Mel Fisher was one of the great Key West characters. In 1985 he discovered the wreck of Nuestra Señora de Atocha, a Spanish galleon that sunk in the 17th-century. It contained $450 million of treasure, including thousands of silver ingots and pieces of 8. His company also discovered the wreck of the Henrietta Maries, a British slave ship that sunk close to Key West in 1700.

You can see some of the treasures recovered from these ships at the museum. It brings you face to face with the great age of exploration and the dark days of slavery.