Hillary Schmitt could not have been more right.
"Guys, I have to tell you, it might sound crazy, but we are going to find gold today," she told them as they began their day on June 17.
It was 9:30 in the morning, on the family's annual summer treasure hunt off the Fort Pierce coast. The Schmitts found 300-year-old gold coins at the site nicknamed the "Gold Wreck."
And on Schmitt's 22nd birthday, no less.
Her brother Eric brought up a single coin at first.
"That would have made our entire season, that one Escudo (coin used as currency)," she said.
But then Eric brought up coin after coin.
"Finding gold never gets old," he said.
The big part of this find is one single coin. It's call a royal, meant for the king of Spain.
It's value -- half a million dollars.
The million dollars worth of coins and gold chains are all part of 11 Spanish ships which sank in a hurricane back in July 1715.
Since then, treasure hunters have come from far and wide to search for the bounty of gold on board and on the ocean floor for centuries.
This family teams up with the group 1715 Fleet -- Queen's Jewels LLC -- the shipwreck salvagers with the rights to operation.
"Large hoards of gold are rare and few and far between," owner Brent Brisben said.
Perhaps not for the Schmitt family. They've made significant finds in the past three summers.
It's not just about the treasure they say. It's a way to remember the 1,000 people who perished in the wrecks.
"We are able to continue their story on by bringing these artifacts up," said Eric Schwartz.
We're told the U.S. government officially owns the treasure.
Once the proper channels are followed, the salvage team and Schmitt family will split the treasure 50-50.