20 Incredible Underwater Discoveries

The ocean is incredibly mysterious by nature. However, many mysterious objects and sometimes cities have been found dwelling in its depths.

Here are some of the most interesting discoveries we’ve found hiding at the bottom of the sea.

Sculpture Park

Located off the coast of Grenada, the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park was created by artist Jason deCaires Taylor. The park was opened in 2006 and consists of sculptures made out of concrete. Taylor has filled an area with over 65 different and unique sculptures that can be accessed by scuba divers and snorkelers.

Apollo 11 Debris

In 2013, the founder of Amazon.com found something amazing lurking at the bottom of the ocean floor. It was none other than debris from the Apollo 11 that launched humans into space in 1969. The forty year old debris was thought to be lost forever, but a private expedition led to this amazing discovery.

Heracleion

Located in the Abu Qir Bay, this ancient Egyptian city is situated under 10 feet of water. Believed to date back to the 12th century, Heracleion was a popular city in it’s prime. Considered one of the main ports for international trade in Egypt, Heracleion eventually fell to its demise in the 2nd or 3rd century when it began to sink.

Blackbeard’s Cannon

Just off the coast of North Carolina, archaeologists found something amazing at the bottom of the ocean, Blackbeard’s cannon.  The cannon is 300 years old, eight feet long, and is now completely covered in ocean debris.

Antikythera Mechanism

This ancient device is believed to be the first analog computer ever invented. Found on the ocean floor just off the coast of Antikythera, this device was designed to predict eclipses and astronomical positions. It was originally discovered in 1901 and researchers believe that it was created by Greek scientists between 100 and 150 BC.

Bimini Road

Located near Bimini island in the Bahamas, the Bimini road is a “road” composed of rectangular limestone blocks. The features is similar to a wall, but has also been caled a pier, breakwater, and many other structures.

Yoganumi Monument

This strange monument lies lies off the coast of Ryukyu Islands in Japan. This monument reaches heights of 90 feet tall and entirely made of sandstone and mudstone. Researchers are still baffled by this structure and are unsure of its origins today.

The Ghost Fleet

Located in the Potomac River contains over 200 different marine vessels. These vessels were abandoned after World War I and have stayed there ever since. Today, mother nature has taken over the abandoned boats and the site has been deemed a a sanctuary by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Cenote Angelita

The Cenote Caves are considered the most amazing scuba diving experience in the entire world. However, only the most experienced are allowed to attempt the Cenote Angelita, which contains an underwater river. Yes, you read that correctly. Hydrogen Sulfate creates the illusion of this miraculous underwater river. The sulfate is so heavy that it sinks just below the fresh water creating what appears to be a river.

World War II Silver

Situated at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, tons of silver coins that circulated during World War II were found. In 1942 the SS City of Cairo sunk more than 16,000 feet below the surface after it was attacked by a German U-boat.

MS Zenobia

Capsized on her maiden voyage, the MS Zenobia sank in June 1980 in Larnaca, Cyprus. After noticing steering problems, the Zenobia was determined to have excess water in the ballast tanks. This caused the ship to capsize, and the MX Zenobia lays port side in around 138 feet of water.

USS Oriskany

Unlike many of the others items on this list, USS Oriskany was purposely sunk in 2004 to create an artificial reef. This ship is considered one of the largest sunken vessels that has been made into a reef. The ship was sunk just outside of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico.

Titanic

We don’t need to introduce the Titanic, as many of you already know about her fate. The Titanic still lies over 12,000 feet below the surface. The first expedition to be led down to the high pressure depths was in 1985 by Robert Ballard.

Ancient Chinese City

Known as the Lion City, this ancient city lies submerged under 130 feet of water. The Lion City dates back to the Han Dynasty and was considered the center of politics in the province of Zheijiang. The government of Lion City decided to build a hydroelectric power station, leading the creation of a man made lake. This lake submerged the city under water and it has stayed there ever since.

Silfra Rift

The Silfra Rift is located in Iceland, the rift is considered part of the divergent tectonic boundary that is situated between North American and Eurasia. The water in the Pingvallavatn Lake offers scuba divers extremely clear water, attracting divers from all over the world. The rift at its deepest is 196 feet deep, however, many divers don’t travel that far down.

City of Pavlopetri

Just off the coast of Peloponnese, Greece, Pvlopetri is considered one of the oldest submerged “lost” cities. The city is believed to date back to the Mycenaean period in 1600 to 1100 BC.

Loki’s Castle

Loki’s Castle consists of five hydrothermal vents located in the Atlantic Ocean. These chimneys, as they are called, vent water around 570 degree Fahrenheit (300 degrees Celsius). Most of the chimneys are black, but some are white and red, due to the bacteria emitted by the vents.

Christ of the Abyss

This statue of Jesus Christ is submerged in the Mediterranean Sea near San Fruttuoso.

Neptune Memorial Reef

Considered the world’s largest man made reef, measuring in at 600,00o square feet. The reef is located near the coast of Key Biscayne, Florida, and the reef is commonly seen as a cremation memorial site.