These 8 unsolved ocean mysteries will make you want to move to a landlocked state
“The sea was angry that day, my friends — like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli!” echo the immortal words of Seinfeld’s George Costanza before he launched into an exaggerated story about saving a whale. Although ol’ Georgie was fraudulently purporting to be a marine biologist at the time, he was at least telling the truth about one thing: The world’s oceans can be quite frightening and unforgiving. And the scariest part about them might not be the things we do know, but the things we don’t.
After all, it’s estimated that two-thirds of all sea life still completely eludes scientists, which is understandable considering 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with ocean that contains about 320 million cubic miles of water at an average depth of over 12,000 feet.
Feel small yet? You should, because not only is the ocean infamous for swallowing up people, it has also claimed a countless number of planes, ships, and even entire cities and civilizations.
I used to make fun of my fiancée for being wary of the ocean and the mysteries it contains, but after writing this article about eight of the biggest unexplainable aquatic inscrutabilities, I finally understand.
By the way, on a completely unrelated note, I think we’re moving to Nebraska tomorrow.
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Kay II
Although you’ve likely heard numerous stories about lost ships or ghost ships, it’s easy to take comfort in the fact that the mysterious occurrences took place decades or even centuries ago. Not so with the Kaz II, a 32-foot catamaran that was found drifting 88 miles of the northeastern coast of Australia on April 20, 2007 — with no trace of its experienced three-member crew. What hints did investigators find? Perhaps signs of a scuffle? Evidence of a third-party intervention? Damage from a squall or storm? Nope. Nothing. Not only was the ship still in fine, seaworthy condition, but the engine was still running, the men’s lifejackets were safely stowed away, their laundry and fishing lines were laid out, a laptop was set up and turned on, and food and flatware was still neatly placed on the kitchen table.
Lost Islands
We’re all familiar with the story of Atlantis: an ancient island that allegedly sank a few thousand years ago. Most historians agree that Atlantis likely never existed, but don’t let that lull you in believing similar situations can’t occur. In fact, they already have. The islet of Bermeja was mapped as lying off the north coast of the Yucatán peninsula from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries, yet during extensive mapping efforts undertaken just prior to the new millennium, it was nowhere to be found. Explanations range from cartographical errors (which would be odd, considering how often it was included in maps), to shifts in the geography of the ocean floor, to rising sea levels, and even conspiracy theories claiming that the CIA destroyed the island in order to expand the economic zone allotted to the U.S. Elsewhere, a previously undiscovered underwater island was found in the Aegean Sea near the small Greek island of Delos in 2014, which included numerous buildings and even a pottery workshop containing 16 terracotta pots and the remains of a kiln embedded in the sea floor. In Japan, divers discovered what they believed to be an ancient underwater site in 1987 (named the “Yonaguni Monument”), complete with pillars, pyramids, castles, and even a stadium. Although some think this site holds remnants of the lost continent and civilization of Mu, many scientists alternately believe it to simply be a natural formation, citing the fact that sandstone tends to fracture and leave both horizontal and vertical flat surfaces.
The Bermuda Triangle
Take a map and draw a straight line from Bermuda to San Juan, Puerto Rico, another from San Juan to Miami, and a third from Miami to Bermuda. The area within this newly formed shape is known as the Bermuda Triangle, and it contains some of the biggest mysteries in recorded history. Basically, think of the area as the place where people and things (like planes and ships) go to disappear. The explanations for these mysteries vary, but here’s a short list of just some of the permanent aircraft disappearances, the year, and the passengers/crew lost: ERCoupe F01 (1965, 2 pax), USAF C-119 Flying Boxcar (1965, 10 pax), USAF KB-50 (1962, 9 pax), G-ACRE Star Ariel (1949, 20 pax), Douglas DC-3 (1948, 39 pax), Avro Tudor G-AHNP Star Tiger (1948, 31 pax), and five TBF Avengers (1945, 14 pax total). Oddly, a PBM Mariner with 13 airmen was also lost while searching for the missing Avengers. Oh yeah, and about 10 ships have been lost at sea in the Triangle, along with their 750 crew members and passengers. But, by all means, enjoy your next trip to Bermuda.
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