Deep Dive Into The Unknown: 45 Encounters With Things Found Beneath the Surface
Most people will agree that the scariest things in life are death, taxes, and the deep sea. Going several feet into Poseidon’s territory is up there with space exploration. In a world where you know the dangers that lurk, everything becomes instantly scarier, and even the most mundane things are transformed into monsters once submerged.
While some of these “monsters” are natural, some are not.
That’s because some people have a vicious sense of humor. Some folks actually take the time to create scary stuff and dump them in the ocean. Apparently, humans have developed a knack for things like scuba diving, deep sea diving, underwater sculptures, and deep sea pranks.
And thanks to underwater photography, we are now able to see some of these nightmare-inducing pranks. Here are 45 of the scariest man-made things people found underwater!
The Big Bad
For any newbie to the waters, this will be one cruel joke. Imagine bumping into this on your first dive. Whew. We wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Although the phobia is enough to hunt anyone for a lifetime, this statue is as harmless as it is brilliant.
The only thing missing is an electric motor to actually move this thing. But holy molly, it does not need it. Remove the teeth or fin, and it will still be scary. Bumping into this thing several feet in the dark deep water is no joke!
Swimming with the holes
A swimming pool becomes more than recreational when there is a plot twist involved. Whatever artist or prankster designed these pools had the excellent vision of spooking people to death with these black hole-like patches. However, they serve more purpose than satisfying dark humor.
This is a roof pool, and the holes are supposed to bring sunlight to the apartment below. It is less terrifying from below, for sure. Nonetheless, taking a dive into this pool requires a lot of guts, as they say.
Underwater Loners
For lovers of the underwater world, there is nothing as cool as diving. In any form, diving is as fascinating as any leisure activity can be. However, an underwater museum is an entirely different dimension to an already cool hobby. The Museum of Underwater Sculpture opened in Cyprus in the summer of 2021.
As the name implies, the museum is filled with statues and sculptures submerged underwater. The museum facility sits 33 feet underwater. Many of these sculptures are men in suits and other tree-like sculptures. The world-famous artist Jason deCaires Taylor is responsible for this astonishing beauty.
Spillway of stars
Although spillways have quite a straightforward function, there is no limit to the artistry that can be put into them. This particular spillway is located in the Kechut Reservoir near Jermuk, Armenia, where it is more than just a spillway; it is a national treasure.
It was built with the intention of draining floods from the reservoir but has certainly coevolved to a greater effect. How the spillway was built remains a fascination of modern architecture, and the reservoir site attracts many tourists that visit Armenia each year.
The rig in hell
The North Sea has developed quite a reputation since the beginning of the ages. For centuries, the body of water has been tussled over by the British, Vikings, Dutch, and every other bordering civilization. It is also home to several of history’s most damning tempests.
In 1362, the North Sea’s second Marcellus flood hit the entire Southern coast and claimed over 100,000 lives in the process. Seven centuries later, the sea flooded several coasts and claimed another two thousand lives. Now you can see how impressive it is to build these structures in the middle of the North Sea.
Calling for help
Natural disasters can be pretty damning and, most of all, unexpected. And it is never a pretty sight. For coastal cities, hurricanes, floods, and tsunamis are a true dread. This particular sculpture, which sees four individuals, showcases the reality of such situations.
One of them is drowning, two are calling for help, and one is trying to rescue the drowning man. Besides being an impressive work of art, it certainly appeals to our sense of dread. For any curious seekers, it is located in New York.
The Crystal Cay
What could be more telling than the ruin of an aquarium in the Caribbean Sea? Today, it looks like a lighthouse, but it used to be much more. The beloved Crystal Cay island was opened in 1987 and instantly became the top attraction of Nassau, Bahamas.
The marine park featured a marine museum, stingray, shark, and turtle pools, an underwater observatory, a touch pool, and even a villa hotel. It was operated by Coral World International before it got sold in 1995. However, Hurricane Floyd hit the coast of the Bahamas in 1999, and the Crystal sank into the waters.
100-year kitchen
After it was built in 1897, the steel-hulled boat Guilda only thrived for 14 years before sinking in Lake Superior by 1911. During a tour of Lake Superior, the ship’s owner, William L. Harkness, and his family were headed to Ontario. However, the ship ran aground hard and sank while being tugged.
