News

Divers Strike Gold Off Israel’s Mediterranean Coast

Published

6 years ago

February 18, 2015

A group of amateur scuba divers have uncovered Israel’s largest treasure of gold coins while diving in an ancient harbour in Caesarea National Park.

Members of the diving club initially thought they had discovered toy coins, but later realised it was the real deal and returned to collect approximately 2,000 pieces of treasure.

“The coins are in an excellent state of preservation, and despite the fact they were at the bottom of the sea for about a thousand years, they did not require any cleaning or conservation intervention from the metallurgical laboratory,” said Robert Cole, an expert with Israel’s Antiquities Authority.

Cole added that some coins “were bent and exhibit teeth marks” which is “evidence they were ‘physically’ inspected by their owners or merchants.”

The Israel Antiquites Authority say that the coins date back to the 11th century and were most likely used during the period of the Fatmid Caliphate.

“The discovery of such a large hoard of coins that had such tremendous economic power in antiquity raises several possibilities regarding its presence on the seabed,” said Kobi Sharvit, Director of the Marine Archeology Unit of Israel’s Antiquities Authority.

“There is probably a shipwreck there of an official treasury boat which was on its way to the central government in Egypt with taxes that had been collected,” he added.

Despite discovering the coins, the divers will not receive any of the fortune.

“The Law of Antiquities states that all antiquities belong to the state and that not reporting or removing antiquities from their location, or selling or trading them, is an offence punishable by up to five years imprisonment,” said Sharvit.

“In this case the divers reported the find, but in many instances divers take the objects home and that way extremely important archaeological information is lost forever, which cannot be recovered,” he added.

The Caesarea Development Company and Nature and Parks Authority praised the find saying it “highlights the uniqueness of Caesarea as an ancient port city.”

“After 2,000 years it is still capable of captivating its many visitors, of continuing to innovate and surprise again when other parts of its mysterious past are revealed in the ground and in the sea,” a statement said.

Source: www.theblaze.com

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WIN a Beuchat Air Light Bag!!!

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21 hours ago

February 26, 2021

Team Scubaverse

For this week’s competition, we’ve teamed up with our good friends at Beuchat to give away an Air Light Bag!

The Air Light Bag from Beuchat is a practical travel bag that takes up minimum storage space.

Material: 600 denier and 1,000 denier nylon/PVC
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To be in with a chance of winning this awesome prize, all you have to do is answer the following question:

In a recent post on Scubaverse.com (which you can read here), we reported that Mexico is to host the first annual Cancun International Boat Show and Marine Expo this year. But when is the event due to take place?

Is it:

A) 9^th – 11^th July
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Beuchat Air Light Bag February 2021

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Miscellaneous Blogs

Jeff chats to… Jill Heinerth – underwater explorer, author and presenter (Watch Video)

Published

23 hours ago

February 26, 2021

Jeff Goodman

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Jill Heinerth.

Jill is one of the world’s premier underwater explorers, and the first person to dive inside iceberg caves. According to filmmaker James Cameron, “More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the places Jill Heinerth has gone right here on earth.”

An acclaimed polar explorer, cave diver, author, speaker, filmmaker, and climate advocate, Jill is the first Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. She is the inaugural recipient of the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration and Canada’s Polar Medal.

Jill leads expeditions into extreme environments to advance scientific and geographic knowledge. Her projects have been broadcast on the CBC, BBC, PBS, Discovery Channel, and television networks worldwide. Jill was announced as the recipient of the William Beebe Award from the Explorer’s Club and was inducted into the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame in fall 2020.

Her bestselling book INTO THE PLANET – My Life as a Cave Diver has drawn acclaim from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and O Magazine. Heinerth details her journey into the extreme world of underwater cave exploration, where she has had to overcome fear in order to go where no one has gone before.

Find out more about Jill and her work at: www.intotheplanet.com

Rather listen to a podcast? Listen to the audio HERE on the new Scubaverse podcast channel at Anchor FM.

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Explore the amazing triangle of Red Sea Reefs - The Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstone on board the brand new liveaboard Big Blue. With an option to add on a week at Roots Red Sea before or after.

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£1475 per person based on double occupancy. Soft all inclusive board basis, buffet meals with snacks, tea and coffee always available. Add a week on at Roots Red Sea Resort before or after the liveaboard for just £725pp. Flights and transfers are included. See our brochure linked above for the full itinerary.

This trip will be hosted by The Scuba Place. Come Dive with Us!

Call 020 3515 9955 or email john@thescubaplace.co.uk

www.thescubaplace.co.uk

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