Author: Matthew Rusnic

Ten Incredible Tourist Destinations You Have to See First-Hand

Ten Incredible Tourist Destinations You Have to See First-Hand

We all know the feeling — that sudden urge to get away from the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives and explore somewhere new, to see things we’ve only ever read about or dreamed of. For many of us, travel is the best medicine. It can rejuvenate the mind, body, and soul, inspire us, and teach us new things about the world and ourselves.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to choosing a destination for your next big adventure. But with so many options, it can be hard to decide where to go. This list of 10 incredible places that you should see firsthand can help solve that problem. These destinations are guaranteed to take your breath away and leave you with memories that will last a lifetime.

So, without further ado, let’s explore 10 of the most incredible places on Earth.

1.) The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and it’s easy to see why. This 2,300-kilometre-long coral reef is home to an abundance of marine life, including over 1,500 species of fish, 400 types of coral, and countless other invertebrates. It’s also the largest structure on Earth visible from space.

2.) The Grand Canyon, USA

The Grand Canyon is one of America’s most iconic tourist destinations. And for good reason — this natural wonder is truly incredible. Carved over millions of years by the Colorado River, the canyon is an awe-inspiring sight. It’s also huge — around 446 kilometers long and 29 kilometers wide.

3.) Niagara Falls, Canada

Niagara Falls is one of the most famous waterfalls in the world, and understandably so. The falls are actually made up of three separate waterfalls — Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls. And they’re impressively powerful — around 2,400 cubic meters of water flow over the falls every second.

4.) Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca citadel nestled high in the Peruvian Andes. The site was rediscovered in 1911, after being lost to the world for centuries due to how incredibly remote it is. But that isolation is part of what makes Machu Picchu so special. It’s an amazing place with a fascinating history.

5.) The Taj Mahal, India

The Taj Mahal is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. This beautiful mausoleum was built in the 17th century by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a tribute to his late wife Mumtaz Mahal. It’s an incredible example of Mughal architecture and one of the most popular tourist destinations in India.

6.) Petra, Jordan

Petra is an ancient city located in Jordan’s southwestern desert. The city was carved out of the sandstone cliffs by the Nabataeans over 2,000 years ago, and it’s filled with incredible buildings and monuments. It’s also one of the most popular tourist destinations in Jordan — over half a million people visit Petra every year.

7.) The Maldives

The Maldives is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean. It’s made up of 26 atolls, which are ring-shaped coral reefs. The Maldives is best known for its stunning beaches, clear blue waters, and luxury resorts. It’s a popular destination for honeymooners, and the reason why is obvious — it’s truly paradise.

8.) The Northern Lights

The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, is one of nature’s most incredible displays. These colorful lights are actually solar particles that enter the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with atoms and molecules in the air. They can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere from late September to early April. Few places on Earth offer a better view of the Northern Lights than Iceland.

9.) Victoria Falls, Zambia

Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. This massive waterfall is located on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It’s around 1,708 meters wide and 108 meters high, making it one of the largest waterfalls in the world.

10.) Antarctica

Antarctica is the world’s southernmost continent, and it’s one of the most unique places on Earth. It’s home to stunning landscapes, fascinating wildlife, and incredible weather conditions. It’s also one of the most remote destinations in the world — only a handful of people visit Antarctica each year.

Conclusion

So there you have it — 10 incredible places you need to see first-hand. These destinations are guaranteed to take your breath away and leave you with memories that will last a lifetime. So start planning your trip today.

The Azores: A Captivating Destination for Nature Lovers

The Azores A Captivating Destination for Nature Lovers

There are some truly hidden gems in the world. The Azores fall into this category. Located in the Atlantic Ocean some 1,500 km west of Lisbon, Portugal, the Azores are an archipelago of nine volcanic islands, with breathtaking landscapes.

About a third of the world’s cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and related animals) have made the Azores home, or call in on their way to surrounding waters. This makes the waters of the Azores one of the best locales for dolphin and whale watching.

