The ocean and its mystery-shrouded depths are witness to multiple historic feats, ever since humans first started sailing about 65 thousand years ago. As a result of the countless adventures witnessed by the seas, a lot of priceless treasures were lost in them.
It is told that 95% of the ocean is still not known, just like many of those treasures that sank in them. That is why you are invited to dive with us and discover the five most valuable treasures ever found on the ocean’s seabed.
1. Treasure of Caesarea: an inestimable jewel
Caesarea is part of Israel’s greatest gold treasure and its worth cannot even be quantified.
The life of Zvika Fayer changed forever when, in 2015, what was to be a mere diving trip ended up becoming an unprecedented event. Zvika was exploring the remaining of a shipwreck when he found something shining among the sand. He came closer and understood it was a gold coin, and then saw another, and another…
Zvika went back ashore and called the Israeli antiquity authorities and, in no time, about 2000 gold coins and several statues were found. It is believed that the ship was a roman cargo vessel that sank around 1600 years ago, a similar find having been discovered earlier that year.
In total, these two treasures are not only some of the most incredible finds of the roman treasure in Israel, but also the most inestimable underwater discovery of all times.
2. RMS Republic: 7 billion dollars
In 1909, as she collided with another ship, RMS Republic met her end. The ship carried 1500 wealthy passengers who were saved, but their valuable belongings did not have the same destiny.
In addition to the objects, it is believed that the ship also transported several million dollars in gold, destined for Russia, but this gold was never found.
In 1987, Martin Bayerle tried to salvage the lost gold but with no success. Specialists have recently estimated that only the coins are worth about 7 billion dollars, not including the objects left there by millionaire passengers which were never found.
3. Sinking of the Salcombe: 800 million dollars
Salcombe is a town where no one ever expected to come across such a find. In the early 1990s, a surprising find has put Salcombe on the map, when a 17th century ship was discovered in the seabed containing several piles of Moroccan gold.
This picturesque small town’s luck did not end here, however, as Salcombe seems to have unfathomable mysteries. In 2004, one more discovery took place. In this case, it was the rest of a boat dated to the Bronze Age. At the time, a change in the plaques under the sea has left a huge number of artifacts from the thirteenth century that were taken from a shipwreck. It is currently estimated that the treasure could be worth about 800 million dollars. Apart from these treasures, it is believed that there is more to be found in that spot.
4. Nuestra Señora de Atocha: 400 million dollars
In 1622, the ship was heading to its last anchoring stop in Havana when a hurricane caused it to sink off the coast of Florida.
The point is that Nuestra Señora de Atocha sank after its supplies embarked in Colombia and Panama, along with a very special cargo…
It had sailed to these countries for gold, precious stones, copper, silver, indigo and tobacco for King Philip IV, and for all this, the value inside the ship’s hold ascended to 400 million dollars, now lost somewhere in the ocean.
5. Titanic: 200 million dollars
And at last, the Titanic, the iconic and supposedly unsinkable ship which, in April 1912 and during its maiden voyage, sank in the sequence of a collision with an iceberg.
It was only found in 1985. It was thought that, due to its size, it would have gone down in one piece and that its content remained intact, but, in fact, Robert Ballard discovered that the Titanic had broken in two and sank that way.
There are, nevertheless, several objects in good condition that ended up being auctioned. The discovery was valued in 200 million dollars and there is still nowadays the possibility that more worthy objects are retrieved thanks to this wreckage.
If you have the chance, do dive, explore the bottom of the seas in such places. Who knows if you are the next one who finds an inestimable treasure that will feed new tales of adventure and discovery in the depth of the very mysterious oceans?
