The Craziest Photos Taken From Under The Sea

1. The Apollo 11 engine

Image Source / NY TimesThe engines from the Saturn V rocket (the one that launched Neil Armstrong into space for the 1st moonwalk) were found off the coast of Florida, 43 years after the ‘giant leap for mankind’. Incredible! What makes this even cooler is the person who found them - none other than Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO. Being a total science geek, he funded the project to find the engines, what an outcome!

2. The Mariana Trench

Image Source / Live ScienceI’m sure most of us could name the highest point on the earth (Mt Everest), but would you know the deepest? May I reveal, The Mariana Trench! It goes up to 6.8 miles down which, for perspective, is 5X longer than the Grand Canyon. Canadian film director James Cameron actually reached the bottom of this eye-wateringly deep hole in 2012 in his submersible vessel ‘Deepsea Challenger’.

3. Whale vomit

Image Source / TechnabobYou’d be forgiven for thinking that this white lump was just any old rock but how wrong you would be! Whale vomit aka ‘floating gold’ is a dream discovery. Known scientifically as Ambergris, this hardened deposit is in high demand as it’s used in, wait for it, perfume! One lucky dog walker in Lancashire, England, found a piece that was worth a whopping $120,000.

4. New Jersey's train graveyard

Image Source / PinterestThere are 2, incredibly well-preserved steam trains off the coast of New Jersey. Both from the 1850s, it remains a mystery how they got there. One idea is that the trains were being transported across the ocean when a storm hit, forcing the crew to abandon them overboard in order to save themselves. What a journey that must have been!

5. The undersea river in The Black Sea

Image Source / Marine InsightHow crazy is this? In 2016, researchers examining the Black Sea spotted something amazing - currents of water flowing along the seabed. It’s hard to get your head around this phenomena but yes, there’s a river flowing in the sea. And it’s no ordinary river, it’s 115ft deep and even has its own waterfall! On land, it would rank as the 6th river in the whole world for the amount of water that flows down its channels. Crazy.

6. Deformed skulls in a Mexican sinkhole

Image Source / History A2ZIn 2012, a diving team made a terrifying discovery in Mexico. Inside ‘Sac Uayum’ (an underwater sinkhole), multiple human bones were found, including, terrifyingly, deformed skulls. The skulls were flattened at the top, causing a total change to what would have been their natural appearance. The cause? These skulls belonged to people living thousands of years ago, in ancient Maya. They would have been part of a human sacrifice where their heads were flattened as part of the ceremony. Omg!

7. Blackbeard’s cannon

Image Source / NatGeoThere are few pirates as notorious as Blackbeard who got his name from the freaky habit of setting his facial hair on fire to distract and scare his opponents! You can imagine why archaeologists were excited when they discovered his 300 year old cannon off the coast of North Carolina. It’s totally covered in barnacles but still, it’s pretty cool!

8. Shark attack

Image Source / NY PostSome brave (aka crazy!) people choose to dive with sharks. In this nail-biting, underwater experience, you wear diving gear and are placed in a cage to protect you from the curious creatures who circle the cage. Or so that’s what’s meant to happen… In this terrifying image you can see a shark that has managed to burst through the bars of the metal cage, getting within biting distance of the divers inside.

9. The mystery Yonaguni Complex in Japan

Image Source / PinterestThis magical looking pyramid structure was discovered by a diver in 1985. Imagine his face! It does make you wonder what else there is in the sea yet to be discovered. Anyway, the impressive monument has caused debates among scientists... Whilst many agree it’s the ruins of a Japanese Atlantis that was plunged into the water following an earthquake, others argue it’s a naturally made rock formation, similar to those found in other parts of the world. What do you think?

10. The Baltic Sea anomaly

Image Source / Sport DiverCalling all conspiracy theorists - this one's for you. The ‘Baltic Sea Anomaly’ is seriously weird. Discovered by a team of Swedish divers, the bizarre looking object was originally thought to be a glacial deposit but the divers remain unsure. I’m not usually one for believing in extraterrestrial life but seriously, that looks like a UFO…

11. The ‘Ice Finger of Death’

Image Source / Earthly MissionDeep oceans freak me out enough as it is but the ‘Ice Finger of Death’..! Sorry, what? That sounds terrifying! Panic not - these spirals are a natural phenomena. When sea ice cracks, saline water can leak out. It’s denser than the water around it so it doesn’t rise up, creating an icy funnel. The creepiest bit - any sea creatures that come into contact with these ‘brinicles’ are caught up in its icy trap. Eek!

