Uninhabited island paradise home to sharks, hidden pirate gold and a notorious murder

dailystar.co.uk:

Read more: Bewildering 'underwater city' dubbed Japanese Atlantis with odd hieroglyphs on wallsIt houses the world’s largest marine protected areas and has become a hub for crucial ecological and climate change research, with more than 150 coral species, 400 species of fish, dolphins, manta rays and a large population of sharks.Over the years, the atoll has remained quiet and uninhabited, with not a great deal to do except for snorkelling and exploring the paradise.According to the legend of the atoll, there may even be treasure buried on its land.

Back in 1816, the pirate ship Esperanza crashed on the western reefs and survivors buried a fortune of gold and silver bullion.To this day nothing has ever been recovered but it remains a point of interest for treasure-hunters centuries later.During World War II, the atoll was used as a refuelling station for the US Army and around 6,000 people were stationed there.The men built runways for aircraft, levelled native forests and also left waste and military weapons strewn across the island.As a result of the men coming to the atoll, they are also likely to have brought rats along with them which hijacked the ecosystem including crab birds and native trees, it has been reported.However, the vermin was finally eradicated from the atoll in 2011 thanks to work undertaken by scientists from all over the world.The most shocking incident in the island's history was a murder, which took place in 1974 after a couple who had wanted to travel around the world found themselves on the island.Malcolm and Eleanor Graham set sail on their 37-foot yacht the ‘Sea Wind’ and planned to stay on Palmyra for a year or so before continuing their travels.