Pirate Island, Île Sainte-Marie

Ile Sainte-Marie became a popular base for pirates throughout the 17th and 18th century. Legendary pirates like William Kidd, Robert Culliford, Olivier Levasseur, Henry Every, Abraham Samuel and Thomas Tew, lived in the île aux Forbans, the small islet shown here in the middle. Many of them would found a family line. Numerous vestiges of this history remain at Sainte Marie. For example, several authentic pirate vessels still lie within a few meters of the surface in the Baie des Forbans.