12. Bioluminescence

Image Source / InsideHookSome creatures have a seriously cool skill - bioluminescence. That’s the ability to emit light due to a reaction of chemicals in their body. When enough of these creatures gather in close proximity, the outcome is pretty magnificent. An iridescent glow of magical blues and whites.

13. The Great Blue Hole

Image Source / Belize AdventureLocated near to Belize, in Central America, the Great Blue Hole is an ocean sinkhole over 100m deep. Due to the difference in depths of the hole and the surrounding water, it appears as a mysterious, dark blue circle compared to the lighter waters nearby.

14. Lamprey - toothed sucker

Image Source / High Country NewsI hope you don’t suffer from nightmares because if you do, scroll past now! Lamprey are a type of long, parasitic fish with a sucker-like mouth. To the untrained eye, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were plastic pipes abandoned at the bottom of the sea but oh no, these creatures are much more sinister. In fact, they’re recorded as an invasive species after destroying trout fisheries in the Great Lakes.

15. WW2 fighter plane

Image Source / The GuardianOff the Welsh coast lies something pretty spectacular - a US fighter plane from WW2. Only partially submerged in the water, the wreck makes for some stunning aerial photographs. Interestingly, when the plane came down in 1942 the pilot survived but it was over 60 years until the plane eventually washed ashore. The exact location of the plane is a well-guarded secret to keep it as intact as possible.

16. The underwater city of Dwarka

Image Source / YoutubeLocated in India, this underwater city looks like something from a sci-fi film. Amazingly though, it’s all real! It’s located off the northwest coast of India and is believed to be over 9,000 years old. Considering Indian civilization is only 4,000 years old you can see why people consider it a seriously sacred place. Complete with pillars, steps and even statues, the underwater metropolis is absolutely incredible.

17. The Silfra Crack

Image Source / ViatorHands up if you remember learning about tectonic plates? For those who don’t - the earth's crust is divided into ginormous pieces of rock that rub up against each other. Where these plates meet there can be terrifyingly huge chasms, many km deep. That’s exactly what the Silfra Crack is - an underwater paradise in Iceland where the North American and Eurasian plates meet. Drifting 2cm further apart every year, this is a hot spot for divers who claim the water is some of the clearest in the whole world, wow.

18. The world’s oldest shipwreck

Image Source / BBCOff of the Bulgarian coast in The Black Sea, you will find the world’s oldest intact shipwreck! It’s estimated to be 2,400 years old, making it a relic from the ancient Greek era. Measuring in at 23 meters, the amazing ship still has its mast, rowing benches and rudders intact thanks to the lack of oxygen at the depths of the sea.

19. Underwater volcano

Image Source / Geology InIt’s hard to imagine fire and water coexisting but that’s exactly what happens at the site of underwater volcanoes. At these extraordinary spots, magma bursts through the earth’s crust creating rivers of molten rock and dark clouds of underwater smoke. Only professionally trained and equipped divers can get close as the surrounding temperature can reach 370 degrees Celsius (700 °F) and higher!

20. Lake Michigan’s stone circle

Image Source / PinterestEngland’s Stonehenge is one of the most famous neolithic constructions in the world, with tourists coming from all over the world to see the strangely arranged structure. But did you know that Stonehenge has a rival in Lake Michigan? In 2007, an odd collection of stones were found 40ft under and arranged in a circle… What’s more, one stone has an engraving on a mastodon, an elephant-like creature that went extinct around 10,000 years ago. Incredible!

21. An ancient Greek computer

Image Source / VoxThose ancient Greeks were certainly pioneers but building a computer, now that is impressive. Discovered underwater in 1901, it wasn’t for another 100 years until scientists worked out what the bizarre ‘Antikythera Mechanism’ was. As it turns out, it’s an ancient Greek analogue computer. X-ray technology has revealed the incredible workings of this early machine which mapped both the solar and lunar calendars and even had a countdown function to the next Olympic games!

22. Vampire squid

Image Source / Daily MailThe scientific name for this underwater monster is Vampyroteuthis infernalis, which translates to “The vampire squid from hell” um ok… This beast has tentacles which are connected by a membrane that, in true underwater villain style, can be folded up like a cape! If that wasn’t enough, the tentacles are lined with spikes.

23. Spooky underwater sculpture

Image Source / underwatersculpture.comArtist Jason deCaires Taylor created this magnificent underwater sculpture off the coast of Grenada in the Caribbean. The statues are based on real people and can be seen forming a circle and holding hands whilst peering out ominously into the nothingness of the ocean. A work of art or the stuff of nightmares, what do you think?

24. $180 million of lost silver

Image Source / Yahoo News SingaporeThe SS Gairsoppa cargo ship was discovered off the coast of Ireland in 2011. It was on its way home from India but sank after being torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1941. When the insides of the ship were examined few could imagine the amazing treasure that lay inside - more than 200 tonnes of silver, worth over $180 million! The photo shows a mechanical claw collecting one of the hundreds of silver bricks.