Over a century later, a group of divers, including Becky Kagan Schott, ventured 270 feet deep to visit the shipwreck, and it wasn’t even a wreck at all. The kitchen and everything looked very well preserved. It has, in fact, been named the “best-preserved, most prestigious shipwreck in the world.”
Welding
Oil rigs and ships all have metal parts that can get lackluster at some point. When this happens, a guild of superheroes is called upon. The underwater welders have quite the job, which is terrifying or exciting, depending on how you see it.
As an underwater welder, you are faced with several potential hazards, including hypothermia, decompression sickness, drowning, or even worse. They are also exposed to the danger of electric shocks by their equipment, hearing impairment from the high pressure underwater, and the obvious danger of being attacked by marine wildlife.
Ups and downs
Boeing airplanes have ruled the skies for many years. Before they can fly, there is a meticulous process involved in aircraft manufacture. After the main body is completed at the factory, they are transported to the assembly to be fitted with wings and a complete interior.
However, during the transport of this particular Boeing, the trains conveying fuselages from Spirit Aerosystems in Kansas departed to Boeing’s Renton plant for assembly. The trains unfortunately derailed, and three of the plane bodies ended up in a river located in Western Montana. It seems everyone has a bad day.
Ghost town
What is now seen as a crucifix peeking from the top of a submerged church has a lot more to it. In fact, there is an entire town submerged under the water. Potosi was a town that stood at 1,000 feet above sea level and was home to over 1,200 people.
Potosi was flooded as a reservoir for the Uribante Caparo hydropower dam. After the event, Potosi was reduced to a church spire that became the water level yardstick in the reservoir. Over 30 years later, the El Nino weather system caused a drought, which has made the town visible once again.
Skeleton in the garden
There are not many things as horrific as drowning in green murky waters, even when it is a statue. A bronze sculpture that features an extremely thin and fragile man struggling in the green waters sums up the essence of Victor’s Way Gardens in County Wicklow, Ireland.
The entire park makes a clear distinction from theme parks like Disneyland. In fact, the creator’s note on his website about the garden being a meditation space for lone adults between 28 and 56 indicates how different from Disneyland it is. The garden’s entrance, lady parts with teeth, should be enough warning.
Wind energy
Sometimes the good ol’ turbines on the hill just cannot cut it. At sea, there is a higher wind speed, and so offshore wind power has become a real game changer. Several countries have started utilizing their sea advantage by building turbine energy stations on the water.
In fact, this has become a very welcome alternative since it has little to no effect on the landscape and inhabitants. Global offshore wind electricity generation currently stands at an enormous 35.3 gigawatts, which will certainly increase with time. A single plant can have over 150 turbines and generate upwards of 1,000 megawatts.
Deep blue dive
We might just get used to theme parks not being all square and straightforward. The Deep Blue Dive Center at Aqaba, Jordan, is certainly far from your usual diving world resort. The King of Jordan approved the sinking of a tank just six meters below to create an artificial reef in 1999.
The diving center took the extra mile by adding a formerly sunk Lebanese freighter to the reef collection at 28 meters below the surface. Before the C-130 plane was sunk in 2017, an entire military museum was added to the diving site. Today, the museum features tanks, ambulances, a helicopter, a military crane, and more.
Friday the 13th
Diving can be a very relaxing hobby. You get to leave the troubles of the surface world to have a little nice cooling time underwater. However, a certain genius named Doug Klein says no. Klein has fashioned the most spectacular and horrifying tool.
As a special present to divers in Crosby, Minnesota, Klein planted his abominable statue of Jason Vorhees at the bottom of a state mine pit. For expert divers who brave 120 feet, the most horrifying piece of art awaits. Jason may not be real but imagine the jumpscare.
The long chain
Things just got very real. Diving off the deck for a pleasurable afternoon just to meet a long chain leading somewhere is no joke. And worse, when the water is far from clear, and you can’t see anything but the chain, things are truly frightening.
A lot comes to mind after seeing this. You may wonder where the chain comes from or where it leads to. An anchor? A statue? A shipwreck? Atlantis? A parallel universe? The thing is, we may never know. And we sure as heck are not hoping to find out.
