World’s First Dives for Pirate Shipwrecks in the Home of the Real Pirates of the Caribbean

Dives in Nassau in the Bahamas and a documentary film bring to life the pirate republic where Henry Avery, Blackbeard, Anne Bonny and Charles Vane were based.

VIRGINIA WATER, SURREY, UNITED KINGDOM, June 24, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- For the first time in history, the New Providence Pirates Expedition and Wreckwatch TV are diving in search of pirate shipwrecks this September and exploring the ruined landscape of Nassau in the Bahamas, home to the world’s deadliest pirates.

To reconstruct the pirate town and its motley crew of sea dogs, the project is also scouring historical archives, ancient maps, the modern landscape and satellite images to create the first realistic 3D digital reconstruction of the pirates of the Caribbean’s hometown at the height of its golden age (1695 to 1720). The discoveries are being filmed for a new documentary film, Mystery of the Pirate King’s Treasure.

When English pirate hunter Woodes Rogers sailed into Nassau in July 1718, he was met by 700 pirates and 40 ships burnt and sunk along the shore. All in all, New Providence’s pirates took and plundered more than 270 ships. Nassau was the most notorious and feared pirate republic on Earth.

“Pretty much everything we think we know is Hollywood smoke and mirrors,” says Dr Michael Pateman, project co-director. “Nobody’s ever dug for the truth on land or sea. So, the world makes up whatever it wants.”

Top of the most-wanted list of shipwrecks is the Fancy, flagship of Henry Avery of Plymouth in England. Avery lit the fuse and threw the grenade that started the golden age of piracy after looting a Mughal treasure ship of $149 million off India. He then sailed to Nassau in April 1696 to party and divide the booty. Avery scuttled the Fancy in Nassau’s harbor. “It’s the crown jewels of pirate ships,” says project co-director, Dr Sean Kingsley. “Pirates didn’t keep journals listing their lawlessness. What happened in Nassau stayed in Nassau. If the team wants to discover the truth, we’ll have to dive for it.”

Filmmaker and co-presenter Chris Atkins is relishing the adventure. “The Bahamas, with its crystal-clear waters, is a filmmaker’s dream. For the first time in history, viewers are going to see the places where Blackbeard and gang terrorised the Americas. Somewhere out there are the wine bottles they partied with, the tobacco pipes they smoked, the pieces of eight they lost. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with the real pirates of the Caribbean.”

Research and filming pre-production are underway. The team starts diving in the Bahamas in September. The Mystery of the Pirate King’s Treasure will be broadcast in 2026.

Sean Kingsley
Wreckwatch
+44 7967 353959
editor@wreckwatchmag.com
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Mystery of the Pirate King's Treasure