Sleeping for 400 Years: The Mystery Treasure of the "Spanish Bank" Surfaces in the Caribbean

Discovery Channel's Ocean Quest Special Premieres Every Saturday at 8 PM Starting December 14

The ocean is unfathomably deep, hiding countless secrets that await discovery. Discovery's explorers have never stopped searching, and this time Ocean Quest dives even deeper — unearthing a mysterious treasure that has lain dormant for over 400 years, venturing into the Caribbean in search of a mysteriously vanished smuggling vessel, and heading to the Aleutian Islands at the southwestern tip of Alaska to track down the elusive halibut. Discovery Channel's Ocean Quest premieres every Saturday at 8 PM starting December 14, diving to the bottom of the ocean's greatest mysteries!

Experts Present Four Key Pieces of Evidence in the Hunt for the Lost Spanish Treasure Ship

In the early 17th century, Spanish colonizers arrived in South America on a massive drive to expand territory and accumulate wealth, shipping vast quantities of gold, silver, and jewels back to Spain by sea. In 1622, a legendary Spanish treasure fleet of 28 ships was struck by a hurricane on its return voyage to Spain, sinking to the ocean floor along with its enormous riches. It was not until 1985 that salvager Mel Fisher's team located the bulk of the wreck of the Atocha, recovering more than 40 tonnes of treasure — including emeralds alone valued at over half a billion dollars — earning it the title of the most treasure-laden shipwreck in the world and the nickname the "Spanish Bank." However, two ships from that fleet were never found.

In recent years, ocean exploration experts have returned to the Caribbean to search anew for the remains of those two vessels, excitedly presenting four key pieces of evidence pointing to the possibility of locating the wrecks: deep-sea sonar has produced a clear image of an 85-foot hull; a massive, irregularly shaped object lies at a depth too great for divers to easily reach; schools of snapper — fish that need shelter — have been spotted swimming near the wreck's suspected location; and straight, non-biological objects have been photographed on the seafloor. The team believes the final two wrecks may not be far off. Just as the exploration team was preparing to withdraw due to poor weather, an autonomous underwater vehicle captured a blurry image of what appeared to be a ship's hull. Could the secret of the Spanish treasure ships finally be coming to the surface?

Rising Ocean Temperatures Trigger Ecological Upheaval and Disrupt the Food Chain

The Aleutian Islands at the southwestern tip of Alaska are renowned for their halibut — the largest and most combative fish in the sea, capable of using their powerful tails to stun or even kill their targets, earning them the nickname "lords of the cold seabed." Yet halibut have recently vanished without a trace. Marine creatures seem to be fleeing something, diving ever deeper, and strange fish never seen before have begun to appear.

Melissa Good, a biologist who has studied the region for over a decade, commented: "Ocean water temperatures rose by a few degrees in 2016. No one can say for certain what caused the warm-water phenomenon, but what is certain is that the entire ecosystem has changed as a result." In the span of just two to three years, the behavioral patterns of marine life have shifted dramatically: cod that typically school near the surface have been found at depths of 122 meters, appearing only after the fishing season has passed; humpback whale numbers have surged and the animals are unusually active, breaching the surface like torpedoes; king crab — a favorite food of the halibut — are also diving deeper; and the aggressive warm-water lizardfish has begun showing up in these waters. What has caused the halibut to disappear? Will they become a casualty of ocean warming and vanish forever? Starting December 14, every Saturday at 8 PM, Discovery Channel's brand-new series Ocean Quest will lead viewers to the answers!

【Discovery Ocean Quest Special — Highlights】

• 12/14 8:00 PM Caribbean Pirate Treasure S2: Key West's Lost Treasure Galleon

Treasure hunters believe they may have discovered one of the last two ships from the Spanish treasure fleet — historically the most richly loaded treasure ship ever found. Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau join the search near Key West, Florida, to help determine whether this mysterious vessel is indeed the 400-year-old sunken galleon.

• 12/14 8:30 PM Caribbean Pirate Treasure S2: Mystery Wreck of Puerto Rico

Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau travel to Puerto Rico to unravel the mystery of the pirate prince Maurice and his lost ship, Defiance. Recent hurricanes on the island may have uncovered vital clues to the whereabouts of this 400-year-old wreck.

• 12/14 9:00 PM Jeremy Wade's Dark Waters: Cold Water Mystery

Strange things have been happening recently in the northern Pacific: fish that have no business being there are appearing, subtropical species are turning up in Alaska, and the halibut that belong there have vanished. Jeremy Wade travels to the Aleutian Islands to investigate, discovering that halibut — which normally inhabit cold waters — appear to have migrated to even colder regions due to an unexplained warm-water phenomenon. Wade must find out whether the halibut have truly disappeared.

• 12/21 8:00 PM Caribbean Pirate Treasure S2: The Wreck of the Roanoke: A Civil War Mystery

Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau head to Bermuda in search of a Civil War-era munitions smuggling vessel. For over 150 years, no one has been able to locate the ill-fated ship or its mysterious cargo. Will Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau succeed in finding the Roanoke?

• 12/21 8:30 PM Caribbean Pirate Treasure S2: The Ghost Ship of St. Thomas

The Cousteau couple investigates the strange disappearance of a 19th-century paddle steamer. Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau return to the U.S. Virgin Islands to follow up on the vessel's mysterious vanishing, and a recent hurricane may have already revealed the wreck's location.

• 12/21 9:00 PM Expedition With Steve Backshall: Frozen Frontier

Greenland holds many world records: it is the largest island on Earth and the least densely populated country on the planet. It is home to the world's largest ice cap, and Steve now brings his adventure and photography team to Scoresby Sound, setting off by kayak from Ittoqqortoormiit — the fjord's only town — on a 70-plus-kilometre paddle to the solid ice. Along the way, the team witnesses ice sheets crumbling, seals abandoning the area, and polar bears — with no food to eat — drawn by the scent of the group in a heart-stopping encounter. As they continue paddling and behold the awe-inspiring scale of the towering icebergs, they know the end is near. The expedition moves Steve to issue a heartfelt plea to the world to take the dangers of global warming seriously.

• 12/28 8:00 PM Caribbean Pirate Treasure S2: Dead Man's Island: Blood and Treasure

Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau venture to Ecuador, braving treacherous sea conditions and the threat of modern-day pirate attacks, in search of the lost treasure plundered by the ruthless pirate Bartholomew Sharp in the waters near Dead Man's Island.

• 12/28 8:30 PM Caribbean Pirate Treasure S2: The Lost Ship of Peru's Pirate Hunters

The Cousteau couple teams up with the Peruvian Navy to investigate a 17th-century naval disaster that continues to cast a shadow over the Peruvian people and government to this day.

• 12/28 9:00 PM Naked and Afraid S3: Lost at Sea

Ben and Sarah arrive in the waters off the Exuma Islands for a primitive survival challenge. Stranded in the open sea, lacking food and fresh water, with dangerous marine life lurking below, their chances of survival are slim unless they can paddle to an uninhabited island in time. Fortunately, Sarah is a professional diver and Ben is a former U.S. Navy SEAL; working together, they gradually turn crisis into opportunity.

Further reading:

• Discovery

• The World's Most Fearless Ocean Conservation Warrior — Paul Watson: Going Toe-to-Toe with Hunting Fleets and Putting His Body on the Line!

• 【Everyone Has Their Own Treasure】Exclusive Interview with Blood of the Blue Director Yuan Xu-Hu