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 Burt Webber discovered the legendary Spanish Galleon Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion that sank in 1641 off of the Dominica Republic. Over 60,000 silver coins as well as gold chains and bullion were removed from the ship that hadn't been seen in over three centuries.
Webber spent two years looking for the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion before finding her. He had an agreement with the Dominican Republic to split all treasure found but would be able to search without any fear of having his find taken from him wholesale.
The first season of searching turned up thirteen wrecks from the 17th to 19th centuries. After designing a newer magnetometer - a handheld cesium magnetometer that was completely submersible and that could reach into nooks and crannies - the expedition started its second season.
First one coin was found. By the end of the day, 128 more pieces had been found as well as several pieces of porcelain from the late Ming period. It took the crew 11 months to salvage the entire site.
Now a senior citizen, Webber is still at it. As one of the most successful and well known Caribbean Sea explorers, he and his crew are set to begin searching for more treasure using unique jet propulsion boots and hand-held cesium magnetometers off the Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic.
Already known for introducing advances in the field of underwater research and revolutionizing shipwreck exploration, he has made shipwreck salvage into a fine art. His ship, the Ocean Lady, is filled to the 128 foot brim with high tech devices and an operations center designed to his exact specifications.
Under a contract with the Dominican Republic and with joint venture partner Hispaniola Ventures, LLC, the Ocean Lady and her crew will spend the next six months searching for and investigating, locating and recovering valuable treasure in the area.
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