The basement
House hunting can be quite a daunting task, and you will certainly see many things in your endless search. This particular house listing offers an exclusive pond in the basement. It’s a lucky find, it seems. We can clearly see why this house is up for sale.
Good luck to anyone who decides to drain the basement water; they’ll need it in huge amounts. This is mostly because the water will be back. But then again, you can make use of the duck floater when the water comes around again and turn this into an indoor pool.
Hand of God
Waving is usually a friendly gesture until you get it from the wrong places. And that doesn’t mean Joe Pesci style in Casino. We mean from below the river surface when you are enjoying a nice afternoon or cool night on the water.
However, this one comes with a decent sense of humor. The truth is that the waving hand is not a hand at all. Instead, it is an old pier piece submerged beneath the surface. So, you can relax with this one, folks…at least for now.
Staircase to where exactly?
Everyone loves a good ol’ staircase to get those steps in. But coming across a staircase in a marine habitat has a different groove to it. For starters, divers can easily descend or ascend the stairs. Not that they would need it.
Casual swimmers can just hang on it to enjoy the view below. However, one must be really careful with the fish that may or may not identify this staircase as a prime spot for hunting. Moreover, the barnacles and rust that will develop on this underwater metal stairway are quite a lot and obviously dangerous.
Flooded theater
Hurricane Katrina did a whole lot. Among the natural disaster’s baggage claims is the autopsy theater of the Charity Hospital of NOLA. In this area, dead patients were examined for the cause of death. Deceased bodies were stored in the mortuary and dissected on the operation tables.
If that wasn’t scary enough, this hospital had quite the reputation, especially with an autopsy theater built into a well. Since the hurricane hit, the theater has become a haunted, flooded gloom. Visiting a room full of dead bodies that god flooded? No, thanks.
1912
The year 1912 was quite the eventful one, and we may never see anything like it again. Within that 365-day calendar run, Oreo cookies were introduced, Alaska became a part of the USA, and Universal Studios was founded. It was also the year that the RMS Titanic ship sank in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Sure, we know Leonardo DiCaprio’s loverboy tirade comes to mind when you hear of the Titanic. But the great ship’s tragedy runs even deeper. Over 1,500 people died, and the 710 survivors were deeply traumatized. This submerged engine of the world’s once most powerful vessel echoes the sad tale.
Welcome
There are not many things as welcoming as murky water, which may or may not be filled with alligators, frogs, and everything in between. However, a staircase that leads into a cave is certainly at the top of the rankings.
Combine those two, and you have a staircase leading to an underwater cave filled with murky waters. It begs the question if venturing into this cave is incredibly daring or exceedingly daft. How much can an adventure be really worth?
The cast
Life is definitely tough for the fish. The struggle begins with trying to survive all the toxins and chemicals pumped into the water bodies. Fish also need to evade the numerous attempts on their lives. But there is no escaping this one, that’s for sure.
Escaping this giant system of fishing nets might also mean the fish run straight into the jaws of a predator. Times are not looking good for them down there. Considering how wide the net is, it is quite likely they haul a bunch of UFOs (Underwater Funny Objects).
The overspill
Reservoirs and dams are quite essential for modern society. And how couldn’t they be? They provide water and electricity, among many other benefits. The only downside outside of barricading whole water bodies is the terrific spillways that come with them.
This bell mouth spillway certainly gives us the creeps. From the extremely wide diameter, which could swallow just about anything whole, to the very deep shaft, which leads to nowhere as far as we are concerned. But the tension eases when you realize it is called a morning glory spillway.
Attack on Titans
In 2014, Nassau, Bahamas, became host to the largest underwater sculpture in the world. The sculpture is 18 feet tall and weighs over sixty tons, and it was designed by the legendary coral reef artist Jason deCaires Taylor. The brilliant concept was inspired by the titan Atlas, who carries the world on his back.
In this artistic twist, the sculpture depicts the likeness of a local Bahamian girl carrying the ocean on her back. The sculpture also provides a coral reef for marine life in the densely populated sea. Carrying the ocean on one’s back is no easy task.
Propellers
At this point, we have established the fact that everything looks scarier underwater. Even the most mundane things are transformed into monsters once submerged. To further bolster this point, here is this picture of a ship’s propeller room. What a horror.
You wouldn’t want to be anywhere that, and you certainly don’t want to see it spinning. Aside from the violent, turbulent stream of force it creates, a propeller spinning very fast underwater is far scarier than you could ever imagine.