All year round, you can watch sperm whales, bottlenose, and common dolphins as they pass through the Azores waters on their migratory crossings. And between April and June, humpbacks, blue whales, and orcas cross these waters.

The views on the Azores are stunning, incredible, and breathtaking. There are scenes of green pastures, blue lakes bordered by green laurel and cedar forests, crater lakes, caverns, and columns of molten rock.

The nine Azores islands are São Miguel, São Jorge, Pico, Graciosa, Santa Maria, Terceira, Corvo, Flores, and Faial. Each of the islands has its own charm and special features. The islands of Graciosa, Corvo and Flores are UNESCO-designated biosphere reserves.

So, what activities draw you to the Azores?

Whale and dolphin watching

You could say the Azores are synonymous with whale and dolphin watching. The larger of the Azores islands organize well-run whale watching tours. Be ready to observe a code of conduct that governs the activity. For instance, there is a limit on how long you can follow a whale and on the number of boats that can gather near an animal. The direction from which you must approach the animals is also specified.

Diving

The nutrient-rich waters of the Azores support life, and this is what draws the whales there, makings the Azores one of the best diving spots in the Atlantic. Between May and October, the waters warm up to between 62°F (17°C) and 75°F (24°C). With visibility at 100 feet (30 meters), this provides ideal diving conditions.

The waters harbor a rich mix of species. You can find barracudas, turtles, lobsters, eels, marlin, tuna, sharks, and countless other smaller species. Diving centers organize excursions and offer equipment for hire.

Canyoning, kayaking, windsurfing, and other water sports

The many waterfalls cascading into ravines in the islands present the perfect backdrop for exceptional canyoning. The islands of São Miguel, Flores, São Jorge, and Santa Maria are equipped for the canyoning enthusiast – from the beginner to the expert.

In addition, you are welcome to enjoy boarding on the water, kayaking, windsurfing, and other water sports.

Hiking

The islands teem with hiking trails. Pick a clear day to hike up Mt Pico (2,350 meters [7,713 feet] above sea level), Portugal’s highest peak. Catch the sunrise or sunset from atop the mountain to crown your hiking experience.

São Jorge has exciting hiking trails, but for an exhilarating experience go hiking on Flores, the westernmost point of Europe. Even for Azoreans accustomed to the beauty of the islands, the sights of Flores are outstanding.

Exploring the volcanic landscape

The Azores A Captivating Destination for Nature Lovers

Explore the dramatic volcanic rock formations, craters, caves, cones, hot springs, and other mysteries in the topography of the islands. At Pico island, you can go down one of the world’s longest lava tubes to view stalagmites that resemble lengths of rope, benches, and balls.

At São Miguel, you might even want to witness Azoreans cooking their traditional cizido, a meat and vegetable stew, using thermal heat from fumaroles.

Horse riding and mountain biking

The Azores cater to mountain bikers and horse riders. You may choose to ride on ultra-technical tracks or go easy on scenic and gentle lakeside circuits. You can rent bikes on most of the islands, while São Miguel, Faial, and Terceira boast of horse stables.

If your visit to the Azores coincides with a paragliding festival, join in and get a panoramic view of these stunning islands.

Final thoughts

Many visitors pick the summer months of July and August to tour the Azores. The weather is good at this time but the sites may be crowded. However, since the Azores experience mild weather, you can escape the crowds by visiting in late spring (April and May) and early autumn (September). In addition, you will enjoy better discounts during these off-peak seasons.

The 20 Craziest Beaches to go to for Christmas

Are you an adult? Do you love Christmas, but also love the beach? Maybe you don’t have kids or simply just want a break to yourself. Well, not all the beaches on this list are family friendly (fair warning) as these are the craziest beaches to go to on Christmas break. We are talking some wild places and then some just crazy beaches that perhaps you might take a family to. So without further ado, check out these crazy beaches you would never think to go to for Christmas vacation.

20. Black’s Beach, La Jolla, California

This first beach is not, and I repeat, NOT family friendly. This is actually the United States’ first nude beach and has been a nude beach for over 50 years. So if you’re looking to check out some people or just get a full tan then this is the beach you will want to go to this Christmas season. Soak up some sun instead of freezing to death and check out Black’s Beach in La Jolla California. This beach also has over 100-meter-high cliffs that are just simply breathtaking to behold.

