If you’re a recreational diver, how many times have you sat at your desk in school or at work and dreamed of being a full-time hunter of sunken treasure? Well, one guy actually does that.
In his career as a “shipwreck hunter,” David Mearns, a National Geographic grantee, has set several Guinness World Records, among them the “Deepest Shipwreck Ever Found” for finding a wreck nearly 5.8 kilometers/3.6 miles below the surface.
Mearns‘ most recent discovery is the Esmeralda, one of the ships from the fleet of Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama, off the coast of Oman.
Mearns tells National Geographic:
“I look for shipwrecks for a number of different reasons. For archaeology, historical re-creations, insurance purposes, television documentaries, even conducting salvage of the cargoes on board.”
All told, Mearns has found close to 70 shipwrecks, whether on purpose or by pure accident. To learn more about his exploits, check out the video below as well as the National Geographic website.