Take a seat
Diving becomes more and more unsavory by the minute. Taking a big dip to come face to face with a chair waiting for you at the bottom is far from what you might expect. Big thanks to the ridiculously calculated sense of humor from the planet’s most mischievous people.
It is truly insane how such a simple thing can be so scary. Anyways, if you ever go diving at this exact location, just know there is a nice cold seat awaiting you somewhere at the bottom. Go ahead and take a seat if you feel tired of all the deep-sea exploration!
600 feet
Six feet deep has always been quite a notorious term for anyone. But do you ever wonder about 600 feet? That is the depth of this Hoover Dam spillway. From what sounds like an eternity away, you can hear the rush of water at the bottom of the dam.
If you ever wonder what the bottomless pit might look like, here you go. With a gaping width that is 50 feet wide, this spillway can swallow just about anything. And whatever goes in there will be plunged into 600 feet of whatever is down there. Far from the water slides at the park.
Behind the scenes
A scary movie is supposed to give us the thrill of being frightened without the consequences of dealing with fear in real life. But making a scary movie itself might just be the most thrilling activity of all. You get to construct fake sharks and film underwater.
It takes quite an effort to make one of these. Of course, everything else is fake, and there is an entire crew dedicated to making sure the whole thing does not become a tragedy. As long as the hungry shark stays fake, you are good.
Black tie party
As we have seen throughout this article, a bunch of things can be found underwater. Submarines, chains, kitchens, tanks, statues, and much more. But no diver could ever expect to find a nice coat, preserved to an extent, hanging in a shipwreck.
However, the story is as heartbreaking as it is astonishing. This coat is the echo of the Pearl Harbor attack on the USS Arizona, which took place on 1 December 1942. Once a powerful warship of its day, the USS Arizona is now a relic of the world’s greatest conflict.
Old rig
An oil rig situated in the middle of nowhere on the ocean may be something to behold, but a rusty, damaged one is another terror of its own. For sure, this old rusty thing has seen a lot of action in its day.
Violent currents are common around the ocean. But when such things happen, they simply send a team to weld it and get it running again. This picture tells us there is something bigger at work here since the rig looks completely abandoned.
Underground and underwater
We already know how unreal spillways are. Now let’s talk about underground spillways. Yes, it looks like a giant water slide. However, this particular structure is part of the world’s largest underwater flood diversion facility in the Greater Tokyo Area, Japan.
The spillway plays a crucial part in reducing the overflowing of the metropolis waterways during rain and typhoon seasons. And its size is just astonishing. In fact, this particular spillway is 65 meters deep, which is only 2 meters lesser than the road deck height of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
Pipe nightmare
What you are looking at may seem like a simple bunch of pipes. However that may be true, it is far from the complete picture. This particular structure is a network of wastewater pipes that contain industrial waste that is moved into a membrane bioreactor.
The terrifying part about this structure is not knowing what is in the pipes. It could be some very toxic industrial waste or even worse, radioactive nuclear waste materials. It has been submerged underwater to control any possible mishaps, which would be otherwise unfortunate.
Bizzare pool
Most scary pools are feared for depth or width. However, it is hard to come by a pool as bizarre as this one. For starters, the water isn’t supplied by the usual pumping, this pool’s supply comes from a hot spring of mineral water. That why it is so cloudy.
Whatever mineral water feels like, it doesn’t make this seem any more enticing. For the spice, there are poles and cement blocks in the murky water, and you can’t see the bottom for some reason. Let’s not talk about the funky-looking slides or the blacked-out ceiling painting the perfect picture of an abyss.
Angles
Depending on what you decide to see here, you could be either mighty impressed or freaked out of your mind. From one perspective, this next picture is one mighty chunk of “what the heck” comfortably sitting at the bottom of the water.
On the other hand, you can see an innovative turbine energy generator. From the motion waves it generates underwater, this turbine will relay energy to a station for use. However, seeing a piece of technology like this in action is never worth the risk.
Groundwater
A well is one of the simplest yet most efficient innovations. However, naturally-occurring wells like this one are nothing short of terrifying. Yet, there is still a certain beauty that comes with a spring-fed body of groundwater like this one.
