Over the course of American history, the Outer Banks has claimed the lives of more than 2,000 ships that endured high seas and shallow sand bars. The crew and some surfmen that tried to come to aid usually died trying to come back to shore. Bodies would wash up over the course of days leaving a grueling scene along the beaches. The name of Bodie Island is said to have come from these scenarios, but other historians say that a man named ‘Body’ or ‘Boddy’ settled the island.