San Agustín Shipwreck Site

Sebastián Rodríguez Cermeño's Manila galleon San Agustín wrecked in Drakes Bay in 1595 and is treated by the National Park Service as the first recorded shipwreck in California history. Accounts describe the vessel losing anchor in a storm, driving ashore, and leaving cargo behind while survivors escaped south in a smaller craft. Archaeological work in the Drakes Bay district has tied sixteenth-century contact materials to this event and to the wider early-contact landscape at tamál-húye. For treasure hunters the story is compelling, but in practice this is a protected archaeological landscape rather than an open recovery site.

Open in interactive map Open source record

Record typeshipwreck

LocationDrakes Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County

Probability indexHigh

Land statusPoint Reyes National Seashore and protected coastal waters near Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (protected archaeological resource)

Research coordinates38.0119, -122.9192

SourceMaritime History at Point Reyes

Field Research Notes

Treat the whole bay-beach-estero complex as the relevant search area rather than a single point. Focus on museum collections, NPS interpretation, and storm-exposure geomorphology; do not disturb beach deposits, dunes, or submerged material. If you are reconstructing the wreck vicinity, compare historical shoreline change with present-day sand movement and exposure.

Recommended Gear

Marine chart printout, Binoculars, Tide table app

Related shipwrecks

Wreck of the Frolic shipwreck · Point Cabrillo, Mendocino County · High probability
The Frolic was a fast Baltimore clipper ship engaged in the illicit opium trade between China and California. In July 1850, carrying a cargo of Chinese silks, porcelain, and household goods, she ran aground on the.
Wreck of the SS Brother Jonathan shipwreck · Off Crescent City, Del Norte County · High probability
The SS Brother Jonathan was a luxurious paddle steamer carrying passengers and a cargo of gold coins from San Francisco to Portland. In July 1865, it struck an uncharted rock (now called Jonathan Rock) off Crescent.
Unidentified Dangerous Wreck shipwreck · California Coastal Waters · Medium probability
A charted marine wreck recorded in the NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts database (OBJECTID 545941). Classified as a dangerous wreck. Source record date: 20000708.
Unidentified Dangerous Wreck shipwreck · California Coastal Waters · Medium probability
A charted marine wreck recorded in the NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts database (OBJECTID 545942). Classified as a dangerous wreck. Source record date: 201305.
Unidentified Dangerous Wreck shipwreck · California Coastal Waters · Medium probability
A charted marine wreck recorded in the NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts database (OBJECTID 545943). Classified as a dangerous wreck. Source record date: 20000708.
Unidentified Non-Dangerous Wreck (Test) shipwreck · California Coastal Waters · Medium probability
A charted marine wreck recorded in the NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts database (OBJECTID 545944). Classified as a non-dangerous wreck (test). Source record date: 20000708.