it's just the mission for bob marx who started looking for this wreckage a decade ago. >> i'm convinced had the the ship capsized more or less where i said it is about a quarter of a mile where it is offshore. some parts of rigging and mass went ashore between both of my documents. the main part is laying out there in 40, 50 feet of water. what we don't know is how much sediment is on top of that. the cold water should benefit the preservation of the deck. we may find a lot of the haul. we could even find the intact haul there. >> we don't believe that objects one found to the san agustin can be separated into public hands. they are public trust no matter who's jurisdiction they may lie in. secondly, we would like to learn more about some of the technical details of his approach. >> reporter: officials are expected to rule on the permits soon. previous searches for this wreck reveal numerous possible sites. bits of porcelain known to have been on board still come ashore on the tide even today on drake's bay beaches. yet no one has been able to find the wreck although it's haul and cargo