A Damp Treasure Trove

“A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid.” ~J.R.R. Tolkien

There…on the horizon.  What is that?  Something is floating.  Let me just get a little closer.  Because, hey, you never know, right?  It’s…it’s…(gasp) a Frisbee!  With an angry flame cartoon on it!  Score!  I now have yet another sea treasure to add to my trove.  Yes, it is just a beat-up, pre-loved flying saucer…but it is special, because I found it!

A lost frisbee...or a found frisbee?

The oceans are just chockfull of Stuff; overboard Stuff, Stuff that has blown off people’s docks, Stuff that has been intentionally pitched off the side of a passing boat, Stuff that has traveled great distances from far away destinations in foreign lands, and not-so-glamorous-Stuff that has found its way to watery surroundings after three straight days of strong on shore winds in a large metropolitan area.  But with such a plethora of sources for Stuff…the possibilities for salvaging are endless!

Admittedly, I haven’t hit the mother load yet.  Yet.  There is something undeniably magnetic about an Unidentified Floating Object.  We are just hardwired to go and check it out.  It is the proverbial shiny red button.  We must engage the curiosity.  After more than a decade on the water, and living in or near a large metro area, and specifically one that finds the ocean a suitable receptacle for any unwanted objects, I have found a fantastic array of goodies.  Just his past weekend, I picked up a large rectangular dock bumper in really good condition.  It was washed up on the rocks at the end of a canal, likely carefully deposited by an outgoing tide.  I have almost enough salvaged bumpers now for a (future) boat of my own.

BUY a pool noodle?!  I think not!

Oh the things you will find!  I have several fine beer koozies, dozens of tennis balls (enough to keep my dog and probably 10 others happy), milk crates (endlessly useful), and even lightly damaged plastic patio furniture.  My spare life jacket came from between coral boulders on an island in Biscayne Bay.  I have found unopened bags of chips and sparkly party balloons.  To this day I have never bought a foam pool noodle (I have three at the moment).  I have even found live agriculture afloat…I’ve rescued more than one floating coconut sprout. 

I have known people who have found fishing rods, coolers, hats, boat seat cushions, and even one of Miami’s infamous square groupers!  Given time, one can haul in enough lumber to build a nice dock.  With pressure treated lumber even! 

A ramshackle dock built out of "treasure" wood.

 

 

Coconut palm baby afloat!

While there are many opportunities to “treasure hunt” while out on the water, there are sometimes things afloat that should never be messed with.  The biggest no-no being tampering with or attempting to take commercial crab traps.  They can be easily identified by the white or colored Styrofoam ball bobbing on the surface.  Not only is it illegal to take them, but it is a lousy and unclassy thing to do.  There are people that make a living harvesting from their traps.  Your desire to make a living room end table out of it, or to rob the trap and put it back empty, is very uncool!  So pass up the Styrofoam ball and keep looking for the floating pelican case full of money instead, please!

Being vigilant is always important while on the water. Not only does it minimize your chances of running your ski over something other than water and causing damage, but it gives you an opportunity to become the proud new owner of a partially disintegrated Nerf football!  Who would want to miss out on that?  And if you ever need or want to become Robinson Crusoe, think of how prepared you will be compared to your counterparts!  So go get your treasure hunt on…the next 70% functional floating aluminum chair could have your name on it!  If you have ever found any really cool Stuff on the water, please share, we’d love to hear about it.  And then go raid your treasure-laden domain. 

Happy recipient of a Treasure Ball!