Ships sink … a fact known well to sailors. And to treasure hunters, salvage divers and underwater archaeologists, all seeking to make a name for themselves by bringing up artifacts (especially gold ones) from the shipwreck. A shipwreck is a treasure trove: underwater archaeologists seek to understand the past through it; salvage divers seek to recover cargo or parts from it; treasure hunters – despite any romantic notions – seek to get rich from it. The lure of lost treasure found on the seabed has been fostered by some fabulous discoveries, such as that of the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha (worth around $450 million) or the pirate ship Whydah Gally ($400 million). Still out there somewhere, among lesser shipwrecks, the Portuguese Flor de la Mar (estimated treasure of $2.6 billion).