25. Siberia’s snowballs

Image Source / BBCAdmittedly, this one is on the shore but it’s too incredible not to mention. Villagers near the Gulf of Ob in Siberia had a shock when they found hundreds of ginormous snowballs at the water’s edge. Covering an 11 mile stretch of beach, these snowballs came in all sizes - the smallest around the size of a tennis ball to the biggest which was a whopping 3-feet in diameter! They’re a rare occurrence, sculpted by the perfect combination of tidal patterns and wind.

26. The ‘ghost fleet’

Image Source / YoutubeThe ‘Chuuk Lagoon’ is located in the Southern Pacific Ocean and has become freakishly known as an underwater graveyard due to the sheer number of sunken planes there. They are Japanese Army planes from WW2 and it’s in that exact spot that so many were shot down. Rumor has it that pilot remains are amongst the wreckage and this photo would appear to prove it...

27. 'Doggerland'

Image Source / Washington PostThe British Isles is exactly that, an island. So it’s pretty amazing to think that thousands of years ago a stretch of land existed connecting it with mainland Europe. The mass, known as ‘Doggerland’ is thought to have sunk into the Atlantic around 8500 years ago. Before then, it would have been used by hunter-gatherers and mammoths traveling between the two regions.

28. The sunken statues of Thonis-Heracleion

Image Source / Artnet NewsThis magical photo shows one of the sunken statues near the city of Alexandria, Egypt. Before their discovery, the city of ‘Thonis-Heracleion’ was thought to have been a myth but these underwater beauties suggest otherwise. The city was claimed to be very prosperous during the 7th and 8th centuries and is thought to have succumbed to natural disaster, sending it underwater.

29. The Titanic

Image Source / RedditEveryone knows the famous story of the ship struck by ice on her maiden voyage, sending the majority of its passengers to their death. The fame of the Titanic makes photos of it particularly alluring. Take this one for instance, which shows rows of perfectly preserved plates lying on the ocean floor. It’s pretty eerie to think of the meals that were never served on them.

30. The beauty of the coral reef

Image Source / MediumWhen we think of oceans, it’s easy to think of nothing other than a vast expanse of blue, with a few fish thrown in for good measure. What we forget though, is how colorful and magical some places underwater truly are. And there are few places as beautiful as the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia.  Fish of every color imaginable mingle with equally magical looking corals - it’s truly a sight to behold.

31. Crop Circle

source: Reddit

The underwater crop circle sparked some serious debate and superstition as all kinds of different theories emerged amount how such a perfectly formed circle shape had been created in the sane. Scientists then discovered that it had been created by pufferfish during their performances to try and attract a mate. They measure a perfect circle or around 6 feet.

32. The Smoking Sea

Image source: Reddit

This phenomena is often referred to as sea steam or smoke and it happens when the cold and the warm air meet and it forms a kind of fog which hovers over the surface of the water to create an amazing kind of illusion that the water is steaming. This photo was taken at dusk and the photographer had been waiting several weeks to witness this occurrence.

33. Maelstrom

Image source: Reddit

This is a maelstrom which is essentially a kind of whirlwind in the water. They are highly dangerous as they can suck anything in the surrounding area into the maelstrom and engulf it in within its strong spin and current. The photographer happen to be in the area at the time and managed to witness this natural spectacle. Maelstrom's happen out in the ocean and can vary in size from small to vast.

34. Sky meets the sea

Image source: Reddit

This photo captured the beauty of the sand, the ocean and the sky. The photographer had positioned himself at this very point for weeks on end, waiting for the right time where all three of the elements could be seen in unity with one another. The textures and colours and the way all three merge together have been captured to intentionally portray nature's harmony.

35. Light beam

Image source: Reddit

This photo was capture in Alexandre St Jean, Mexico. The diver was far out n the middle of the ocean, diving at extreme depths. The sun cast its rays and pierced a light beam through the darkness of the ocean. The photograph caught the moment that the diver swam into the light and the photo was intended to show the relationship between human and nature.

36. Dancing Jellyfish

Image source: Reddit

This particular jellyfish was photographed in the oceans of Taiwan. Jellyfish are such a mysterious and beautiful creature and the photo captures the color, and the way this jellyfish actually produces its own light source. This particular kind of jellyfish is very rare and it was discovered in the depths of the ocean, not close to any other marine life.

