Voting Station

Mel Fisher

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Adventurer

The Resume

    (August 21, 1922-December 19, 1988)
    Born in Indiana
    Treasure hunter
    Discovered the 1622 wreck of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha (July 20, 1985)
    Recovered gold, silver and emeralds worth $450 million

Why he might be annoying:

    As a boy, he nearly drowned testing a homemade diving helmet fashioned from a paint can and a bicycle pump.
    He was a chain smoker.
    He claimed he had found Atlantis but 'I'm not at liberty to talk about it.'
    He admitted to selling counterfeit gold coins at his Key West gift shop and refunded $67,000 to purchasers (1998).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He joined the Army Corps of Engineers in World War II.
    He opened the first dive shop in California.
    His oldest son Dirk died when a salvage boat capsized (1975).
    He fought off legal challenges from Florida and the Federal government over ownership of the recovered treasure.
    He hired archaeologists as part of his salvage team so historically important artifacts would be properly preserved along with the treasure.
    Asked why he chose such a risky career, he replied, 'For the fun, the romance and the adventure.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 35 Votes: 5.71% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 17 Votes: 5.88% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 78.57% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 13 Votes: 30.77% Annoying