic Spaniards.
After the discovery, DeMar took a celebratory sip of champagne from the cup along with the rest of his diving company. The golden chalice was eventually sold for $413,000 at an auction.