A Day at Caja de Muerto Island, Puerto Rico

Off the southern coast of Puerto Rico, morning fog enshrouds an uninhabited island paradise with an eerie, swashbuckling past: Caja de Muertos, or Coffin Island. Once a pirates dwelling place, how did this present-day nature reserve gain such a morbid moniker? Locals allege a ghostly story that occurred during Puerto Rico's age of piracy. According to locals, Portuguese pirate Jose Almeida inhabited Coffin Island where he mourned the loss of his Basque wife. After she was killed by a stray bullet, he buried her in a glass coffin in a cave with the rest of his treasures. Years later, after his execution at El Morro in San Juan, the treasure and coffin disappeared. Today, the island remains a natural reserve where travelers can hike to the cave, kayak around the island, and snorkel along its pristine beaches.