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Searching for Spanish fortune
An expedition team traveled by boat to a remote island off Pasco County to hunt for a legendary $200 million Spanish treasure believed to be buried in the early 1800s. FOX 13's Blake DeVine reports.
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. - An expedition team traveled by boat to a remote island off Pasco County to hunt for a legendary $200 million Spanish treasure believed to be buried in the early 1800s.
Searching Pasco County Island
What we know:
For centuries, tall tales of buried treasure have inspired expeditions across Florida's Gulf Coast.
Captain Joe Zsiga believes one of those legends may be real. He and his team with EPIC Treasure Hunters recently traveled by boat to a remote island in Pasco County searching for a Spanish fortune that some believe could be worth as much as $200 million.
"It started as a hobby, and it's morphed into an obsession," he said.
Success isn't measured by the number of trips they take, but by what they bring home.
Uncovering Historic Pirate Lore
The backstory:
Neal says the legend begins in the early 1800s with French Commodore Louis-Michel Aury.
"They'd get trapped in storms, and they would lose all their treasure," he said. "Ships start sinking and the first thing you do is throw out the cannons, cannonballs, ballast weights and even gold."
After transferring to a smaller boat, the team reached a remote island where Captain Joe explained why he believes treasure is hidden there.
"Rather than take the chance of sailing those ships back to Cartagena," he said. "They decided they were going to bury stuff all around here."
Treasure Hunters Share Motivation
What they're saying:
"If we find something, we split it," Zsiga said. "If we don't find anything, we don’t get paid."
One member of the crew, Dennis Neal, made the 18-hour drive from Dallas to Tampa to join the search.
"I’m a dangerous guy," he said. "They call me an X-ray because all I need is a story."
Navigating Island Hazards
Why you should care:
The search quickly turned into a hike through dense brush. Zsiga described the dangers hidden inside.
"Wild boar, water moccasins, rattlesnakes and everything that’ll put you in the hospital," he said.
Inside The Search
Dig deeper:
Neal later set aside modern equipment in favor of dowsing rods, which he believes can help locate buried treasure.
"A metal detector won’t pick it up, but it has energy," he said. "Everything we're talking about here has a signature, an energy signature."
The team of four believes Spanish silver, gold and emeralds may still lie beneath the island.
Treasure hunter Mike Machael is convinced the site hasn’t yet revealed everything it holds.
"We know in our hearts that something is in this area, it hasn't been explored," he said. "We've got a real shipwreck, and it's a real pirate."
Planning Heavy Machinery Return
What's next:
The team's efforts led to a muddy excavation pit where high water levels halted further digging. Captain Joe says digging any deeper will require much more than hand shovels.
"We can't just dig it up with a shovel because the water table is too high," he explained. "Once we get down to five feet, we'll have slurry and it gets dangerous."
The crew plans to return with a bulldozer and equipment to pump water from the pit before resuming the excavation. Zsiga says his team has no plans to abandon the search.
"We're in it for the long haul, and we won't give up," he concluded.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Joe Zsiga, Dennis Neal and Mike Machael of EPIC Treasure Hunters, who detailed their expedition on a remote Pasco County island.