The original concept for the Black Dragon pirate ship arose in 2006 with Bob Tyler Jr., one of the three operating partners of Osprey Fishing Trips, a sport fishing operation. He proposed to the other two partners, Phil Calo and Bob Tyler Sr, that they consider combining the established popularity of theme parks with the magnetism and romance of piracy, which was undergoing a great resurgence of interest at the time. After consultation, Dave Friedman, owner of the Pirate’s Landing of Port Isabel, Tx, agreed with enthusiasm to provide the dockage and shore facilities necessary for the project to go forward. Thus Texas Pirate Adventures was born.

Calo and the Tylers have a combined 94 years experience in various aspects of the marine hospitality industry, while Friedman counts some 27 years in restaurant management and related waterfront activities.

The objective is pretty simple. We want to provide an authentic reproduction of a 17th century pirate galleon coupled with today’s advanced entertainment technology. Add to that an experienced and professional troupe of pirates, 4 restaurants, shopping, dolphin watches, fishing, a marine biology center, museum, and the historic Port Isabel lighthouse, and we expect to have one of the premier pageants in the state of Texas.

At some future date, should the opportunity present itself, we would hope to “take our show on the road”, and develop similar attractions in other Texas coastal cities. In the meantime, come see us and tell us how we can improve our venture.