Our founder and CEO, Ron Pagel, was bitten by the treasure seeking “bug” at a young age. While in his early twenties, he signed on to become one of the first state marine agents in the Florida Board of History and Archives, now the Bureau of Archeological Research of the Department of State.
Some highlights of Ron’s certifications and explorations are:
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Dove on Spanish treasure fleet wreck sites from 1964 to 1971
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NAUI certified diver; PADI master diver certification; underwater photograpy certified
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Dove on Spanish treasure fleet wreck sites from 1964 to 1971
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Designed and built a 6 foot wide wing-shaped underwater camera platform as a research aid for underwater mapping of wreck sites
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Conducted site surveys and excavations of Indian mounds and other archeological sites in Florida
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Dove with crews of the National Geographic, Jacques Cousteau, Real 8 Company and Mel Fisher.
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Catalogued historic artifacts and treasures recovered in Florida
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Researched Spanish documents and ship manifests to establish identity of Spanish ship wrecks
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Mapped underwater Spanish ship wreck sites and recorded location of treasure finds
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Restored and preserved gold and silver coins, jewelry, cannons, anchors and other recovered artifacts in state laboratory located in a former Tallahassee jail due to security concerns.
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If you are interested in learning more about the recovery of treasures from the Spanish ship wrecks off the coast of Florida, we recommend and sell a book entitled The Rainbow Chasers In the Great Florida Treasure Hunt by Tommy Gore, longtime friend of Ron’s who spent three decades as a treasure seeker, first as a salvor and later as a Florida marine field agent.
TODAY
Ron enjoys using MineLab metal detectors both on land and underwater. He and his wife, Judy, are part-time RVers who enjoy traveling about this great country in search of new adventures and treasures. As a member of the Gold Prospectors Association of America , Ron is committed to supporting the right to prospect for precious metals on public lands.
A great find of Spanish coins and a clump of coins |
Looking for the lost Spanish Treasure
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