Odyssey to Preview Traveling Shipwreck Exhibit at AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo 2004

Business Wire, May 4, 2004

Entertainment Editors/Business Editors

MuseumExpo 2004

Booth #840

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2004

Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. (AMEX:OMR) a leader in the field of deep ocean shipwreck exploration, will unveil plans for the company's first traveling exhibit at the American Association of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo 2004.

Odyssey's premiere traveling exhibit will showcase the history, personal stories, artifacts, coins and images from the SS Republic shipwreck. The 6,000 to 8,000 square foot exhibit will also feature interactive elements while presenting the science and technology Odyssey utilizes to conduct deep ocean shipwreck searches and archaeological excavations. The exhibit is scheduled to be available in late fall 2004.

"It's so exciting to see the amazing artifacts that are being recovered from the SS Republic site nearly 1700 feet deep," stated George Becker, Odyssey COO, who has been spearheading attraction and exhibit development at Odyssey. "We are looking forward to sharing the excitement and adventure of the SS Republic shipwreck recovery with the public."

Odyssey will be presenting the exhibit plans to museum professionals at booth #840 at the MuseumExpo 2004 in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans during the 98th annual meeting of the American Association of Museums (AAM), May 6-10, 2004. More than 5,000 museum professionals from institutions in every state in the United States and more than 30 other countries are scheduled to attend.

The SS Republic was a sidewheel steamer lost in deep water in 1865 after battling a hurricane for two days. The ship, en-route from New York to New Orleans, was reportedly carrying $400,000 in specie (1865 face value) when it sank. The ship's fascinating history includes service in both the Confederate and Union navies during the Civil War.

Odyssey Marine Exploration discovered the shipwreck in the summer of 2003 nearly 1700 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean approximately 100 miles off the Georgia coast. Odyssey has been awarded title and ownership to the SS Republic shipwreck and cargo, including the hull, artifacts and the specie that was on board when she sank.

The search for and archaeological excavation of the SS Republic was recently featured on Dateline NBC and was also the subject of a one hour National Geographic Ultimate Explorer, "Lost Gold of the Republic." A one hour National Geographic special about the shipwreck is also scheduled to be broadcast by PBS in the fall of 2004.

Odyssey Marine Exploration is an American Stock Exchange Company (Ticker symbol: OMR) with several shipwreck projects in various stages of development throughout the world, including the SS Republic and HMS Sussex projects. Additional information about Odyssey, its projects and equipment is available at www.shipwreck.net.

The Company believes the information set forth in this Press Release may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Certain factors that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements are set forth in "Risk Factors," and "Business" in the Company's annual report on Form 10KSB for the year ended February 28, 2003, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.