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 Florida Maritime

Treasure Divers' Log

This Life Aquatic

SPEAKERS

CAPT. CARL FISMER | SPANISH MAIN TREASURE | PRESIDENT

A 30 year veteran of treasure search and salvage, Captain Carl is one of the most respected and knowledgable professionals in the world. During his career he has worked over 300 shipwrecks in the United States, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Indian Ocean and Central and South America. He has recovered millions of dollars in Spanish gold, silver, jewels and other artifacts.

"Fizz", as Captain Carl is known to friends, directed part of the salvage of the Santa Margarita, sister ship to the Nuestra Senora de Atocha which was discovered by Mel Fisher. Then in 1986 he led an expedition to the Silver Shoals in the Dominican Republic, and there located the famed galleon, Concepcion which sank during a hurricane in 1641. This galleon, one of the richest ever discovered, had eluded treasure hunters for over 300 years.

In addition to this and actual salvage operations, Captain Carl has appeared in many television and video documentaries, founded and acted as curator for maritime museums, produced treasure exhibitions for everything from theme parks to childrens' hospitals, and is considered an expert in underwater metal-detecting, search and recovery techniques. If this were not enough, he is continuously searching the world's oceans for future salvage sites. There's no doubt why he is known as "Everyone's Favorite Pirate".

CARRIE CAIGNET | FLORIDA MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY | FOUNDER

Carrie has always been naturally drawn to the water. Her first paying job was at the fabulous and historic DonCeSar Hotel on the island of St. Pete Beach, Florida. It was here, that Carrie's knack for program development and educational outreach took off. She conducted sunrise and sunset tours for visitors on the shores of Pass-a-grille identifying wildlife, retelling area history and sharing Tampa Bay culture and natural resources with people from the world over.

Carrie has worked in the public trust as a Maritime historian and consultant with a variety of museums including St. Petersburg Museum of History, The American Victory Museum Ship, The Florida Keys History of Diving Museum and the Shipwreck Historeum of Key West. In addition, she works in the private sector as a writer and consultant.

Carrie is available to consults on historical subjects, artifact aquisition and valuation of both private and public collections, she also develops exhibits for permanent installations and for travelling exhibits.

CHARLIE FUSS | AMERICAN VICTORY MARITIME MUSEUM  | HISTORIAN

Charles McHatton Fuss first joined the Merchant Marine in 1946 and attended training at the Maritime Services Training Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.  During his life and his career with the Department of Defense he has seen first hand Florida's new maritime history unfold right before his eyes.  From the pilot house of a merchant ship in the Gulf of Mexico during WWII to his years of service duing the Maritime Drug Wars of the 70's and 80's.  Fuss is a masterful teller of the tale as written in his book, Sea of Grass:  The Maritime Drug War 1970-1990.  

Charlie volunteers his time, along with his wife Carol, at the American Victory Mariners' Memorial & Museum Ship in downtown Tampa. 

CAPT. CHUCK MITCHELL | TREASURE DIVER | PIRATE

Captain Chuck Mitchell learned the words treasure and diving from the world famous Mel Fisher.  Chuck was a San Diego Bottom Scratcher freediving club member and frequented Mel Fisher's Dive Shop, Mel's Aqua Shop in Redondo Beach where he first heard the words treasure diver.He was intrigued by Fisher's talk of forgotten Spanish shipwrecks and treasure on the bottom of the sea.  He followed Fisher to Florida and worked on the Atocha expedition.  Later, he would gather a crew of his own and aboard his vessel The Shaggy Cannon, he went on to find a number of shipwrecks.  His specialty is identifying shipwrecks by the iron work or harware that remains. 

Chuck now lives on in the Cape Coral area but is seen in Key Largo tipping rum with old friends and singing songs about the second golden age of piracy, the 1950's - 1990's