Arthur C ClarkE
Many people are familiar with Arthur C. Clarke as one of the world’s leading science-fiction authors (2001: A Space Odyssey), but did you know he also played a major role in the search for sunken treasure?
“Sunken treasure. No words in the language hold more magic. Who hasn’t dreamed, at some time or other, of diving into one of the lost galleons of the Spanish Main, loaded with its precious cargo of gold and silver. Millions, no billions, of dollars worth of treasure lies at the bottom of the sea, buried beneath the coral of centuries.”
These emotion-packed words are not ours. They are the enlightened observations of one of our centuries greatest minds – that of Arthur C. Clarke. Sir Arthur says them at the beginning of his video “Arthur C. Clarke: Before 2001” in which he describes the events surrounding his “adventure of sunken treasure beneath the Indian Ocean”.
In the words of Sir Arthur, “Nothing, except perhaps the landing of a flying saucer in one’s backyard, is quite so disruptive of everyday life as the discovery of sunken treasure. There are very few people in the world who can confirm this, but by a series of most unlikely events I happen to be among them.”
In 1961, while living in Sri Lanka and scouting underwater movie locations, Arthur Clarke and his colleagues discovered that locating sunken treasure can have a major impact on one’s life.
The treasure Clarke found was not part of the Spanish Main, but rather originated in India, and was lost in 1702 when the trading ship carrying it foundered on the Great Basses Reef, just off the coast of Sri Lanka. The treasure consisted of thousands and thousands of silver coins, all newly minted, un-circulated, and bound for the Orient.
You can read about this adventure in Clarke’s novel The Treasure of the Great Reef, (available at some bookstores and at Amazon), or watch Clarke’s self-narrated documentary on a DVD available from Spanish Main Treasure Company on Florida’s Tavernier Key. Captain Carl Fismer of Spanish Main Treasure Company is featured in the documentary, and was the driving force behind convincing Clarke to return to diving in spite of Clarke’s limited mobility caused by childhood polio.
The Real World
Locating shipwrecks and diving for treasure
We accept our role as humble game developers and not as treasure hunters in the real world. While we can speak extensively about our knowledge of our Treasure Hunt game we do not for a moment pretend to know all there is about hunting for sunken wrecks and “treasure” in the real world!
But, thanks to the Internet, the resources are available to help if you are interested in the search for real-world treasure.
In the real world, society blanches at the thought of people picking up any item they see at a wreck site and selling it to whomever they can for a personal profit. Archeological preservation is in order in the real world. And for that reason we have introduced a Museum into our game, which purchases your items of treasure and puts them on display for the world to see.
And in the real world hunting for sunken treasure is an endeavor at which only thoroughly prepared and well-funded people succeed.
In the romantic view of undersea treasure hunting we picture people wearing some basic scuba gear, or perhaps only a snorkel, and swimming in the azure waters of the Caribbean, when suddenly they spot a wrecked 16th-century sailing ship. Nearby is a broken treasure chest with gold, silver and jewels spilling out onto the ocean floor. They easily dive to the bottom and recover the fortune. They sell much of it, fabulously rich and live happily ever after. Nothing could be further from reality.
In the real world archeologists and treasure seekers will invest a great deal of time and money into research before ever donning a wetsuit.
Much has been written about the art and science of treasure recovery. If you are interested in learning more we have provided several links to get you started.
One of the more informative sites we’ve seen is The Shipwreck Expo Directory. This is Captain Dan Berg’s guide to worldwide shipwreck information, where you’ll find an absolute wealth of information and links.
getting paid
Imagine getting paid to do this . . .
Are there really people who are fortunate enough to be able to spend a great part of their lives in pursuit of underwater relics? Yes, there are.
Two such individuals are Carl Fismer of Spanish Main Treasure Company (SMTC) and Gary Mace of Conch Republic Divers, both located on Tavernier Key, Florida. Captain Fizz and Captain Gary are professional treasure hunters, or treasure divers, as they like to call themselves. They spend their time searching for sunken ships, and much of that time is in researching the location of the vessels, then in using high-tech equipment to pinpoint the location. Before diving they obtain permission from the country with the rights to the ship, and finally they don wetsuits and explore the ocean bottom. Capt. Fizz and Capt. Gary will take divers with them on these expeditions, and if you are interested in taking part, information is available on the SMTC website.
