The History of Diving Museum will celebrate Florida Keys treasure diver Art McKee’s birthday with guided tours on Sunday, Nov. 2.
Known for recovering thousands of artifacts from the wrecks of the 1733 Spanish treasure fleet, McKee co-invented the underwater metal detector and dove with a Miami-made Miller Dunn diving helmet and sneakers.
McKee was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey, on Nov. 2, 1910.
Among the cannons, ballast and other treasures McKee collected were silver coins dated 1732. He brought up so many bars of silver that he gained the nickname of “Silver Bar” McKee. In 1949, having a warehouse full of artifacts and treasure from several different wrecks, McKee opened the first public museum in the world devoted to sunken treasure, on Plantation Key at Treasure Harbor. McKee died in 1979.
Guided tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2 will highlight the museum’s exhibits and feature a special showcase of McKee and other Florida Keys treasure divers’ stories. The tours are included with admission, and museum members have no additional charge.
The History of Diving Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with guided tours taking place once a month. Tours run for about one hour. Private tours are also available upon request with at least two weeks’ notice.
The museum is located at MM 83, bayside, in Islamorada. Exhibits cover more than 5,000 years of “the quest to explore under the sea.”
More information is at divingmuseum.org.
