Scuba Divers Find Rare Bell Off St. Augustine Coast

The holy grail, if you will.

Their excitement rang through every word.

They had found a ship's bell, one of the most rare discoveries off the coast.

Divers from LAMP at the St. Augustine Lighthouse were on a routine site check of a shipwreck when Dr. Sam Turner saw what he described as a "horizontal shadow."

"And it was a bell," said Dr. Turner. "There was no mistaking it. I mean, there was stuff encrusted onto it, but it was very clearly a bell."

Employees with LAMP said only two bells have ever been recovered off the First Coast.

"The bell is traditionally known as the diver's holy grail," explained Chuck Meide, Director of LAMP. "That's because a ship's bell is extremely rare and also, a ship's bell is often the best clue to the identity of a shipwreck."

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