This article was originally published on Travlerz
Swimming pools and beaches are the types of water most people will wade through to enjoy a hot summer's day, but most of the earth's water is cold dark, and scary. Some of the photos below will freak you out, while others will intrigue you to go visit and see for yourself. It's a matter of taste and how brave you would be to dive into murky waters or swim tanks that seem to have no bottom. Decide for yourself where you draw the line!
Jason Waits for You
Friday the 13th is a classic scary Halloween movie that gives plenty of people nightmares for days after watching. It's one of those things that you can't unsee once you've seen it and wish you hadn't. Jason Voorhees is bullied by other campers at Camp Crystal Lake, where he drowned after being pushed in only to rise from the lake as an undead serial killer. He is chained to the bottom of the lake both in fiction and reality now.
He has become so popular that in Crosby, Minnesota, a Jason statue is at the bottom of the old Louise mine pit chained as he was in the movie. The undead still waits for you.
The Giant Awakens
Rousing from his slumber this sculpture called the "Awakening" creeps out of the water as if struggling to free himself from the earth's core. Created by J. Seward Johnson, Jr., in 1980, it was installed at Hains Point in East Potomac Park, Washington, D.C. where millions of tourists experienced his pain-stricken face jutting out of the ground. It has since moved to its current location, seen here, in National Harbor, Maryland, on the Potomac River.
Coming out of the water is even more eye-catching than the ground. What sleeping giants lie in the depths unknown is where horror stories come from. You won't get his face out of your head.
Art of Nightmares
Talk about scaring the living daylights out of someone! This is by far one of the most horrifying works of art to see above ground, let alone underwater. Someone could get a heart attack bumping into this while scuba diving. This art installation in Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland is of a dragon with beady eyes and teeth that could rip through a wetsuit in seconds. If you manage to not drown by the sight, swim away!
You have to hand it to artists that create stuff that nightmares are made of. It's perplexing to think this sculpture is anything other than a twisted joke against people who scuba dive.
Silver Islet Mine
Silver Islet is a small island off the coast of northwestern Ontario, Canada, and also the place where the purest silver in the world was mined. Pure Silver was discovered in 1868, but it wasn't until 1870 that mining began on the little rocky island. The rocky island sits above Lake Superior, and the water crashed onto the miners while working. Conditions were always dangerous from fear of flooding, which eventually took place.
The mine is 1260 feet deep, and no matter how much silver may be left down there, no one in their right mind can dive that deep to retrieve it. All that remains are these murky shafts.
Soviet Submarine Amenities
Looking like bathtime at an insane asylum this small pool is actually in a Soviet submarine no longer in use. The bars on a pool make it seem like a punishment corner for misbehaving navy men who disobeyed their commanding officer, instead of an amenity. The Soviet Union created the largest submarines at the time that went faster underwater than above, accommodating the crew for up to four months underwater and had pools.
The Soviet submarines called the Typhoon Class were constructed bigger and better than any other, with nuclear-powered ballistic missiles, multiple pressure hulls, and 6 torpedos tubes. They were the bad boys of the sea.
Medieval Village Comes to Light
The submerged Italian village in Tuscany, built-in 1270, is called Fabbriche di Careggine. The flooding of this village occurred in 1946 with the construction of ENEL Dam and artificial lake Lago di Vagli formed. When maintenance for the dam is underway the lake drains, uncovering the mysterious village. It's good to know the village wasn't flooded with people living in it, but this may be the oldest ghost town in existence.
Eerie to look at, one can only wonder what this ghost town was like in 1270 or why did the people leave. Houses, churches, and even the cemetery are still intact.
Dredging Water
Dredging water is a common practice in places where industries have waste that winds up in the local water supply. This eery-looking contraption is an abandoned dredge called Quincy Dredge Number Two in Torch Lake, Michigan. This dredge was used to reclaim sand deposited by the local sand mill. Now it's been covered in graffiti by teenagers which makes it look even more decrepit. You wouldn't want to fall in for sure.
Believe it or not, is it's not a building but a boat-like machine that sits on land and partially in the water and sucks the sand from the bottom of the lake.
