As a maritime historian and shipwreck expert, Taylor's real-life adventures parallel those of his fictional counterparts. In addition to personally setting a deep-ocean depth record, his archival field research contributed to the discovery of some of the most incredible treasure shipwrecks in history, including a 110-ton trove of sunken World War II silver. He is a member of the famous Explorers Club; a former researcher for Odyssey Marine Exploration, a treasure-hunting company whose activities were featured on the Discovery Channel television show "Treasure Quest" as well as a number of spec...