The Ocean Is A Vast, Unexplored Mystery That’s Still Full Of Secrets

Space is hardly the final frontier when it comes to human exploration.

All around us are the oceans, a vast and unmapped region teeming with life that is largely undiscovered. The amount of stuff that science doesn’t know about the world’s oceans could literally fill an ocean.

Creatures of the Deep

Most of the species that live in the ocean are unknown to us. According to a study that was featured in the journal Biology, the oceans are home to up to one million different species.

Of them, around two-thirds have yet to be discovered. In many ways, the world’s oceans are a mysterious realm of possibility that humans have barely begun to explore.

There is so much unknown life in the oceans, an average of 200 new ocean species are discovered every year and we’ve still barely scratched the surface.

What You Never Knew

The oceans cover about 70 percent of the surface of the Earth, and yet there are so many unknowns about the mysteries lurking beneath those blue waves.

The deepest part of the oceans, the Mariana Trench, extends 7 miles below the surface of the water.

To put that into perspective, Mount Everest could fit down in the trench with room to spare.

Manned explorations of the trench have never descended deeper than 35,797 feet below the surface.

Entire ecosystems exist under the surface of the oceans, including lakes, rivers, mountain ranges, volcanoes, and waterfalls.

The most impressive waterfall in the entire world lies beneath the surface of the ocean. The Denmark Strait is a waterfall with an 11,500-foot drop that makes Niagara Falls look like a trickle.

More to Discover

One oceanographer has estimated that humans have actually explored less than 10 percent of the planet. But for humans, it’s extremely difficult to explore the deep areas of the ocean and we have yet to successfully map the entire ocean floor.

Equipment makes it possible to get a general idea of what’s down there, but even the most sophisticated technology doesn’t provide detail.

The U.S. National Ocean Service says that more than 80 percent of the ocean is “unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored,” an idea that’s both thrilling and chilling. An untold number of shipwrecks and air wrecks lay on the floor of the ocean, out of sight and out of reach.

Legend hints that the remnants of fabulous cities, like the mythic Atlantis, lay waiting down here in the darkness as well. The ocean could hold the keys to some of history’s greatest mysteries.

Sleeping Secrets

Humans have explored about 5 percent of the ocean floor. The other 95 percent has never been seen by human eyes.

There are canyons wider and deeper than the Grand Canyon, incredible valleys, lakes that are more than 300 feet deep and species no person has ever seen hiding under the waters of the ocean.

The plant and animal life that exists here is incredibly varied and may answer all sorts of questions we have about our world.

But we’ll have to find them first.

Humans are not built to spend extended periods of time underwater, which puts an enormous amount of pressure on the body.

The temperatures in the ocean also vary widely, getting as hot at 750 degrees F in some places near underwater volcanoes.

The ocean remains a place of shadowy, hidden mysteries that humans can’t yet reach. That makes the possibilities tantalizing and thrilling.

There’s A Crazy (And Real) Plan To Actually Re-Freeze Melting Glaciers

Science has known for decades that global warming is melting humongous glaciers at the North and South Poles. Left unchecked, this pattern could cause catastrophic flooding along our coastlines. But scientists might finally have a plan to stop the melting. And it’s not a subtle one.

Glaciers Need Protection From Warm Water

Glaciers go all the way down to the bottom of the ocean. Temperatures at the surface of the ocean are still frigid in the Arctic. Due to ocean patterns, warm water impacts the bottom of the glacier before it reaches the top.

Once the bottom core of a glacier melts, the surface of the glacier falls apart, and the smaller chunks melt at an even faster rate. When these huge ice structures fall apart, they leak tons of fresh water into the ocean. This causes the ocean to rise, and can eventually flood coastlines far away from the melting glaciers.

What’s The Plan?

Scientists have proposed an idea to stop the melting from the bottom up. They want to build massive walls of up to 1.5 cubic kilometers thick at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean.