Shark Bait
This person must have a death wish as she is waiting to be eaten by a shark, sitting on a fin of a sailboat. Well, she doesn't have any death wish that we know of, but the photograph received second place in the 2019 Underwater Photographer of the Year contest. Taken by Matej Bergoc of the shore of Solta Island, Croatia. Called My Place Under The Boat, of his girlfriends' silhouette.
Matej's girlfriend had a very difficult time holding the position, compared to taking the shot. Matej was beaten by a photo of a sea turtle caught in a net trying to free itself.
Frozen in Time
Many moments are frozen in time under Lake Superior where hundreds of ships have sunken over the years. In this photo, the kitchen area of the shipwreck remains untouched, items intact like the chairs and dishes. Who knows how many ships are under Lake Superior? It makes sense since it's the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. Adding to that, it doesn't have any proper natural harbors to protect ships during storms.
It's an eerie visual of what lies beneath us. Makes you wonder, what happened to the people aboard the ship? Lake Superior has taken a multitude of lives since the beginning of boating on the lake started.
Neptune Guard's His Domain
On the beautiful beach of Melenara on the island of Grand Canary, Spain, Neptune (Poseidon) stands on a rock guarding his domain. As if the Greek God just decided to emerge from the water giving a warning to all the earthlings not to mess with the oceans. Made of bronze, he stands with his trident in hand and a stare that would make you think twice about getting on his bad side.
At 13 feet tall, he isn't playing around, his stature and serious look say he means business. While locals are not moved much by his presence, tourists continually take a double look to ensure he's just a statue.
Mental Hospital Spa
There is something about this picture that brings thoughts of a psycho mental hospital scene from a horror movie. The clean sterile tiles with the stairs leading into the water. Water therapy or electric-shock therapy? No matter, because this is nothing like the sort. Instead, it's a reservoir in Emmendingen, Germany. This is useful in times of drought to assist in watering crops and fills up again when dams flood.
Functional reservoir or not, there is something silently scary about this picture. It screams torture and pain with its sterile appearance. No need to visit this place-- a picture says a thousand words.
League of Legends
The League of Legends gets its very own giant Nautilus statue. Nautilus, the champion of League of Legends became a statue for the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The multiplayer online battle arena, received the challenge by Riot Games, to earn points and have their name etched on the statue. 42,000 players have their names carved on Nautilus. He has served his purpose well, giving ocean life new spaces to live and feed.
He's serving the ocean well, seeing the before and after of Nautilus, giving the coral reef something to thrive on. He looks like a buried scuba diver turned to stone.
Mining Danger Lurks Below
Looking like a scene from the Leviathan movie about an underway mining operation, this abandoned mining staircase is truly scary. Imagine trudging down the stairs day in and day out into the darkness to dig at the core of the earth for precious metals, never seeing the light of day. It's been flooded and no longer in use which is a blessing in disguise for the miners, out of work but safe from danger.
If you were lucky to not die in the mine or from black lung disease at an early age, you might get the chance to enjoy the sunshine of retirement.
Deep Dive Pool
Oh, the joy some people will have about the Y-40 Deep Joy pool, it's the deepest pool in the world. More than 40 meters deep (131 feet or 13 floors down), filled with 4.3 million liters of thermal water to get your groove on swimming or diving. Located in Padua, Italy, a half-hour from Venice, this dive tank has an underwater transparent tunnel, so if you're too afraid to take the dive you can walk through and watch others.
It has 60 meters of caves for all levels of training, so you can cave dive knowing you'll find your way out. It's like the coolest and scariest pool all at the same time.
The Bankers
Like ostriches with heads in the sand, these sculptures are bankers blind to the world around them because of corporate greed. The sculptures are transformed into habitats for marine life in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Part of the Underwater Museum of Art (MUSA), created by Artist and Artistic Director Jason deCaires Taylor, these bankers are one of many underwater exhibits at the museum, which offers multiple ways of enjoying their art. If only the bankers took their heads out of the sand (or asses).
