You want real pirate history? Try Roatan, not the movies...

Pirates are all the rages these days.  From the popular Pirates of the Caribbean flicks, to every other chick being dressed up as a hot pirate this Halloween, pirates are everywhere.   But the islands off the coast of Honduras are the real deal.  The "bay islands" consist of Roatan, Utila and Guanaja but Roatan is where most the action is these days.

  

(Aaron the "blow me away" sailor being a modern day pirate in Roatan)

Back in the 1600's to the mid 1700's these islands were home to 5,000 cutthroats, buccaneers, and pirates including the infamous Blackbeard.   The island itself had a power struggle between these pirates, the English and the Spanish. 

In 1859, England relinquished control of the Bay Islands and The Republic of Honduras accepted the Bay Islands as the “Departemente de las Islas de la Bahia”, officially making the islands a part of Honduras.  But even today, pirate caves can still be found on the eastern end of the island.

(a cave on Roatan used by pirates)

 One interesting thing is that pirate gold has been uncovered on the island by snorkelers and scuba divers so this makes snorkeling even more exciting in Roatan.  Could there still be a Spanish gold piece lying on the sandy bottom, uncovered by a recent storm?  So head on down to Roatan and bring out the inner pirate in you!   Arrrrghhhhh!