After years of searching for a shipwreck thought to be lost to the annals of history, American treasure hunter Mel Fisher discovered the Nuestra Señora de Atocha off the Florida Keys in 1985, and salvaged cargo valued at $400 million. Most of us think of the late Fisher when we hear about the Atocha, but there were other skilled experts on his team, including John Brandon.
“I found a two-and-half-foot gold belt at the Atocha that Christie’s appraised at $1.2 million,” Brandon said in an interview with Treasure Net a few years ago. “That’s the most spectacular find I ever made. It had diamonds, rubies and pearls.”
Fisher first hired Brandon when he was just 16, and the teenager was ecstatic to work aboard Fisher’s boat for $65 a week. Fisher’s team operated on a seniority system, so it wasn’t until Brandon turned 17 that he could claim a percentage of the booty.
Today, Brandon (shown above in a photo taken in 2006) works as a salvor for Spanish ships that sunk in a 1715 hurricane off the coasts of Fort Pierce and Vero Beach in Florida. He’s found vessels in less than 20 feet of water. According to Brandon, if the ships could stay in deep water they would be less likely to sink. “Whether you’re the Exxon Valdez or a Spanish galleon, when you hit the rocks, you’re going to sink and come apart,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re 21st or 18th century.”
Brandon has credited Fisher for providing him with the experience to do this type of work. “History. Archaeology. Geology. Electronics. You name it,” Brandon said of the subjects he learned while employed by Fisher. Because he played a crucial role in many of Fisher’s discoveries, Brandon was awarded the Treasures annual Lifetime Achievement award in 2016.
These days, Brandon is still treasure hunting aboard his boat Endeavor. “There are still at least 40 to 50 tons of silver coins that are missing out there,” he says about the 1715 fleet. Although the area has been excavated for more than 40 years, he believes that major finds will continue to be made long after he’s passed away.
“Even if you don’t bring anything up, it’s a good day,” he said in an interview with Indian River Magazine. “What’s the saying, a bad day at fishing is better than a good day at the office? It’s like that. It’s being out in the ocean and trying to take back what it took away, so long ago.” —Lidia Goldberg
This article was originally published in the May 2023 issue.
