Randy Pekarik's quest for a Spanish piece of eight hidden on board the USNS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg started long before he hit the water Saturday.

Pekarik, a dive master with Subtropic Dive Center, found the prized silver coin from the 1622 shipwreck of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha during his second dive on the Vandenberg Saturday. That discovery came after more than a year of regularly reading clues posted by Mel Fisher treasure salver Pat Clyne on his online blog.

Clyne placed the coin and posted about one clue a month as a promotion to draw divers to the Vandenberg shortly after it was sunk as an artificial reef off Key West in May 2009. The coin, from the cargo of the Spanish ship that sank off Key West during a hurricane nearly four centuries ago, is estimated to be worth about $2,400.

Pekarik is familiar with the Vandenberg, having logged more than 300 dives on the 520-foot ship. He was one of a team of clearance divers that made sure it was safe after it was scuttled, and he regularly instructs divers on the popular site.

His last 30 dives on the Vandenberg have been dedicated solely to finding the coin, Pekarik said.

"I really wanted to find it," he said. "I wanted to solve these clues. It gave purpose to my dives. ... I must have swam past it at least 50 times. I have to thank my wife, who kept encouraging me to look for it."

Clyne's last clue mentioned a warning sign about asbestos. That clue allowed Pekarik to narrow his search to a small cabin on one of the lower decks, in roughly 90 feet of water. On his first dive Saturday, Pekarik was unable to locate the coin, which was placed in a small black plastic box. On the second dive, however, it took him only minutes to find it. The box was hidden behind some pipes on a ledge near the asbestos warning sign.

"It was unbelievably exciting," Pekarik said.

Pekarik said he has been a fan of the Mel Fisher treasure salvage team since he read about its exploits while he was in high school outside of Chicago.

The Fisher family received international press attention in 1985, when Mel Fisher's divers discovered the Nuestra Señora de Atocha's main pile of treasure. The cargo included an estimated $400 million in gold and silver bars, coins, emeralds and other artifacts.

tohara@keysnews.com