If you grew up dreaming of searching for sunken treasure, you're not alone. Many young men and women have had dreams just like that, of searching the ocean floor for remnants of some sunken ship that was loaded down with gold coins and gem encrusted goodies. That elusive treasure chest of priceless riches is everyone's dream prize, and whether or not you need to fight off some pirates to get it is yet another matter. But in all seriousness, if you are truly interested in finding some sunken treasure, where can you go?

Real hunting for sunken treasure is not as fictional or fantastic as you might think. There are many scuba centers and guided tours that allow a tourist to scour some of the best sites where treasure might be found. And while many of these scuba centers are located in exotic places like off the coast of the Bahamas or in the Gulf of Mexico, some sunken treasure can be found in much more accessible areas such as off the coast of the Jersey shore and California.

These organized tours for sunken treasure are not as fruitless as you might immediately assume. Many have reported that their tourists have recovered actual treasure that can be traced back to sunken Spanish ships and merchants that ran trade routes from Europe to the Americas. Most companies that operate sunken treasure tours are very careful to check historic records of the routes of these ships and any known records of their location when they sunk. They check these against ocean current directions and weather reports and make maps of possible locations where the ship's treasures would now be located. Of course there are no guarantees that you'll ever find sunken treasure when you go on such a tour, but their guides are hoping that their tourists will find something - this is good for repeat business, of course.

Hunting for sunken treasure means knowing how to scuba dive. Most tour companies will give you lessons, but if you're serious about making treasure hunting a hobby, you may want to consider taking classes near your home. You can typically find a class that is offered out of your local high school or YMCA, or anyplace with a pool. This way you can get very skilled at diving and won't need to rely on just a quick intro course. And of course if you have the money at your disposal, you may want to search for your own sunken treasure and simply hire a boat to take you to your desired location. This can get costly as you invest in sonar equipment and diving apparatus, but this is your decision to make of course.

One of the more popular treasure hunting enterprises is run by the decedents of Mel Fisher out of Key West Florida. If you are willing to invest in the business they will allow you to dive on the Nuestra Senora De Atocha and Santa Margarita Spanish galleons that were sunk by a hurricane on September 6, 1622. All treasure uncovered during the year are shared by all investors of that year.

Not many people actually get rich from finding that elusive sunken treasure, but it can be a fascinating hobby that will keep you occupied for years to come.

Happy Treasure Hunting.