Well Joe, take heart, Mel Fisher refused to give up, on that morning,as he usually did, he said "Today is the day." That day was the day, the found the Atocha!
His family will be wealthy forever.
The best trick I know, and I have found some neat stuff in my travels, is to look for what is there. Take a few minutes to really look at the ground and your surroundings. Then see what there is to see.
I have found fossils, mineral specimens, Indian artifacts, century old bottles, a few coins, and some gem material (and on drilling rigs, quite a bit of oil).
The trick is to not prejudice yourself, and see what there is, rather than look for one thing and end up ignoring others.
Sometimes, the treasure is in the looking, not the finding--if nothing else, the experience is pretty neat.
After Mel Fisher found the Atocha he was in Houston displaying the treasures that he had found. We went to see the display and ended up buying several coins. I wear one on a silver collar every day. I have seen a documentary on Fisher, very interesting man!