4 Darkest Discoveries Made By Deep Sea Divers | Unveiled

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4 Darkest Discoveries Made By Deep Sea Divers</h4>

Much of the ocean remains unknowable, but we are making discoveries about the deep sea regularly. Some of those are thrilling; new life, scientific advances, and a deeper understanding of our planet. But others can be frightening, sinister, and give us even more reason to be scared of what might be lurking in the water.

This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question: what are the darkest discoveries made by deep sea divers?

Let’s start with a seriously strange creature, one which has been sighted (and photographed) only a handful of times. So bizarre is its appearance that some have before asked; is it even real, or is it just a hoax image circulating online? Well, the “bigfin squid” is absolutely real and it really DOES look like that. Stranger yet, it’s believed there are various distinct types of bigfin within the genus, and several of the photographed specimens look a little different. Their tentacles appear to reach 26 feet long, at least… but as we’ve never captured one and have observed so few, we can’t be certain. Could the bigfin squid be significantly longer than that? Might it even account for some “sea monster” claims in history? Nobody knows. A few specimens that might have been bigfins, as opposed to other, more commonly seen species, have been caught in the past, but weren’t documented in much detail at the time, nor were they preserved. And, in fact, the bigfin wasn’t seen alive and in the wild until as late as the 1980s. 

Ominously, despite decades of extensive deep-sea research, not only do we not know how big bigfin squids can get, but we don’t even know how or what they eat. It was initially believed that they were very passive animals, and that they’d simply wait for their food to get caught in their tentacles. That was, until a frightening and strange video appeared in early 2023 showing the squid apparently acting aggressively, and trying to attack a remote submersible. While we still haven’t seen one large enough to be a threat to humans, it’s a little frightening to think that they are out there, and so little understood. These spectacular animals are an emblem of the weird and unusual creatures hiding down in the dark, much like their even larger cousin, the ever-elusive giant squid itself. Indeed, they join a list of other surreal, nightmarish creatures of the sea, such as the primordial goblin shark, and the vast, lion’s mane jellyfish, with tentacles 120 feet long and packed full of venom.

It isn’t just living things that are hiding far beneath the water, though. Of the millions of shipwrecks in the sea, many double up as mass graves. That, and the difficulty of doing so, is part of the reason why they’re often not brought back to the surface. Many people who have lost loved ones in shipwrecks, whose bodies still lie beneath the water, hate the idea of recovery missions disturbing the wreckage - arguing that shipwrecks should be left alone completely, as a sign of respect. Of course, this often isn’t how things play out, especially with wrecks that are deemed historically or archaeologically significant - or potentially packed full with treasure.

Some of the grisliest shipwrecks of all lie far to the north, up in the Arctic Circle. For example, the wrecks of “HMS Terror” and “HMS Erebus” were lost in the early 19th century, and weren’t found again until diving expeditions in the 2010s. Warships refitted to explore the Earth’s poles, these two vessels became frozen in ice while trying to traverse the Northwest Passage. Led by Captain John Franklin, the ships were trapped for over a year. Eventually, it’s thought the crew tried to venture away from the ships to get help, but all died. Then, when the boats were freed as the ice thawed, they sank; and everything disappeared for more than two centuries. The only clues that attempted rescuers had were the bodies of those who had left to get help, when they were eventually found further afield. 

Since they were rediscovered, and despite the freezing waters in the Canadian Arctic, divers now regularly explore the wrecks, trying to learn more about the tragedy that unfolded and killed every person aboard both Terror and Erebus. Meanwhile, another, perhaps even more chilling case is that of the “USS Thresher”, an American submarine that sank to the bottom of the ocean during a training exercise, in 1963. After what’s described as a malfunction, the “Thresher” ended up hundreds of feet below the depth it should have been at, and was crushed by the pressure. It became the first nuclear submarine to sink in history. Over 100 people died in the peacetime disaster, and the wreck is still down there. On land, there are various theories as to the nature of the malfunction, but none are certain. 

As mysterious as some shipwrecks are, however, we do still usually (although not always) know what the ships were and, generally, how they sank. But, what about those strange things people find in the sea that we CAN’T explain? We’re talking now about vast structures that look man-made, but which are also deep, deep in the ocean. One such structure is the Yonaguni Monument in Japan, one of the most famous USOs – Unidentified Submerged Objects – in the sea. This region of the Pacific Ocean, far south-west of most of Japan, is regularly visited by divers wanting to interact with hammerhead sharks. But in 1986, one such diver discovered these bizarre rock formations a few dozen feet beneath the surface. The monument is made up of many sharp, geometric shapes that look as if they must have been carved by an intelligent species. Could, then, the builders have been ancient humans, erecting monuments in a place that eventually sank beneath the waves? Or could they even have been a visiting alien race? Could the Yonaguni Monument be the fabled Atlantis? The varied theories mount up and up.

That said, there is a general consensus, and it’s not so outlandish. While one Japanese geologist in particular, Masaaki Kimura, is convinced that the formation is manmade, most experts believe that it actually formed naturally. They say the sharp lines of the monument don’t contradict anything we know about geology and rock formation, following similar and expected patterns. Its strange shape could be specifically attributed to how earthquake-prone the area is, too. And, quite apart from anything else, it’s also pretty small to be a former city or settlement. Still, though, if you’re interested in diving near the Ryukyu Islands, you can go see the monument for yourself and make up your own mind about how exactly it got there.

Finally, there’s the Blue Hole in the Red Sea, north of Dahab, Egypt. This isn’t the only blue hole in the world, nor is it the most striking. It’s also not deep out at sea. But it does descend to impressive depths – and, throughout history, may have been lethal to potentially hundreds of divers. The Blue Hole is actually a sinkhole created in a coral reef, likely by rainwater eroding it into shape tens of thousands of years ago when it was still above the surface. That’s the mechanism by which most of these striking ocean sinkholes are created… but the Blue Hole near Dahab is considered the most dangerous of all, with an age-old reputation for fatal accidents. 

These fatalities may have occurred when divers underestimated the length of the sinkhole’s underwater tunnel, known as “the Arch”. The Arch connects the hole to the open ocean, and CAN be swum through under some conditions, but you have to be an experienced diver with the right equipment. And, even then, people can still get lost and disoriented in the tunnel, which is nearly 400 feet deep, where they sadly perish. This has happened to even world-class divers before, with the Blue Hole revealing its merciless nature time and time again. 

That said, the Blue Hole isn’t quite the deepest such location in the world; that honor goes to the Dragon Hole in the South China Sea, itself the subject of many local legends and myths. The Dragon Hole is an astonishing 987 feet deep and sometimes hundreds of feet wide, positioned there in a stunning coral reef. Travel deep enough here and there’s nearly no oxygen, meaning that most life can’t survive… but it does hold a wealth of information for scientists, about the history of our planet and how the climate changes over time. We took a closer look at some other distinctive sinkholes in another recent video, too, so be sure to check that out next!

But, for now, what do YOU think the strangest thing ever found in the deep sea is? Are you afraid of the open ocean? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Whenever you descend far below the water’s surface, there’s no telling what you might find; something beautiful and unique, or a horrifying reminder of just how dangerous the seas really are. Because those are four of the darkest discoveries made by deep-sea divers.