LIVING HISTORY
92
TREASURE COAST BOATING
So these wrecks are spread out for many linear miles.”
Like a skilled detective, Fisher studied and followed the
trail. They brought up gold bars, emeralds, and other beautiful
pieces of jewelry. Treasure kept coming up.
A DAY OF GOOD FORTUNE
Then on July 20, 1985, they hit pay dirt. With unbelieving
eyes, they unearthed a $450 million cache including 40
tons of silver and gold, Colombian emeralds, silver and gold
artifacts, and more than 1,000 silver bars. Kane Fisher radioed
a message to his father, to throw away the charts — they had
found the mother lode.
“On that day, Mel said to me, ‘John, do you know what day
this is?’ ” Brandon recalled. “I said, ‘Yes, Mel, I know what
day this is!’ It was so cool. Dirk was up there smiling and
looking down on us. Ten years to the very day that he died,
on his trail, we found the main pile of the Atocha.”
Probably one of Fismer’s most memorable diving experiences
was with Sir Arthur Clarke. A renowned science fiction
writer, Clarke was famous for co-writing the film 2001: A
Space Odyssey. He was also an avid scuba diver. His interest
in being underwater was tied to his love for space travel —
he wanted to experience weightlessness. He worked with
Jacques Cousteau to perfect scuba equipment and discovered
buried treasure at the Taj Mahal. His diving explorations
ended in the 1960s, when he developed a paralysis.
Fismer was invited to dive with Clarke in 1992, as part of
a documentary filmed near his home in Sri Lanka. It was
the first dive that Clarke made, since he became disabled 30
years before. He was inspired by Fismer’s diving explorations
ROBERT LEWIS KNECHT
Fismer dove with renowned science fiction writer Sir Arthur Clarke in his
last filmed deep sea dive in Sri Lanka.
with disabled divers and was ready to take the plunge.
On that filmed dive, Clarke learned that you are never too
old to accomplish new goals, as he was completely fit and
mobile underwater.
“If I never do another dive again, that will be a good way
to go out … beautiful!” he said. >>
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