Odyssey Marine Exploration
This publicly-traded company says of itself: 'Odyssey is the world leader in deep-ocean shipwreck exploration, searching the globe's vast oceans for sunken ships with intriguing stories, extraordinary treasure and precious artifacts spanning centuries of maritime travel'. If you have any treasure-hunting blood in your body (and you must have, because you are at our game website!) we encourage you to check them out.
In September, 2011, Odyssey confirmed the identity and location of the SS Gairsoppa, a 'British cargo ship that was torpedoed by a German U-boat in February 1941'. The ship was carrying '7 million total ounces of silver'. The good news is it's a huge haul of treasure, but the bad news is it's about three miles under the surface of the North Atlantic. Read the Odyssey press release, or the CNN story, one of many media reports published around the world.
In 2007, Odyssey Marine Exploration discovered the Merchant Royal, the richest-ever sunken shipwreck, thought to be worth more than $500 million! Read this New York Times press release from May 19, 2007.
About
Treasure Hunt - The Game™
Compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Requires iOS 4.2 or later.
Legal
© 2010 CaraCasa Games Inc. All rights reserved. Treasure Hunt and Treasure Hunt - The Game are trademarks of CaraCasa Games Inc. All rights reserved. CaraCasa Games Inc has received copyright for Treasure Hunt.
Development
The development of Treasure Hunt has been a collaborative effort of several talented people. The original Treasure Hunt game began in 1986 as a board game, developed by Roger Taylor. In 2005 Roger formed CaraCasa Games Inc to develop Treasure Hunt - The Game as a multiplayer PC-based online game. Unfortunately the firm selected for the task was unable to complete the project.
But in late 2009, Roger met David Clement of Wavesine Solutions Inc. David has 32 years of experience in the software design industry, and is proficient with programming for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Together, Roger & David re-structured the game as a single-player experience for Apple’s portable products.
CaraCasa Games
We are a British Columbia-based game designer with a conscience. Our games will always be non-violent, and set in a Casual genre.
We believe games should provide a learning experience, but must also be compelling and enjoyable, hence our slogan of Games - Just for Fun!
We also believe that good games contain a modicum of luck - but only good luck.
Contact Us: Info@CaraCasaGames.com
The dream began in 1986, with the development of a board game called Treasure Hunt. It began as the vision of CaraCasa Games CEO Roger Taylor. Like millions of people around the world, Roger enjoyed tales involving the finding of treasure. Most people know there are billions of dollars in treasure lying on the bottom of the oceans of the world - so near, yet so far. Since most of us find it difficult to recover those riches, we limit our treasure searches to dry land, but still we dream about those huge bounties that are just out of our reach.
Treasure, whether buried on land or underwater, is a powerful draw, and in the early 1980’s, many companies were using treasure to interest people in their firm's products by holding contests using a Treasure Hunt theme. Roger reasoned that people would be interested in playing a board game of the same theme, and so the game of Treasure Hunt was born.
The Board Game
In the board game, you are the captain of a modern-day salvage vessel in the Caribbean area. You purchase the salvage rights to sunken ships and try to amass a greater fortune than your opponents during the duration of play you have selected. Winning requires a blend of strategy, skill and luck.
Your journey begins in a Port, where you purchase Shipwreck Cards (salvage rights) and choose whether to hire a diver and purchase Pirate Insurance for your next voyage, two decisions that can have a major impact on the outcome.
The board game is turn-based, and you travel to the Shipwreck Site(s) you’ve drawn using a spinner, then you dive, again using the spinner, to recover a quantity of gold, silver and gemstones determined by the number spun. To add interest there are 50 Sailing Hazard Cards, 50 Diving Hazard Cards and 40 Bonus Cards. Players receive a Hazard Cards when spinning a high number, and a Bonus Card when spinning a low number. The Hazard Cards represent bad fortune, and can affect your board movement or your bank account, and sometimes affect other players. The Bonus Cards are good luck, and some will protect the player from other game and player hazards.
