Despite the world being mostly water, the oceans of our world are largely unexplored. This means we actually have more complete maps of planet Mars than planet earth. Those vast waters are, however, slowly being explored. Every year we get more of an understanding of their depths. So it’s no surprise that every year, new mysteries are uncovered within the ocean. In this article we look at the ten most mysterious underwater discoveries, from pirate treasure to magical skulls.
10: Underwater Trains of New Jersey
Just off the coast of New Jersey, two large trains lie deep underwater. Dating to the mid 1800s, no one knows how they got there or why. It seems like an impractical way to decommission locomotives. Especially since there are only two of them. Having spent more than a century under 90 feet of water, the trains are covered in rust and barnacles. But are in surprisingly good condition. Still, with no historical records mentioning them, we may never know what happened.
9: Elongated Skulls
In southern Mexico is a mysterious flooded sink hole. The ancient Maya believed it was a gateway to the underworld, and even now locals generally fear it. Deep within this sinkhole have been found strange human remains. Dozens of elongated skulls. Judging by their appearance, it’s like a race of alien humanoids once called the cavern home. In truth some Maya would bind the heads of their children, slowly distorting the physical shape of the skull. Perhaps when they died a select few nobles had their remains thrown into the sinkhole.
8: Julia Sound
In 1999 a US government agency picked up a strange noise in the Pacific ocean. With a duration of 2 minutes and 43 seconds it was an eerie noise. When sped up it sounds like the name Julia. It’s unknown what caused the Julia sound, but it seems to have emitted from Antarctica. Some believe it was a large iceberg running aground. But that is just speculation.
7: Atlit Yam
Off the coast of Israel is a mysterious 9 thousand year old ruin. Discovered in 1984, it was once a village with all kinds of artefacts preserved by the ocean. Most interesting is a large stone circle surrounding what looks like a well. The deep hole is thought to have been the site of some kind of ritual. Perhaps it’s water was believed to have healing properties. Or maybe it was a burial pit. Either way it creeps me out.
6: Black Swan Project Treasure
In 2007 something strange happened. In secret, a treasure hunting company discovered a shipwreck full of gold. Recovering it in total secrecy, it was only uncovered when they fled 17 tons of treasure to Florida. Mostly gold and silver coins it was worth an estimated 500 billion dollars. Thanks to the secrecy, the identity of the shipwreck is unknown. But most believe it was a Spanish ship that sank in 1804. Sued by the gold-hungry Spanish government, the company was forced to return the loot. But only after a supreme court ruling.
5: Two Missing Cars
In 2013 two cars were found submerged in a remote Oklahoma lake. Having been there for 5 decades, each was linked to an unsolved cold case. But strangely, they were two unrelated cases. One car disappeared in 1969 and found to contain 3 corpses. The other also had 3 corpses and disappeared in 1970. The corpses were soon identified and both cases ruled accidental. Still, it’s a very strange coincidence. Especially since they occurred within less than a year. Unlike the other underwater discoveries, there is a clear explanation to this, and luckily the connected cold cases have now been solved.
4: An Underwater River
Believe it or not underwater rivers are a real thing. Little is known about them but many rivers flow deep in the ocean. One of the largest is in the Black Sea. It is caused by salty water moving in from the ocean. This is unable to mix into the less salty Black sea water, resulting in a separate channel of water deep below. It is easily among the more beautiful underwater discoveries. As far as rivers go this one is monstrous. If it was above ground it would be considered the 6th largest river on earth. But until 2010 no one knew it existed.
3: Apollo 11 Engines
Apollo 11 was the space flight that first put man on the moon. As planned, several of it’s engines broke off and fell back to earth. But ever since, no one knew exactly where they landed. Then in 2012 they were found on the Atlantic sea floor, having been there for over 40 years. To me space engines are worthless and dumb. But Jeff Bezos disagrees. He financed their recovery 11 months later.
2: Underwater Forest
In remote Kazakhstan there is an underwater forest. It is a place that should not exist. But in 1911 a nearby earthquake caused a natural dam to form, which in turn flooded the area. Now a 400 meter long lake remains there. Many trees reach out of the water, appearing stripped of any actual vegetation. But below the surface they look much more tree like. To be honest that’s the opposite of what I’d expect. So that’s weird.
1: Underwater Crop Circles
One of the strangest underwater discoveries was made in 1995. Since that year, strange circular structures have been found in the waters of Japan. They were deep in the ocean and had no clear cause of origin. Coming to be known as underwater crop circles, all kinds of theories were expounded. Some claimed it was proof aliens have visited earth. But no. In reality they are created by puffer fish. Male puffer fish actually build them to attract a mate, with a more well built circle increasing their chances.