‘Jurassic Park island’ guarded by killer sharks is home to fabled pirate horde

You might think there's nothing more terrifying than being caught up in the plot of Jurassic Park, dodging raptors and hiding from a T-Rex.

But in reality, the actual island which inspired the hit movies is just as scary, considered too dangerous for tourists to visit and guarded by legions of man-eating killer sharks.

The book which Jurassic Park is based upon was inspired by a remote and deadly island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

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To this day, only a small number of people are allowed to visit Cocos Island, 340 miles off the coast of Costa Rica, under strict safety conditions.

It is not because there are dinosaurs roaming around, but because alongside the army of sharks patrolling the water, the land itself is a dense, tropical rainforest with more than 400 species of insects on it.

But the main reason why Cocos Island is out of bounds is because a billion-dollar treasure hoard has supposedly been buried there for the last 200 years.

Never mind marauding dinosaurs, the story of the Treasure of Lima is so fascinating and intriguing, it could be a movie in its own right.

According to legend, in 1820 a huge haul of treasure was moved from the Peruvian capital of Lima to evade Spanish conquerors.

The treasure trove is said to contain hundreds of silver coins, diamonds, and a gold life-sized Virgin Mary statue.

A British sea captain, William Thompson, and his boat, Mary Dear, were tasked with guarding the haul and ensuring its safe passage to Mexico.

However, Captain Thompson turned out to be not as trustworthy as the Peruvians thought and he and his officers murdered all the Spanish soldiers and priests on board and then stopped en route to hide the treasure on Cocos Island.

Captain Thompson and his crew were eventually captured and tried for their crimes and in return for leniency, agreed to return to Cocos and show the Spaniards where they had buried the treasure.

But once on the island they escaped – and to this day the treasure has never been found.

The Treasure of Lima is rumoured to not be the only valuable hoard buried on Cocos. Other gold, silver and gems worth millions of dollars are also said to have been hidden there by German and English pirates in the early 19th century.

Unsurprisingly, given these tales, over the years Cocos has become a magnet for treasure hunters, with explorers conducting more than 500 expeditions on the island, but with no success.

The Costa Rican government finally banned entry to the island and it has now been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, meaning access is even more restricted and controlled than before.

But this hasn't stopped Cocos inspiring a whole host of stories – from Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park novel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.

The only people now allowed on Cocos are the rangers who are there to observe and study the wildlife and their visits are strictly regulated.

Divers are also loathed to take a chance and visit the island as it is surrounded by tiger and hammerhead sharks – which would make any diving expedition life-threatening.

But does the treasure actually exist? Many researchers claim the entire story is just one big fabricated pirates' tale, while others claim the treasure was located decades ago and there's now nothing left.

One expert, author Genna Marie Davis, from the adventure diving company Undersea Hunter Group, told Forbes magazine she was sceptical but keeping an open mind.

"It's tricky writing about Cocos Island treasures because there is so much hearsay, lore and conflicting information all tangled up that it's difficult to discern the truth," she said.

“The stories are very fun, but you have to take them with a grain of salt. There was even a lot of misinformation purposefully spread by treasure hunters trying to throw other treasure hunters off the track."

But one clue is a carving left on a tree on the island which suggests the treasure may be long gone. It simply reads: “The bird has flown.”

Make of that what you will.

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