Philippe Cousteau searches for pirate treasure in Belize

July 25, 2017
by Belize Hub +

Phillipe Cousteau, the grandson of legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau, along with his wife Ashlan, will be exploring the high seas in exotic locations including Belize in search of lost loot and pirates’ treasures in the Travel Channel’s upcoming “Caribbean Pirate treasure”.

Caribbean Pirate treasure is set to air two back-to-back episodes on August 20, at 10 p.m. ET/PT and at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

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In the first episode, “St. Thomas: Legend of the Buzzard”, Philippe and Ashlan head to Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas to explore the legend of the ruthless French pirate, Jean Hamlin, his missing flagship and the treasure that may still be with it. According to the Travel Channel’s program listing, “The trail to La Trompeuse first takes Philippe and Ashlan on a dive to potential remnants of another shipwreck, the Trinity, before leading them directly to an elite group of treasure hunters who believe they have discovered La Trompeuse’s exact location. It’s a top-secret mission to get there, and Philippe and Ashlan are ready to see if the ocean floor contains the treasure they came to find.”

In the second episode, “Belize: Ship Killer, Lighthouse Reef”, Philippe heads to Belize on a mission that is not only historical but personal. Philippe’s grandfather, the world renowned explorer Jacque Cousteau, was the first person in history to dive Belize Great Blue Hole. The legendary Cousteau led an expedition to the Blue Hole in 1971 and was the first to explore the mysterious natural marvel. Cousteau effectively helped to put the Great Blue Hole on the map as one of the world’s greatest diving sites, and the UNESCO World Heritage site has been one of the main destinations driving the tourism boom in Belize.

Looking for a first hand experience of his grandfather’s quest, Philippe and Ashlan’s first stop in Belize is the Blue Hole. The couple also explore the Lighthouse Reef where merchant ships often wrecked and pirates used the reefs to their advantage to trap treasure ships and protect their booty from the law. Now, according to Travel Channel, a satellite map may reveal a hot zone for pirate treasure on the island of Long Caye.