How did Captain Martin Bayerle lose an eye? Billion Dollar Wreck star explains eyepatch origin

The mystery of Martin Bayerle’s eye might be the one Billion Dollar Wreck question we haven’t yet answered. So far, we’ve rebutted claims that Billion Dollar Wreck is fake, studied the likely value of the RMS Republic’s sunken cargo, and looked in-depth at the manslaughter charges for which Captain Bayerle spent several years in prison. But we came up short on the eye question until now–thanks to the Captain himself.

Captain Bayerle, who regularly answers viewer questions on his Facebook page, was doing just that in response to a general Billion Dollar Wreck query about the likelihood and difficulty of treasure recovery. In the middle of that, a fan asked (respectfully, it’s worth noting) how Martin Bayerle’s eye patch came to be. (Devoteés of Billion Dollar Wreck will recall the scene in the Season 1 finale when we see Martin without the patch.) Here’s the answer:

I lost my eye at the age of 11 in a fireworks accident. So, it is completely blind and does at times pose a distraction. People focus on it, since it is not quite right. I wear the patch to reduce the distraction to others, so they can focus – and not have to determine that something isn’t quite right. Make lemonade out of lemons, so to speak. And it fits right in to what I do. Of course I don’t wear it when I sleep, so when suddenly woken up, it was left in my cabin.

So, there you have it! And, on a somewhat related note, we were surprised to discover that last week marked Captain Bayerle’s 65th birthday! A belated Happy Birthday to the intrepid treasure hunter; hopefully, History will see it fit to mark the occasion with a Billion Dollar Wreck Season 2 renewal 😉

RELATED ARTICLES: Is the treasure on Billion Dollar Wreck really worth that much?

Billion Dollar Wreck: Martin Bayerle manslaughter charges explained

Did Billion Dollar Wreck find the treasure? Season 2 speculation begins

(Photo credits: Martin Bayerle’s eye via Facebook)