Who The Dead Man On The Beach Is? What His Tattoo Means In Outer Banks Season 4?

Outer Banks season 4, part 1 saw the death of a man on the beach, who bore a unique trident tattoo. As JJ Maybank, Kiara Carrera, John B. Routledge, Sarah Cameron, Pope Heyward, and Cleo Anderson of the Pogues find themselves caught in the crossfire of yet another mystery, they are met with dangerous opposition. This season of Outer Banks sees the group’s main enemy as Lightner (Rigo Sanchez) and a group of mercenaries also after Blackbeard’s Blue Crown and the amulet, but their backstory remains unclear ahead of the second half of the season.

Each season of Outer Banks finds the working-class North Carolina Pogues in a treasure-hunting mystery. Entering season 4 riding the high of finding El Dorado and purchasing JJ’s childhood home with their newfound wealth, the group is approached by the wealthy Wes Genrette (David Jensen). Wes Genrette offers the group $50,000 to find Blackbeard’s treasure, which includes an amulet that he believes will break a family curse after his ancestor killed the late pirate. The teens find themselves tethered to the local lore of Blackbeard, and mixed up with the violent Lightner and his crew.

The Dead Man On The Beach Is Omar, One Of Lightner’s Men In Outer Banks Season 4

Lightner Is Working For A Woman Named Dalia Who He Calls Captain

JJ looking at portrait of Larissa Genrette in Outer Banks season 4

Actor David Jensen as Wes Genrette in Netflix's Outer Banks.

Chandler Groff, played by actor J. Anthony Crane, in Netflix's Outer Banks.

NFL player Bijan Robinson as one of Blackbeard's treasure hunters in Netflix's Outer Banks.

Lightner in Outer Banks season 4 episode 5

One of Lightner’s men, Omar, was the man that Deputy Shoupe finds dead in the sand on the beach during Outer Banks season 4 part 1. Omar’s killer remains at large, as viewers see that Lightner was engaged in treasure hunting and did not kill one of his own men. The Pogues of Outer Banks were on a mission to retrieve the amulet at the time the man was likely killed. JJ and Kie were then hospitalized with the bends, and with the hijinks that ensue, it is clear that a third party is the killer.

Lightner appears to be a violent mercenary working for a woman named Dalia who he refers to as “captain.” While it is abundantly clear that they are after the treasure, their exact motives are to be determined. The Pogues initially wanted to find Blackbeard’s treasure solely to retrieve the amulet for the Genrette family, but later decide to go after the whole thing when they find themselves unable to pay their property taxes when JJ loses their money in a bet.

What Omar’s Trident Tattoo Could Mean In Outer Banks

The Trident Is Historically Associated With This Sea Deity

Lightner in Outer Banks season 4 episode 3

Omar had a unique trident symbol tattoo on his arm. The trident has been historically associated with Poseidon, the Greek God of the sea (via Oxford Research Encyclopedias). Given the show’s knack for weaving symbolism and history into its mysteries, it is very likely that Lightner and his motley crew are somehow powerful on the seas and have done their research on Blackbeard.

It is possible that Lightner and his crew are a part of a secret society of hunters specified in shipwrecks.

As viewers learn throughout the show, John B.’s late father, Big John Rutledge was a former professor turned treasure hunter, who maintained a diverse network of fellow hunters and scholars who assisted him on his quests. It is possible that Lightner and his crew are a part of a secret society of hunters specified in shipwrecks. The group is the Outer Banks’ biggest mystery going into the second half of the season.

Who Killed Omar In Outer Banks Season 4?

Why Chandler Groff Is Looking Guilty

Actors J. Anthony Crane, David Jensen, and Rudy Pankow as Chandler Groff, Wes Genrette and JJ in Netflix's Outer Banks.

Omar’s killer is still at large, but Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane), Wes Genrette’s son-in-law, looks guilty. Groff lost his wife and son in a drowning accident years ago, which is connected to what Genrette believes is the family curse. Genrette’s ancestor killed the pirate Blackbeard and his wife, Elizabeth Teach, and buried the latter without her precious amulet. In the centuries following, members of the family reported being haunted by her ghost briefly before their untimely deaths.

Likely, the curse is actually some serious family drama, especially after viewers learn that JJ is Groff’s son in Outer Banks season 4 part 1’s twist ending, making him the baby previously believed to have drowned.

Claiming to have seen the ghost and believing his death is near, Genrette feels called to enlist the Pogues on their mission. Only after the Pogues locate the amulet, Wes Genrette turns up dead, and Chandler Groff is eager to sell the gothic horror house of Goat Island for a hefty real estate profit. Likely, the curse is actually some serious family drama, especially after viewers learn that JJ is Groff’s son in Outer Banks season 4 part 1’s twist ending, making him the baby previously believed to have drowned.

Groff could have had the motive to kill Omar because he wanted to reach Blackbeard’s treasure first, or because Lightner and co threatened to unveil the family secret of JJ’s parentage. Viewers will likely find out more about Omar’s killer and the Genrette family lore in Outer Banks season 4 part 2, streaming on Netflix on Nov. 7.