AMATEUR treasure hunters hoping to pinpoint the exact site of two shipwrecks found off the Banffshire coast earlier this month have been advised by Grampian Police to put safety first. A spokesman said: “We’d advise people not to rush out there. There are some dangerous and isolated areas.”
Four divers searching a sea cave believed to be in the Cullykhan Bay area found the wooden wrecks containing small bottles packed with granules of 23-carat gold and bronze coins. The four, from Glasgow, are keeping the location a secret while they establish who has first claim to the find, which could be worth millions of pounds.
One of the divers said: “A large amount of the bounty is badly encrusted and worn by the sea but nearly half of it looks cleanable. There is also glass and pottery down there, and many caskets, possibly made of wood, which couldn’t be opened. We didn’t bring up anything from the wrecks; the stuff we brought up was some of what was washed into the cave.
“We also saw what we believe to be gold and silver bullion bars, but we’ve no idea of the extent of the discovery.”