FIRST TIME EVER, SEARCH FOR $700 MILLION SUNKEN TREASURE TO BE AIDED BY EVERYDAY DIVERS - VACTATIONERS WELCOME

Gold Hound Treasure Hunters to Bring Treasure Hunting Mainstream; Search with Crew for 1715 Fleet Mother Lode of Antiquities

Sebastian, Fla. - Gold Hound Treasure Divers LLC, a sub-contractor of the
Mel Fisher Center, Inc., today announced that it has launched a "Treasure
Hunter for the Day" program that allows the average scuba diver to partake
in an unprecedented opportunity to hunt for sunken treasure, in this case
from the 1715 Fleet, a fleet of Spanish Galleons that sank of the east coast
of Florida in the midst of a ferocious hurricane in 1715. The fleet was sailing
from South America and Mexico on its way to King Philip the Fifth of Spain
before the doomed day. The Ships were laden with precious cargo that
included gold bars, coins, diamonds, emeralds and pearls, and rare porcelain.
The location of six of the eleven sunken ships have been found, some in only
20 feet of water, but what has not been located is 300 chests containing
nearly one million silver coins, just waiting for treasure hunters to unearth
them. Those chests and other treasures still not recovered have an
estimated value of $700 million to $900 million. The opportunity for visiting
divers to comb for such riches of the deep under Gold Hound Treasure
Hunters' new program is believed to represent a first in modern-day treasure
hunting. Non-diving observers/vacationers seeking to share in the adventure
are also welcome under the groundbreaking program, for a unique vacation
experience.

"I don't know of anywhere in the world where the average person is allowed
to search for sunken shipwreck treasure of this scale," said Greg Bounds,
Captain of Gold Hound Treasure Divers, one of the key salvagers of the 1715
sites. Nations have been known to quarrel extensively over the rights to the
discoveries of such treasure wrecks, which are highly prized and guarded. In
the case of the 1715 Fleet, the State of Florida owns the rights to 20
percent of all artifacts found on the wrecks after which Gold Hound Treasure
Divers and Mel Fisher Center, Inc. split the remaining treasures 50/50.

Adds Chas Francoviglia, 1st mate of m/v Goldhound, "We are opening up the
riches of the deep to diving and antiquity enthusiasts so that they might
realize the incredible thrill of uncovering some of the world's greatest sunken
treasures. It's a legacy that Mel Fisher would surely have been thrilled to
pass on to the world, so that we might all unearth the secrets of journeys
past and share in the knowledge gained." Mel Fisher discovered what is
believed to be the richest shipwreck treasure ever from the Nuestra Senora
de Atocha off Key West, which yielded hundreds of millions of dollars worth of
treasures including 40 tons of silver and gold, Columbian emeralds, rare
artifacts and more.

The remains of the 1715 Fleet lie off the east coast of Florida between
Sebastian and Fort Pierce, the former approximately 40 miles south of Cape
Canaveral and the latter 50 miles north of West Palm Beach. The 1715 Fleet
had been near Cape Canaveral before the hurricane drove the ships south
and on to the jagged reefs. Now, Gold Hound's Treasure Hunter for a Day
program allows certified divers to join in salvaging near the Sebastian area of
that treasure span, where Captain Bounds believes the mother lode lies - the
chests of silver coins. The cost for the guided treasure hunts is $299, which
includes the use of a metal detector. The hunts are semi-private with no
more than two visiting divers in the water at any given time. Divers must be
certified. Non-diving observers/vacationers are welcome to join the hunt for
the day for $149 with refreshments provided.

One caveat to the exciting venture, explains Captain Bounds, "Thrill seekers
don't get to keep the treasures, only find it. But they'll be helping to rewrite
history." Bounds says that he and his crew have consistently found treasure
each year that he has searched, and he believes the "scatter trail" of smaller
treasures they've discovered are leading to the larger treasures. "We think
we're closing in on the mother lode," says Captain Bounds referring to the
chests of silver coins.

Visit www.goldhoundtreasuredivers.com for more information on Treasure
Hunter for a Day or call 772-633-0728. Partnership opportunities are also
available.

MORE ON THE 1715 FLEET
It was all because of a woman. King Philip of Spain married the Duchess of
Parma, Italy, but she refused to consummate the marriage until an enormous
dowry of gold and jewels were bestowed upon her. The King's coffers were
already depleted, however, after years of war with England and the Dutch.
So the King dispatched a fleet to the Americas to retrieve desperately
needed riches that had been building up on his behalf in Columbia and Mexico,
countries with ports of call along key trade routes. Soon, eleven ships were
laden with the precious cargo, the two main ships alone carrying 14 million
coins.

The treasure fleets joined up in Havana, setting sail early on the morning of
July 24, 1715, heading toward the Straits of Florida guided by a gentle
breeze. But unknown to the Spaniards, a violent hurricane was brewing, and
seven days later it slammed the ships with all its might, driving them on to
the jagged reefs, the entire fleet lost to the sea and over 1,000 of the 2,500
aboard perishing.

Soon the King's men, privateers and pirates were all salvaging the area,
recovering a good part of the treasure, but leaving much still on the ocean
floor with it then forgotten for over 200 years. Modern salvage efforts began
in the late 1950s with Kip Wagner and Mel Fisher. Mel Fisher later acquired
salvage rights to the sites.

To date, Gold Hound has recovered a wide variety of items off the 1715 Fleet
including: Numerous Royal 8 escudos including one appraised at $175,000 and
another at $100,000; over 750 silver coins, gold jewelry inlaid with emeralds,
a gold cross with medallions, gold cufflinks, a hefty silver wedge, a gold-
washed dragon head sword pommel, gold dust and nuggets, numerous silver
candle holders, anchors and hundreds of artifacts.


TRAVEL INFORMATION
Gold Hound Treasure Divers' port of call is on the dock at the lively Captain
Hiram's island resort and marina in beautiful Sebastian, Florida, approximately
50 miles north of West Palm Beach and 65 southeast of Orlando. Captain
Hirams features first class accommodations, a restaurant, an enormous
tropical SandBar overlooking the Indian River with entertainment nightly, and
a full service marina. Visit www.hirams.com.

GOLD HOUND TREASURE DIVERS
Gold Hound Treasure Divers LLC, www.goldhoundtreasuredivers.com is a
treasure salvage firm based in Sebastian, Florida. The crew has worked on
many different shipwrecks such as the Nuestra Senora de Atocha and the
Santa Margarita, both off the Florida Keys, along with the 1715 Fleet and
shipwrecks off of Jupiter, Florida and in the Bahamas.



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