A Florida family of avid treasure hunters has discovered more than $100,000 worth of treasures while searching sunken Spanish ships.

Rick, Eric, Lisa, Hillary and Lindsay Schmitt found gold chains, rings and a rare religious artifact at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean last month. The ships were ripped apart by a hurricane off of Florida’s east coast in 1715.

This family of professional salvage divers has run their treasure scavenging business for 17 years, and have made many remarkable discoveries.

“You just never stop being excited,” Rick Schmitt told NBC News of their love of hunting for treasure. “It’s not just the gold -- it’s the whole history of the whole thing.”

“Some of us are born with a little pirate in our blood,” Lindsay Schmitt commented.

By Um Yoon-sun (uys@heraldcorp.com)