Expedition Whydah — The Search Continues
On April 26, 1717, the Whydah Gally went down off the coast of Cape Cod — taking her crew, her treasure, and her secrets to the bottom. She lay undiscovered for 267 years.
In 1984, underwater explorer Barry Clifford and the Whydah Project team located the wreck site, making it the first authenticated pirate shipwreck ever discovered. It was a landmark moment in maritime archaeology — and the beginning of a search that continues to this day.
A Treasure Like No Other
Testimonies from captured pirates described a staggering haul — the plunder of 52 ships and a treasure worth 30,000 pounds sterling aboard the Whydah at the time of her sinking. The artifacts recovered near the wreck site represent cultures and regions from across the Atlantic world, offering an unmatched window into the lives of the men who sailed her — and the diverse, misunderstood society they created.
The Search Goes On
The waters off Cape Cod are unforgiving. Shifting currents, formidable tides, and unpredictable sea conditions have made the Whydah excavation one of the most challenging underwater archaeological projects ever undertaken. But decades of refinement in technique and technology have brought the team closer than ever.
Recent dive seasons have yielded hundreds of new artifacts, renewing confidence that the team is closing in on the stern section of the wreck — the area most likely to hold the greatest concentration of remaining treasure and artifacts.
Follow the Expedition
The story of the Whydah is still being written. Follow @expedition.whydah to join the adventure as the team returns to the wreck site each season — uncovering history one artifact at a time.
