Treasure hunters off the Florida coast have recovered a 22.5‑pound silver bar from the wreck of the 17th‑century Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, marking the first such find in nearly three decades.
Divers operating from the salvage vessel DARE located the bar at a depth of roughly 50 feet near Key West. The recovery was part of a long‑running expedition focused on the Atocha wreck site.
The Atocha sank in a hurricane in 1622 while transporting silver, gold and emeralds. Its primary treasure deposit was uncovered in 1985, and the wreck continues to produce artifacts after more than four decades of excavation.
A strong signal from a metal detector prompted the team to investigate the target. Using an airlift system, they cleared layers of sand and sediment, gradually exposing the heavily encrusted object.
Despite extensive marine growth, the silver bar remained largely intact. A small depression on its upper surface indicates it was tested for purity before being loaded aboard the ship in 1622.
The bar is now undergoing conservation to remove the buildup of marine organisms and to stabilize the metal for further analysis.
This recovery is the first silver bar retrieved from the Atocha since 1999, adding to the hundreds of bars previously recovered from the site. Preliminary estimates place the bar’s market value between $50,000 and $100,000, though its historical significance exceeds its monetary worth.
Historical records suggest that hundreds of additional silver bars, thousands of coins, emeralds and other artifacts remain on the Atocha and its sister ship, the Santa Margarita. Ongoing excavations aim to uncover further pieces of this centuries‑old treasure fleet.