The walls, made of a heavy-duty rock and sand mixture, will block warm water from reaching the bottom of the glacier. That means that the foundation of the glacier will stay attached to the seafloor and won’t melt.

Will It Work?

There are two ways to execute the plan. We can either build one large wall for each glacier or a line of smaller walls. Based on computer models, scientists have hypothesized that a single big wall has a higher chance of success. The problem is, building a big wall is a much more difficult task than building a smaller one.

It will be a logistical challenge to safely get the wall building materials to the bottom of the ocean. Any machinery used must be able to withstand extreme pressure and subzero temperatures. Still, scientists are optimistic about this project for a few reasons.

It’s Been Done Before

This idea will certainly be the first time anyone has tried to build an underwater wall in the Arctic seas, but similar projects have been successful in other parts of the world. There are manmade islands that are held in place by the same kind of rock and sand mixture that scientists propose we use to make the Arctic walls.

While scientists point to the man-made islands as a sort of “proof of concept,” Arctic walls pose their own unique challenges, like their faraway location, as well as freezing water temperatures, which will make these massive walls especially hard to build.

More Work To Be Done

Unfortunately, this new solution is only a temporary fix. The bottoms of the glaciers will be protected from warm water for a time, but if ocean temperatures continue to rise due to pollution, the glaciers will still be threatened.

This effort will only slow the process of glaciers melting. This will give politicians and citizens around the world more time to make lifestyle and regulatory changes that will slow global warming.

The Ocean Cleanup Aims To Take Out Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Back in 1997, an environmentalist nightmare was discovered in the Pacific Ocean. Where one might hope to find tranquil waves and flourishing sea life, instead there’s now a brand new island. Though under normal circumstances that might sound like good news, it takes an unfortunate turn when you realize that this particular island is made completely out of plastic trash.

Great Pacific Garbage Patch Is Bigger Than Texas

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located between California and Hawaii, where it remains stubbornly situated like an unwelcome 51st state. Though the patch may have once begun as a small collection of discarded plastic items from the fishing industry, it’s consistent growth has been healthy, to say the least. Researchers where horrified to discover that currently, it’s now about twice the size of the state of Texas.

Needless to say, the patch has become a huge issue for marine life and has caused the deaths of thousands of seals, dolphins, whales, and other sea life. Fortunately, this is where a 24-year-old Dutch inventor named Boyan Slat comes in.

The Young Man Who Decided To Take Out The Trash

Slat became enchanted by the idea of ridding the Ocean of plastic at the age of only 16. After going on a scuba trip in the Mediterranean where he saw more plastic than sea creatures, Slat decided it was time for action.

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Fortunately, the world was on the young inventor’s side. Back in 2017, nearly 200 countries signed a U.N. resolution aimed at eliminating the 8 million-plus tons of plastic being dumped into oceans annually. As Slat pointed out in a recent interview, though many corporations are attempting to switch to more eco-friendly products, the existing plastic isn’t going anywhere. “These garbage patches won’t go away by themselves,” Slat told Time, “Even if we were to close the tap today the plastic would still be there in 100 years.”

The Ocean Cleanup

That’s why Slat started The Ocean Cleanup, an ambitious project that aims to clear the ocean of the massive amount of plastic currently infecting the ocean. “If left to circulate, the plastic will impact our ecosystems, health and economies,” The Ocean Cleanup stresses on their website.

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In order to get the ocean back on track, Slat and his team worked to create a $20 million cleanup system. The system will work like a giant Pac Man that combs the ocean, pulling in plastic pollution.

A Cleaner Future

The ship-pulled trash collector includes a large floating boom, called System 001, that curves into a giant U as it interacts with the ocean’s currents. Beneath the boom’s barriers, there are large screens that help collect debris below the surface. Slat stressed that the screens are solid rather than netted, in order to keep unsuspecting marine life from becoming entangled. Should they get caught inside the mouth of the “Pac Man,” Slat explains that they’ll have plenty of time to swim out due to the system’s incredibly slow speed.

