Ran Feinstein and Ofer Raanan
Ran Feinstein and Ofer Raanan are two good friends who spend most of their free days diving together in the port of Caesarea in the Israeli coast.
Their amazing story started on a regular Sunday afternoon when they decided to dive at the bottom of the coast.
Amazing Discovery
The two divers put on their suits and jumped in the water. Little did they know, they were about to make one of the most amazing underwater discoveries that have been made on the Israeli coast.
The next photos will leave you in awe...
Uncovering a Shipwreck
Instead of looking at the creatures under the water and enjoying the dive, the two friends noticed something at the bottom of the coast.
It looked like the skeleton of a vessel, so curious, the two decided to go that way.
The Beginning of an Adventure
It was an unbelievable discovery and the two divers felt like they just began an adventure.
But they had no idea that they will actually find an old treasure! They will soon find out that this sunken vessel was one of the riches and oldest Roman shipwrecks ever found!
Roman Statue
One of them noticed a strange statue sitting on the bottom.
Getting closer to it, one of them began realizing that this shipwreck was ancient and not yet found by archaeologists. How did this statue end up there?
A Closer Look
This should come as no surprise, but the two divers started looking around for more artifacts after they found the statue.
They started thinking that maybe an old Roman ship crashed here. To their surprise, they were right!
Old Coins
One of the divers started digging and he found a bunch of ancient coins. He couldn't believe his eyes and signaled his friend to come closer.
They were both in shock, but what they found next made their jaws drop!
Roman God
The two best friends got lucky and they found more Roman statues.
One of them was of an ancient God and this is when the divers knew that they had to call the specialists from the museum.
Giant Anchor
Everything made sense to the divers when they spotted this giant anchor.
The anchor confirms shows that a Roman cargo ship did sink in these waters and that they are the first ones to find it.
The Israel Antiquities Authority
The two divers called the Israel Antiquities Authority to come and investigate the shipwreck.
They didn't take out the artifacts from the water, but laid them close to each other near the sunken vessel. They also learned something about them and were left speechless!
Ancient Roman Items
The museum specialists told the divers that what they had found was more than 1,600 years old. Can you believe this?
They also told the divers that they could have been fined if they took out the artifacts and not leave it to the professionals! Check out the next picture with the coins out of the water.
Clear Picture
As you can see in the picture featured above, these coins are stuck together.
This is what happens when they stay underwater for more than 1,600 years. You won't believe how much these coins weigh!
Indiana Jones
The coins weigh in at 40 pounds!
The divers were in shock by what they just found and this made them feel just like Indiana Jones.
Unusual Discovery
The divers say that the most unusual thing about their discovery is that this is not the first time that they dive around that area.
In fact, they have been diving around here for years and this is the first time that they spotted the statues.
Roman Gods
These two statues represent two Roman Gods and the museum specialists announced that they will be put up for displays.
This is not something that you see every day and the specialists are thankful that the divers called them first.
Measuring Everything
The museum has sent their own team of divers in order to measure everything, including the massive anchor.
The expert divers are trying to figure out just how big was the Roman cargo ship that sunk here.
Old Statues
Everything that the divers found is more than 1,600 years old and the crazy thing about this is that the divers were just trying to have fun.
They had no idea what they would find hidden beneath the waves when they put on their suits.
Roman History
The statues and the gold coins that the divers found will historians get more knowledge about the fantastic Roman History.
Nonetheless, doesn't this story make you want to take up diving as a hobby?
Precious Artifacts
These artifacts are precious and the divers could've made a fortune by selling them on the black market.
Luckily, they decided to do the right thing instead and called the authorities.
Good Guys
We think it’s safe to say that Ran Feinstein and Ofer Raanan are good guys.
The reason why we are saying this is because they didn't think about selling the artifacts to the highest bidder, not even once.
Finding More Artifacts
The two divers said that now that they found these ancient Roman statues, they want to keep exploring the underwater world even more.
They are hoping to more old items.
Julius Caesar
This mask shows us the face of Julius Caesar which confirms the date of the statues.
Nonetheless, this is an awesome discovery, don’t you think so?