Top 10 Creepiest Things Found in the Ocean
#10: Trainwreck Under the Sea
Beginning our dive into what creepy objects await us in the abyss of the ocean, we have a locomotive graveyard located off the coast of New Jersey. Divers and archeologists discovered two rare locomotives under 90 feet of water in 1985. Making this even more strange is the fact that these ancient trains are from the 1850s! Exactly how the locomotives got there is still up for debate. Researchers believe that a storm was the cause of their disappearance when they were being transported on a barge from Boston. There are hopes to resurface and restore the two trains but as things stand, no concrete plans are in place to lift these 15 ton behemoths up from their ocean graveyard. For now, they make for quite the creepy diving landmark.
#9: A Village from the Stone Age
Top 20 Creepiest Things Found in the Ocean
The next stop on our journey under the waves takes us to an ancient Neolithic village. Submerged under the Mediterranean Sea, the New Stone Age settlement known as Atlit Yam is located off the coast of Alit, Israel. Carbon dated somewhere between 8900 and 8300 years old, this once-populated place gives off some really spooky vibes. It’s believed that a volcano that triggered a tsunami in nearby cities is what also led to the sudden desertion of the inhabitants of this society. As well, there is some research pointing to rising sea levels at the time as to the cause of Atlit Yam’s demise. Adding to its eeriness are unearthed skeletons and burial sites. Archeologists have also found piles of fish ready to trade that were quickly abandoned, making scientists believe Atlit Yam had to be abandoned quickly.
#8: Black Smoke Stacks
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For this creepy item, we will have to take a deep dive under the waters off the coast of the Galapagos Islands. Giant hydrothermal vents that spew black smoke were first discovered here in 1976. These black smokers, which can reach sizes of almost 200 feet, are found between 8200 to 9800 feet under the sea. When superheated water from below the Earth’s crust meets the cold ocean water, the ominous black smoke is formed. The superheated water can reach temperatures as high as 752 degrees Fahrenheit! These vents also host various types of sea life, such as aquatic snails, shrimp and giant tube worms, which survive off bacteria that use the minerals found within the water from the smoke clouds.
#7: Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon
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Located off the coast of Chuuk Lagoon - an area previously called Truk Atoll - is a watery graveyard littered with sunken military ships, planes, vehicles and more. That’s because this area, which is found north-east of New Guinea, was the site of Operation Hailstone, a surprise attack against the Japanese fleet during World War Two. This air and surface attack saw the sinking of over 40 ships and hundreds of other land and air vehicles. The ghost fleet now acts as a tourist attraction for many divers every year, who tell of their experience at Chuuk Lagoon by sharing stories of towering empty battleships reclaimed by coral and fish. Be warned: human remains have even been found amongst the wreckage.
#6: Great Blue Hole
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Here, we have a giant underwater sinkhole filled with… sharks! Dropping down to a gut-wrenching depth of 407 feet, the Great Blue Hole is as terrifying as it is amazing. Jacques Cousteau, the renowned French explorer, ranked The Great Blue Hole as one of the world’s top five diving destinations after making his own trip there. Divers can find various species of fish, like the midnight parrotfish, swimming around in this massive sinkhole, located off the coast of Belize. Though it’s obviously beautiful, an underwater dive into the Great Blue Hole can also be scary thanks to the presence of reef sharks, bull sharks, and hammerhead sharks, which can be seen in its crystal clear waters.
#5: The Lost City of Dwarka
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The ancient kingdom of Krishna, Dvārakā, was once located in what’s now known as modern-day Dwarka in northwest India. Legend has it that Krishna settled and administered his kingdom in this Lost City of Dwarka, which was a flourishing port city that’s believed to have been lost when it was submerged under the sea. Historical records date the ancient city all the way back to 574 A.D.. However, 20th century archeological findings of ruins featuring ancient sculptures and pottery have linked them to a city state that could have existed as early as 1500 B.C.! Picture and video footage taken from the site are absolutely breathtaking, while the very recognizable stone streets and buildings make for a simultaneously awesome and creepy experience.
#4: Spanish Galleon San José
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This story of this sunken treasure begins all the way back in 1708 off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia. The enormous Spanish galleon San José was part of a treasure fleet. Laden with gold, silver, emeralds and other gemstones collected from Spain's South American colonies, the San José was sunk in battle off the coast of Cartagena. Its specific location is now a closely guarded secret due to its estimated value of 17 billion dollars! Along with all the treasure that made its way to the bottom of the ocean, so did all but 11 of its 600-strong crew. Plans are currently being drawn up to retrieve the treasure, but many obstacles still remain.
#3: Antikythera Mechanism
Next up we have a 2000-year-old analogue computer that is shrouded in mystery. In the early 1900s, divers found a corroded, emerald green, clock-shaped mechanism at the site of an ancient Roman shipwreck off the coast of Antikythera, an island north of Crete. Believed to have been used to track the paths of the sun, moon, and the planets, the true use of the Antikythera Mechanism had left researchers baffled for many years. In 2006, CT scans of the bronze mechanism were published, giving details on what’s written on it and what’s inside of it. Researchers are still working to decipher its hidden inscriptions and make sense of many of the missing parts. The Antikythera Mechanism really goes to show how many surprises are sitting, waiting to be discovered down in the cold watery depths.
#2: Giant Mysterious Eyeball
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You're not going to believe your eyes - or should we say eye, when you see this. A single humongous eyeball, about the size of a softball, was found washed up on Pompano Beach in Florida in the early 2010s. The eyeball soon became the focus of a lot of speculation and research. At first, many thought the eyeball belonged to a large fish, like tuna or deepwater fish. After some research, it came to be believed that the eye may come from a giant squid. But a later discovery of bones around the eye, as well as more analysis, ruled out the giant squid conclusion. As of October 2012, researchers are fairly sure that the eye belonged to a massive swordfish… so Florida beachgoers beware, we guess!
#1: Zhemchug Canyon
Our journey under the waves now takes us to the Bering Sea in the Pacific Ocean. Zhemchug Canyon is an unimaginably deep hole. At 8,530 feet deep, Zhemchug is not only the deepest ocean canyon, but it’s also over 2500 feet deeper than the Grand Canyon! Home to countless deep water marine wildlife species, the submarine canyon is both the stuff of wonders and nightmares. A handful of researchers have taken submersible crafts into it, but none have yet been able to reach the bottom. Its sheer size adds numerous complications that have made its exploration a difficult task to this day. It’ll most likely take many dives into its dark depths before Zhemchug Canyon is fully explored - and who knows who or what is down there?!