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Though they’ve got their work cut out for them, The Ocean Cleanup has definitely shifted the conversation in the right direction. They hope to have 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch cleaned up in the next 5 years.

Research Shows Being Near The Ocean Does Amazing Things For Your Brain

People love the ocean. It’s no wonder, with so many travelers choosing vacation destinations along the beach. However, have you ever wondered why exactly being near the ocean, or other bodies of water, makes us feel so good?

Wallace J. Nichols, a marine biologist and author, has researched several beneficial effects the ocean has on the brain and body. From exercising more efficiently to achieving a zen-like state, here are a few reasons why people can’t get enough of the ocean.

Boost The Body And The Mind

Yes, exercising near the ocean can do wonders for your workout. Not only is jogging along the beach a killer exercise but being outside near water gives your mind a mental boost while working out. This is because your body is responding to natural stimuli rather than working out in a crowded gym or jogging along a busy city street.

Even just gazing at the blue color of the ocean will make your brain associate more positively with working out. This is because the color blue helps to calm nerves.

“Increased views of blue space is significantly associated with lower levels of psychological distress,” said Amber Pearson, an assistant professor of health geography at Michigan State University. Pearson co-authored a study released in 2016 which outlined how views of the ocean were associated with better mental health.

The Water And Well-Being

“Research has shown that being near, in, on or under water can provide a long list of benefits for our mind and body, including lowering stress and anxiety, increasing an overall sense of well-being and happiness, a lower heart and breathing rate, and safe, better workouts,” said Nichols.

What’s more impressive is that aquatic therapists are looking into how oceans and other bodies of water can help people manage disorders such as PTSD, addiction, anxiety, autism, and more.

Another major benefit of the ocean on the brain is the ocean’s rich amount of negative ions. Research has shown that positive ions are emitted by electrical items such as computers, microwaves, and more. These positive ions can have a draining effect. The negative ions emitted by ocean waves and waterfalls actually help reverse the damage of positive ions. The negative ions help us absorb oxygen better and balance serotonin levels. Serotonin balance is extremely important, as this is the neurotransmitter in our brain which contributes to well-being and happiness.

Seaside Serenity

Bodies of water also put people in a meditative, zen-like state. While this can do amazing things for emotional stress, being in a meditative state can also benefit the body by reducing inflammation and strengthening the immune system.

The ocean’s sounds and visuals give people a break from constant overstimulation, making them more mindful in the process.

“The sound around us, from an auditory perspective, is simplified. It’s not quiet, but the sound of water is far more simple than the sound of voices or the sound of music or the sound of a city,” Nichols said. “And the visual input is simplified. When you stand at the edge of the water and look out on the horizon, it’s visually simplified relative to the room you’re sitting in right now, or a city you’re walking through, where you’re taking in millions of pieces of information every second.”

Scientists Follow As The Pacific’s Great White Sharks Disappear To A Hidden Lair

Ocean researchers recently solved a great mystery about some of the world’s most feared and fascinating animals. Great white sharks star in Hollywood movies, get in-depth Discovery Channel coverage for an entire week each year and haunt beaches and vacations all summer long. And even though these great fish of the sea have existed since the time of the dinosaurs, there is still much that we don’t understand about the great white shark.

Where Do Great Whites Go For The Winter?

One thing we didn’t know about the great whites that frequent California in the summer was where they go once winter rolls around. Some scientists figured out how to lo-jack some great whites and followed them to what looked like a vast void in the middle of the Pacific. This migration spot puzzled researchers who saw it as a dead zone. Great white sharks like to eat seals. That is why they show up at popular swimming areas along the California coast and vacation spots on the Atlantic, such as Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Seals are mammals, but unlike whales—the largest sea air-breathers—they like to be near land. Out in the middle of the sea, there are no seals. This fact led to much speculation about the shark’s destination. But when ocean scientists looked at this vast 160-mile radius area between California and Hawaii, they noticed it was actually chock-full of tasty tidbits.