When the treasure is on board your ship, you set sail for the next location. When you have used all your Shipwreck Cards you must return to Port to sell your treasure and purchase more Shipwreck Cards, hire a diver again, purchase Pirate Insurance and again set sail.
The need for strategy is introduced by means of the two Exchanges, at Acapulco, Mexico and Hamilton, Bermuda. Some items of treasure are worth significantly more when sold at these locations, so players have to determine if they are willing to retain a large enough quantity of the item of treasure on board their ship to make it worthwhile to pursue the long, time consuming journey to an Exchange, fraught with worry over being pirated.
Stress is introduced by allowing people to pirate from each other. They can steal treasure that is onboard another’s ship, so your treasure is at risk until sold at a Port or Exchange. You then receive Treasure Hunt dollars, which are safe from pirates.
The successful player is the one who makes the best use of all available resources and adopts a strategy to match the aggressiveness of the opponents.
The game is enjoyable because of the player interaction dictated by the Hazard and Bonus cards, in which people enjoy receiving good luck for themselves, and enjoy being able to poke fun at fellow players receiving the less-than-good-luck of Hazard cards.
Only a very small number of Treasure Hunt board games were produced, but we saw that people enjoyed the game, and decided to make the game available commercially. However fewer people are playing board games today, and the future of game play is online. With that in mind the challenge became one of making Treasure Hunt into an online game.
Links
Conch Republic Divers: http://www.conchrepublicdivers.com/
Considering itself the friendliest dive shop in the Florida Keys, Conch Republic Divers is also home to Captain Gary Mace.
Cyber Pursuits (search site): http://www.cyberpursuits.com/archeo/uw-arch.asp
If you have any interest in underwater and maritime archeology, this section of this search site will provide you with links to projects, museums, books and much, much more. It is worth perusing.
History of Diving Museum: http://www.divingmuseum.org
The Florida Keys History of Diving Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, displaying and interpreting artifacts, antiques, books, documents, photographs and oral history relative to the History of Diving. They tell the international story of man’s attempts to explore, understand and venture under the sea. They also celebrate the special role that South Florida and the Florida Keys played in this untold story.
New Jersey Scuba Diver: http://njscuba.net/index.html
This is an excellent site, which will help you learn about wrecks, preservation of artifacts and thousands of other topics. Whether you have a deep or just a passing interest in anything to do with diving or with what you might find under the water, you owe it to yourself to explore this site. Our apologies to other users of Apple’s Safari browser.
Northern Maritime Research: http://www.northernmaritimeresearch.com/
Over the last 26 years, Northern Maritime Research has accumulated a database of more than 100,000 North American shipwrecks covering 400 years.
Professional Shipwreck Explorers Association (ProSEA): http://www.prosea.org/articles-news/ship_arch_issues.html
ProSEA's Objectives: To unite shipwreck explorers, salvors, archaeologists and historians throughout the World for their mutual benefit and protection, and for the benefit and protection of shipwreck resources and the interests of the general public.
Shipwreck Expo: http://www.shipwreckexpo.com/index.html
This is Captain Dan Berg’s guide to worldwide shipwreck information, where you’ll find a wealth of information and links.
Spanish Main Treasure Company: http://www.spanishmaintreasure.com/
Spanish Main Treasure Company was founded by Captain Carl E. Fismer in 1980. Since its inception, SMTC has salvaged artifacts and sunken treasure from shipwrecks around the world. They have a large inventory of treasure, coins, artifacts and documentaries for perusal or sale to museums, collectors and just about anyone who would like to own a piece of history.
The Tech Diver: http://www.thetechdiver.com/
The Tech Diver was created to offer serious divers, both technical and non-technical, a place to go to discuss the art of scuba-diving. You will find a vast amount of material in these forums, but if you don't find the answer to your question, just post in the thread that closely matches the subject of interest.
UK Diving: http://www.ukdiving.co.uk/conservation/articles/index.htm
UK Diving positions itself as “The World’s Largest Internet Resource for Divers”.
