Bonnie Schubert, along with her eighty-seven year old mother, have been scouring the coast of Florida for decades in the search of treasure.
In a common day they will burrow up to a dozen times, dive deep into murky water, and wind up with a beer can or fishing lure for their efforts.
“I spent a whole season and only came up with a musket ball,” explains Bonnie.
However, on one such excursion this past August, the Schuberts were searching near Frederick Douglass Beach when they hit the motherlode.
“The first thing that came into focus was the head of the bird and the wing…and it was something I never imagined…just didn’t expect at all..” Bonnie recalls.
What they had stumbled upon was a 22-carat solid gold bird, a find they thing may date back to 1715, as part of a cargo of a lost Spanish ship. This Spanish fleet, which wrecked close to Fort Pierce, is believed to have dumped millions of dollars of gold and jewels all along the bottom.
“It’s truly been amazing. It’s not something we could have ever predicted,” commented a principal with 1715 Fleet-Queen’s Jewels, LLC, the corporation that holds the rights to treasure hunting in the region, Brent Brisbane.
While the Schuberts obviously have a claim, however the State may wish to have the bird, leading to some “treasure trading” to make things right. However, there is no doubt that this mother-daughter dive team has found the find of their lifetime.