37. The huge snailfish

Image source: Reddit

Snail fish are liparids and they are part of a small group of fascinating deep sea fish. They can be found in oceans all around the world and they live in the most uninhabited parts of the ocean, where it is coldest and darkest. They often exceed depths of around 6,000 metres. They are rarely seen due to their existence in places where humans can rarely go.

38. Coral sponge

Image source: Reddit

Coral sponges are a a kind of marine organism that are often part of a larger coral reef system. They come in a range of vibrant range of colors and they are a magnificent natural organism which are very rare to be found. They have a hard, stony structure and they are massively important to the entire reef system as they help the coral and marine life build.

39. The baby whale

Image source: Reddit

This humpback whale was discovered in the Western Indian Ocean. Initially the photographer thought that it was alone, and it soon became apparent that her mother was swimming below her around 15 metres below. Whales are often described as the gentle giants of the ocean due to their seemingly significant and peaceful bond with humans. Humpbacks can grow to a huge size, weighing around 40 tons or more.

40. The furry shrimp

Image source: Reddit

The hairy or furry shrimp is also knows as a kind of coral or boxer shrimp, belonging to the Hippolytidae family. They are found in tropical waters and have a characteristic covering or red/ coral colored hair. They are as most shrimp are, bottom feeders, but they also feed on tiny fish and small invertebrate. They play a vital role in our ecosystems and they are rare to find!

41. Soft growing coral

Image source: Reddit

Soft corals are scientifically referred to as Alcyonacea. Most corals have a hard surface and so they are unusual in the fact that they have soft, fleshy skin. This one in particular was photographed as it was found growing on a mangrove root. It showed that the ocean life had a resilience and an adaptability to grow in the places that we think are the least likely.

42. A host of hammerhead sharks

Image source: Reddit

There's something about this photo that captures an eerie essence, not only because there are a school of hammerhead sharks in the distance, but also because the photographer has cleverly captured a scene where the light illuminates the shadows in a dramatic way. These kinds of sharks are characterized by their unique appearance and distinctly shaped head.

43. Smiling Crocodile

Image source: Reddit

Seeing a crocodile inevitably stirs some kind of fear inside of us, but there's something particularly disconcerting about the way the photo has captured the crocodile looking as though it is smiling. Crocodiles can live p to 50 years in the wild. However they are suffering from poaching and climate change and are becoming more of an endangered species.

44. The triple stingray image

Image source: Reddit

At first glance you may think that there are two stingray here floating one above the other, with a shadow cast below. But actually the top stingray is the reflection of the stingray captures on the surface of the water, whilst the shadow of the stingray is directly below. It creates a very clever illusion of the triple stingray. Stingrays have venomous spines but aren't usually a threat to humans.

45. The bridge of fish

Image source: Reddit

A diver in Indonesia discovered this school of baitfish. The school were collected over a coral reef and they were forming a bridge like structure which is amazing to witness. The acropora coral and the reef fish local the region almost blend into one, showing the connection between all marine organism and marine life! There are thousands and thousands of tiny fish here.

46. The Courting Devil Ray Ballet

Image source: Reddit

This amazing photo from inside the ocean caught the courtship of thee spine tail devil rays. Devil Rays are a rare kind of ray, and they are known for the way they perform moves under the water as we can see here. The courtship occurs when the Devil Rays perform for one another in a bid for attention to win the mate. They feed on plankton and small fish from the bottom of the ocean.

47. Sunrays and sealions

Image source: Reddit

This photo was taken by Tyler Schiffman. Sunlight in water is always a beautiful natural occurrence. But this photograph also captured the moment a sea lion reared its head from behind a reef at the very same moment. Sea lions can often be found in a rocky shoreline, or a sandy beach or island. They are usually closer to the shore rather than deep into he ocean as they need to rest on a rock formation.

48. The Curious Turtle

Image source: Reddit

Turtles have become one of the most endearing kinds of sea creatures and this photograph makes them look even more adorable. Turtles are ancient reptiles and they have been around for about 200 million years. They are known for leading very long lives and they can even survive over a decade in some cases! Turtles are mainly herbivores, living off sea plants.

49. Schools of sharks and fish

Image source: Reddit

This photograph captures the amazing moment that a shark was surrounded by fish, heading straight into a formation of fish. The school of fish is so huge and close together that it almost looks as though the shark is heading straight toward a solid wall. It's a collision of species within the ocean, predator, and prey, however here the prey look more overwhelming.

50. Paddleboarders over the shallow reefs

Image source: Reddit

Here paddleboarders and sailing over the coral reefs. The coral reef's vivid colors and the light of the late sun have created an illusion where the water is so clear that it looks as though the paddleboarders are stood directly on solid ground. The paddleboarders look like they are perched right on top of the coral reef, rather than the coral reef being submerged in water.