OTHERPLANE

While fishing far out to sea, the fishing net caught on something. Someone would have to dive down to free the net. The water in this area was deep and this required an experienced diver. Down, down, down, the diver descended following the rope leading to the fishing net.

The day was sunny and the sea was calm. Part way down, the diver could make out the outline of a vessel. The fishing net was tangled on the highest mast. Descending further with lungs near bursting point, the diver could see that this ship was wooden and very old... like the ships one saw in the pirate movies. The diver stopped his descent and headed up toward the surface.

Lungs screaming for oxygen and fighting for survival... the diver barely reached the surface before unconsciousness overtook him. When the diver regained consciousness, he related what he had seen... more experienced divers would be needed for a dive as deep as this.

Attaching the end of the rope (leading to the fishing net) to a floater, they headed for shore. Being from a poor fishing village, diving equipment that was needed for deep dives, was non-existent. However, there were a number of good experienced divers in the village who made their living conducting deep dives to retrieve exotic shells and a certain kind of coral (found at depths below 60 feet).

Having enlisted several of these divers, they returned to the area. The divers were told of the old wooden ship. On the way down, they would first free the fishing net and then inspect the ship. The fishermen above soon felt the net swing free and hauled it into the boat.

Soon, a diver broke the surface with a wide grin. He extended his hand over the rail and opened. In his hand was two silver coins. The fishermen eyes opened wide with disbelief. The silver coins were Mexican in origin and dated 1689. The diver said the coins were scattered everywhere on the bottom outside the ship. The ship was definitely old... like a Spanish Galleon.

There is a happy ending to this episode, but there is also a sad ending. In all, 200 Mexican silver coins were retrieved (dated 1600's, 1700's and 1800's). However, two of the divers lost their lives. The divers did not enter the ship.

The coin pictured above is dated 1885, can be clearly read, and is also stamped with... 20g. The word "Mexico" is visible. The owner of the coin is searching for serious individual(s) who would be interested and consider investing in this venture to recover the contents.