Cayman Island’s Dark Side: Exploring the Pirates’ History and Legends
Somewhere on the eastern tip of Cayman Brac, a rough trail leads to an outcrop with a small hole in the limestone — a hole that, according to local legend, might hold treasure buried by Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. That story, and the pirates who sailed these waters, form a side of the Cayman Islands that most visitors never see between beach days and snorkel trips. Around 35,000 people attend the Cayman Islands’ annual Pirates Week Festival each November. This article traces the real pirate history and legends that shaped the islands — from Blackbeard’s possible treasure