10 Strange Things Found by Deep Sea Divers

More than eighty percent of the ocean remains unexplored and unmapped, meaning there are still a lot of secrets buried out there in the deep blue sea. However, every day brings us a little bit closer to uncovering those secrets. As technology has advanced and divers have learned to dive deeper, we’ve been able to discover more about the ocean and in that process, we’ve been able to uncover some pretty interesting and unexpected things. Both naturally occurring and manmade, these items have surprised us, scared us, and fascinated us. Read on to learn more about some of the strangest things that have been found by deep-sea divers.

 

The Yonaguni Complex 

 

Located off the coast of Yonaguni, Japan’s easternmost island, lies a peculiar stone structure that has sparked debate among scholars. Known as the Yonaguni Complex, this pyramid-like formation was discovered by divers in 1986. Since then academics have been on a quest to understand what it is and what significance it holds, if any. Some scholars call it the Atlantis of Japan, believing it to be the ruins of a lost city sunk by an earthquake thousands of years ago. Others claim it is nothing more than a natural rock formation. Whatever the truth may be, it remains a mystery to this day.

 

“Icy Fingers of Death”

 

One of the last things that you’d expect to find in the middle of the ocean is an icicle surrounded by frozen marine life, but that’s exactly what divers in Antarctica discovered in the 1960s. Commonly referred to as “Icy Fingers of Death,” brinicles are rare, but naturally occurring icicles that are created when saline water escapes from cracks in sea ice. Since saline water is denser and colder than ocean water, it quickly drops to the ocean floor, freezes anything that may lay in its path – including slow-moving sea creatures such as starfish and sea urchins.

 

The Baltic Sea Anomaly

 

Deep below the Baltic Sea lies a large saucer-shaped object, 200 feet in diameter and covered in geometric markings. Discovered by a Swedish underwater exploration team in 2012, this object has sparked much debate and controversy over the years. Some say it’s evidence of aliens, others claim it’s remnants of a WWII anti-submarine bomb, while still others speculate it’s the ruins of an old building. Samples of the object were collected and studied, leading some scientists to dismiss it as nothing more than a strangely formed glacial deposit. However, the discovery team disputes those claims, leaving the true identity of this object shrouded in mystery. 

 

A Train Graveyard

 

In 1985 marine archaeologists found something peculiar beneath the ocean off the coast of New Jersey – two rare steam trains from the 1850s. It is unknown how they wound up at the bottom of the ocean, as there are no records pertaining to their existence at all – no records of them being built, lost, or stolen. It is widely believed that the trains were being transported by ship and either accidentally fell overboard or were pushed off during a storm to prevent capsizing. Either way, the trains remain below sea and have become a popular attraction for wreck divers.

 

The Lost City of Heracleion

 

Originally thought to be nothing more than a myth from Greek legends, the ancient city of Heracleion was discovered by divers in 2001 off the coast of Egypt. Dating back to the 6th century, this once important port city is believed to have been overtaken by the ocean after an earthquake struck. Since its discovery, divers have gone on to unearth a variety of important archeological finds, including temples, religious statues, Egyptian tombstones, oil lamps, gold saucers, and most recently an ancient warship. Excavation of the site is ongoing, with new discoveries and findings coming to light daily.

 

Seamonsters

 

Countless bizarre and weird creatures have been discovered by deep-sea divers throughout the years. And more are likely to surface as we learn to dive deeper and deeper. Some of the strangest creatures found to date include the goblin shark – with its particularly long snout and crooked teeth, the sea spider – an underwater spider that grows up to 10 inches in diameter, and the giant isopod – an underwater creature resembling a pill bug that can grow up to 2.5 feet long. With so much of the ocean unexplored, it raises the question – what other creatures might be lurking out there in the deep sea? 

 

America’s Stonehenge

 

You’ve probably heard of Stonehenge, the circular prehistoric monument in England, but did you know that a very similar structure exists at the bottom of Lake Michigan in the United States? While Lake Michigan certainly isn’t the ocean, the structure was still discovered by divers and remains shrouded in mystery. First spotted in 2007, the mysterious formation consists of rocks laid out in a circular arrangement. On these stones, divers have even found carvings of prehistoric creatures. This suggests that the structure is manmade, but questions remain. Who made it and why? And how is it possible that it so closely resembles the Stongehend of England, which lies thousands of miles away?

 

The Antikythera Mechanism 

 

Discovered in 1901 by divers at a shipwreck off the coast of Greece, the Antikythera Mechanism remained a mystery for decades. With the advancement of x-ray technology, scientists in the 1970s were better able to study and identify the object – which turned out to be an analog computer dating back to ancient Greece. Believed to be the earliest form of “computer” known to man, the Antikythera Mechanism works like a calendar, monitoring, mapping out, and predicting astronomical phenomena and celestial events – such as the positions and phases of the sun and moon. Today, the object is on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

 

Underwater Rivers

 

Here’s a fun fact for your next trivia night: rivers exist in the ocean! They are rare but can form when the right conditions are present. Typically they spring up in places where highly dense saltwater encounters a body of water that has a lower salt content. When this happens, the dense water sinks to the bottom of the ocean where it carves out its own river bed. One of the largest underwater rivers to be discovered was found by divers in the Black Sea in 2016. With its own waterfalls and rapids, this undersea river is up to 115 feet deep in some places. 

 

An Ancient Road

 

Located off the Bahamas lies the controversial Bimini Road. Speculated by some to be the road that leads to Atlantis, this ancient pathway consists of stones laid down in such a way that it appears to be a cobblestone road. Discovered by divers in the 1960s, this “road” has been dismissed by some scientists as nothing more than a natural rock formation. However, in 1938, years before this discovery was made, an American mythic predicted that in the 1960s a part of Atlantis would be found near the Bimini Island in the Bahamas. While it may just be a weird coincidence, many believe that this road is more than just a natural phenomenon.
























References:

 

Grunge: https://www.grunge.com/16604/real-sea-monsters-freakier-anything-syfy/

Leave a Reply