Welcome to “White Shark Cafe”

Rather than a cold and empty void, this region has a rich mid-water area that is well-stocked with squid and small fish. The sharks weren’t swimming away to some spot to rest up for the winter, they were going to a veritable smorgasbord.

So, how did the scientists pinpoint where these sharks fled? Through advances in technology, researchers were able to tag certain sharks during their summer frolicking. These pinger tags emit a radio-frequency-signal that allowed the researchers to follow their every move. In addition, the tags also were programmed to detach and float to the surface when the sharks reached their winter feeding spot.

The Cafe Is Wide And Deep

And while the feeding grounds are known to cover a surface region of the Pacific that is roughly the size of Colorado, the surfae area is nothing compared to its volume. Once tagged and monitored, scientists learned that the great sharks were diving deeper than ever thought possible. Here the great white’s food runs reached depths of up to 3,000 feet. These depths are cold and inhospitable to the sharks, but sometimes a warm current flows to these depths. When this happens, schools of squid and fish dive, and the sharks follow.

The sharks follow a diving pattern. During the day, sunlight allows them to dive deep, while at night, they restrain themselves to a shallow dive. The researchers also noted that as summer approaches, male and female sharks approach hunting differently. The males begin rapid repeated diving—up to 140 times a day—while the females continue a night/day pattern.

The reason for this gender difference is now a new mystery for the scientists to ponder.

Belize’s Great Blue Hole Is One Of The Most Amazing Places On Earth

Belize, a country just off the eastern coast of Central America, has a lot to boast about. From the Caribbean Sea shorelines, dense jungles, low-lying islands, and Mayan ruins, Belize is an incredible tourist destination.

What makes this country even more unique is that it’s home to the one and only Great Blue Hole, a giant marine sinkhole just off the coast. Located in the center of the Lighthouse Reef, the hole is 1,042 feet wide, 407 feet deep, and an amazing scuba diving location. What’s more fascinating is that The Great Blue hole is a product of glacial events that can be traced back to more than 150,000 years ago.

A Caribbean Treasure

Made famous by Jacques Cousteau in 1971, The Great Blue Hole is home to a dazzling array of colored waters, ranging from peacock blue, aquamarine, and turquoise. Cousteau himself was so astonished by its beauty he named The Great Blue Hole one of the top scuba diving destinations in the world.

The Great Blue Hole, considered to be the Earth’s largest and most magnificent marine sinkhole, is one part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System. The reef system has been dubbed a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Spectacular Stalactites

Deep within The Great Blue Hole, stalactites have formed over several millennia and are found within remarkable underwater caves. However, these caves weren’t always under water. Analysis from the stalactites shows that they were originally formed above the ocean at many different times. Stalactite formations took place 153,000; 66,000; 60,000; and 15,000 years ago, creating an amazingly beautiful world wonder.

The stalactites in The Great Blue Hole reveal something else phenomenal. Some of the formations were discovered to be consistently off-vertical by 5 degrees. This tilt indicates the stalactites were formed sometime before the Earth experienced a geological shift and the underlying plateau had been titled.

In layman’s terms, this means that not only had the sea level risen above The Great Blue Hole, but the land below the sea had also shifted, creating an incredibly unique underwater masterpiece.

A Scuba Diver’s Dream

Many tourists are drawn to Belize and The Great Blue Hole because of their unparalleled scuba diving opportunities. Home to tropical species such as Midnight Parrotfish, Caribbean reef sharks, butterfly fish, Hammerhead sharks, and sea turtles, exploring the underwater caves of The Great Blue Hole is a one-of-a-kind experience.

However, if you’re interested in diving into The Great Blue Hole, make sure you take the necessary precautions. Not everyone can make their way into the hole. In order to qualify, divers must have logged more than 24 dives, proving they possess more than beginner-level diving skills.

The Great Blue Hole has also been a destination for skydivers. Jumpers in tandem or flying solo have chosen the hole as their landing destination after flying through the air for 12,000 feet.

While pictures of The Great Blue Hole are awe-spiring, see this world wonder for yourself to fully grasp all its beauty.