However, the creepy part comes in during the night, when you cannot see as much as a pebble in it. It won’t be uncommon to fall or drive into this well. The plank slung across its mouth does not inspire confidence, so we’d like to stay far away from this place.
Steel products
You are certainly much more familiar with shipwrecks after stumbling upon this article. However, some are much more striking than the rest. Although it sits on the Lake Erie shore as a relic of the Sherkston beach, The Steel Products echoes with a sad long story.
This vessel plowed the seas for 60 years before she went aground in 1961. After she became unsalvageable, the ship was stripped of its hull and much more during the steel scarcity of the 80s. The husk that is left has become a great site for lake adventure.
Swindon
Since creepy pools are full blown trend, we’ll just roll with it. This Swindon water park was called “Oasis” and truly was a place of joy in its prime. The legend of Oasis even transcended into a rumor as the inspiration for Noel Gallagher’s band name.
Although it was recently shut down, the park holds many thousand memories and one for every kid. Don’t be fooled by the shallow waters and haunted landscape, people regularly sneak in to snoop around, ignite memories and all sorts of stuff. But yes, it does have that Friday the 13th feel.
Bent and broken
This is certainly no lakehouse. But whatever it was built to be, it is pretty obvious that things did not go according to plan. Coming across this place strikes little fear but ignites more empathy when you think of what it used to be.
You have to think about what might have caused such a tear in the building. It does look like a calm river, so no violent currents should occur around there. But a crevice like that begs the question of what might lurk in these calm-looking waters.
West Hawk
West Hawk lake is nothing like the ordinary lake, especially due to its formation a couple of millions of years ago being the result of the impact of a meteor crash. Due to the meteor impact, the stunning landscape below the lake’s surface features dramatic drop-offs, giant rock formations, and much more.
The West Hawk lake is 115 meters deep, which makes it the deepest lake in the province located in Winnipeg. Aside from the incredible natural formations deep beneath its surface, there are several objects deliberately sunken there, which makes the lake even more legendary because of all the boats, benches, fire hydrants, and other stuff.
Tito’s tunnels
Usually, a tunnel that goes under a rock with a body of water might put you off instantly. However, this one time it looks very right and inviting. This particular tunnel is located in Duba, Croatia. And there are several more located across the country’s coast, especially on the island of Vis.
The submarine tunnels are also a very important aspect of military history. Island Vis served as an important military base for the Yugoslav army during World War II when Josip Tito took refuge from the Nazis. Although it was closed between 1944 and 1990, the tunnels are now popular among the public.
Jaws
Bruce is waiting for the next oblivious person to jump in the water. If you ever happen to visit Universal Studios, be careful not to fall into the Jaws’ lake. And if you do, sleeping on your parent’s bed for the next two months won’t be a bad idea.
No, this is not a real shark. But you don’t want to see it jump out of the water. It would be terrifying, to say the least. Thanks to the evil genius of Steven Spielberg, it doesn’t matter if you loved the movie or hated it. Bruce is waiting for everyone.
Thin ice
Skating is for the daring, as we can all agree. Flaying your arms till you land on hard ice is not a convincing prospect to most people, especially when that ice may be incapable of supporting your weight. Ideally, you are not advised to skate on any ice with less than three inches of thickness.
Here we have an intriguing picture of a skater on an inch of ice. Pretty bold, you can say. And the old rusty thing that looks like he’s standing on is the lake drainage pipe, which is now frozen in time. By any standards, crashing into that won’t be good.
Dam!
What could possibly be scarier than the massive spill well of a huge dam? For starters, you have the sheer width of this thing. It is quite huge, to say the least. Being unlucky to fall in this well could mean you never get out.
And then there’s all the debris, seaweed, and unknowns in the murky water that just worsens the whole situation. As you can see, this is no swimming pool. The dam in view is the Matka Dam in Macedonia. Perhaps you fancy a nice field trip.
Sick
Looking at this image is making us feel queasy. There are just too many questions to answer about the whys and the hows. For starters, why does it even exist? It doesn’t look good for anything except a horrifying parachuting exercise.
How was this structure built? Whoever did this was clearly a sick monster or an incredible genius or both! Although it is not submerged, you cannot help but get a sickening feeling crawling up your body. Whatever this structure might be, one sure thing is to stay away from it.