7 Strangest Things Found In The Ocean

The ocean is a bewildering and strange place.  As time passes by, we discover more and more things about it and inside of it. The following seven things are the strangest things we know about the ocean, which will leave you baffled:   

The Antikythera Mechanism

Photo via. Mental Floss

This unusual artifact, displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, at first glance, looks like a rock covered with mould. However, it is actually an ancient Greek analogue computer.

This instrument was discovered in 1902 by Greek divers who recovered it from the wreckage that took place off the coast of Antikythera- the Greek island. The instrument, as predicted by historians, was developed by Greek scientists, between 205 BC and 100 BC, to help in the study of astrology. It was also used as a way to keep track of the Olympiad game cycles.  

A reservoir for the ocean

Photo via. pik-potsdam

Ever wonder why the water in the ocean never ends or where the water comes from?

Consider the mystery solved. Scientists have proven that the earth’s mantle has enough water (three times more than in the oceans currently) trapped in it, that it can fill our oceans countless times. This water is hidden between a layer of rock called ringwoodite (found in the transition zone), which is 700 km underneath the earth’s core.

This impressive reservoir is even more fascinating because the water trapped in it is not in solid, liquid or gaseous form, but in the form of hydroxide ions.

Knowing that we have a natural reservoir that keeps refilling our seas and oceans is mind blowing and proves that nature is truly divine.

Underwater River?

Photo via. Travel and Leisure

Mexico’s Cenote Angelita cave has a river flowing through it. Divers have taken pictures which validate this claim. However, pictures are an illusion.  

From the surface, it may seem that another water body lies inside the ocean, but as one goes deeper into the ocean, another mystery unravels.

The underwater river is actually a layer of hydrogen sulphate, which is formed because of the combination of salt and fresh water.

Microbes buried for 86 million years

Photo via. IBTimes

In 2012, a Danish microbiologist, Hans Roy, decided to study the microbes in their natural habitat. He found a colony of microbes underneath the Pacific Ocean- 92 feet below the floor.

Microbes find it impossible to survive more than 28 meters below the surface because of a lack of nutrients and oxygen. However, this colony of microbes has managed to sustain itself for the last 70-80 million years despite being buried underground.

This finding is mind boggling, but also very useful as it makes us think about life on other planets and the ways in which life there might be sustaining itself, despite certain conditions.

Metal balls

Photo via. Live Science

In January 2015, a German scientist while exploring the tropical Atlantic found that his equipment- to collect biological samples- could not move. On retrieving his equipment, he found weird metal orbs, which were heavy and thick, attached to it.

The balls did not surprise the scientist as they are commonly found in deep water. What amazed him though was the sheer size and number of the manganese nodules. This was the largest deposit of metal balls ever discovered by mankind.

Colin Devey, the lead scientist in this expedition, said: “Manganese nodules are found in all oceans…Nodules of this size and density in the Atlantic are not known,”

The lost Indian city

Photo via. infoelbasani.al

In 2004, fishermen, near the South Indian coast of Mahabalipuram, claimed to see ancient temples when the water receded 500 meters before the deadly tsunami hit the shore.

No one believed these men as what they saw disappeared once the water reached its normal level. Later, divers confirmed these stories when they discovered several artifacts and temples under water.

The most interesting findings were the small cluster of boulders that were brought on the shore by the tsunami. These included carved objects with animal faces, gods and servant girls.

The lost civilization

Photo via. The Mind Unleashed

A Canadian company, Advanced Digital Communication, while exploring the Cuban waters discovered stones that were symmetrical and geometrical. These stones resembled an urban civilization.

The advanced sonar equipment that the company used found that the objects were pyramidal and circular in shape. Further investigations revealed that for the stones to have gone down so deep they must have been built 50,000 years ago.

The underwater city itself was perplexing, but the complex structure of the city is what made this one of the strangest things ever known- how did such an old city design something so technologically advanced? This is not yet known.

So far we have not even explored 10% of our oceans and have already come across several strange and unimaginable things. Imagine all the other things that we can find, as we make more advancement in technology.