Punta Nizuc, where these bankers lay, also has lots more to see, you can dive, snorkel or stay dry in the glass-bottom boat, all while becoming environmentally aware of ocean conservation.
Creepy Clowns at the Sea Shore
more than 200,000 people flock to Vorarlberg, Austria every year, during July and August, to see the Bregenz Festspielhaus, a performing arts festival on the water. If you're a coulrophobia (afraid of clowns) then this isn't the festival for you. They have floating barges with performers and floats, like this giant clown head all around the convention center. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra performs at the beginning of the festival as well as operas and plays.
While this may be a big attraction in Austria, the sheer size and creepiness of the clown head may stop you in your tracks. You may want to think twice about bringing the kiddos!
Into The Abyss
Into the deep abyss some 100 feet down, and while this may be a training practice, you can't help but wonder what's down there, and whether it is friendly or not. The Submarine Escape Training Tank is known as SETT which has been used by the British Royal Navy, U.S. Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, and others for years. It prepares navy persons for submarine survival in deep waters.
Descending into the darkness of the water is not for the faint of heart. Because of tanks like these, lives have been saved. The Royal Navy opened the Submarine Escape, Rescue, Abandonment, and Survival (SMERAS) training facility, pictured here.
Village Engulfed by Toxic Lake
Geamăna was once a beautiful village in Romania, where many visitors came to see the vastly untouched natural surroundings. Unfortunately, in 1978 the government decided to build the Roșia Poieni copper mine and forced the residents of Geamăna to leave so the valley could be flooded with runoff waste from the copper mine. The sludge that the mine produces is vibrant with colors of yellow, red, orange, a multicolored toxic lake of iron, sulfur, and copper waste.
All that's visible of the once vibrant village is the church steeple popping out of the sludgy water. While the lake may be vibrant with color, the entire area is uninhabitable, all to make a buck!
Reminders of War
Saranda Bay, Albania in 1943 saw the SS Probitas sink to its grave almost a thousand feet off the shore and it's been there ever since. The World War II Italian cargo ship stretches some 380 feet long and lays on its side in the waters of this beach town. Sunk by German bombers flying overhead, it never made it out of the port. Now it's an artificial reef for the bay.
At its shallowest point of sinking it's just 10 feet below the water's surface and ships that enter the bay need to navigate around it. A constant reminder of the history and the price we pay during wartime.
Jersery Shore No More
Casino Pier has had a rollercoaster there since 1970, it's a staple of the iconic Seaside Heights on the New Jersey shoreline that so many speak about. Originally it was the Jet Star erected in 1970 and ran until 2002 when it was taken down. In 2002 the Star Jet was erected in its place as a new steel rollercoaster meant to last till the end of time, or until Hurricane Sandy passed through in 2012.
Only standing for ten years before it sunk into the Atlantic Ocean with the pier. This image was often used to show the extent of damage that was caused by Hurricane Sandy.
Just Keep Driving
The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel running under the Patapsco River is one of those modern marvels that makes life easier for people to get around. It beats taking a boat like in the olden days, yet sometimes heavy rains cause flooding in the tunnel which should be cause for alarm or not. Just keep driving seems to be the thought process here as there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The pair tunnels range from 50 to 100 feet deep under the river with a height of 22 feet and a width of 14 feet there isn't anywhere to go but straight.
All That Remained
Climate change deniers would have a hard time arguing with the families that lived on Holland Island in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland. Settled in the 1600s, Holland Island was a bustling town with a school, post office, church, and even a doctor, but with rising ocean levels and crashing waves, slowing the shoreline began to erode. By 1914 mostly all residents had left the island, but when the church moved in 1922, no one was left.
This was the last house standing, built in 1888, it collapsed in 2010. Once a fishing island community, it just vanished off the face of the earth; like it never existed at all.
For the Sake of Progress
More often than not, when we see buried towns or remnants of villages poking out of nature, they are places of ancient past civilizations from long ago. This is not the case in Potosi, Venezuela, where the town was purposely flooded in 1985 to create a hydroelectric dam to support the surrounding areas. Well, the people who created this dam and reservoir didn't really take into consideration all the people they displaced, now did they?
As Irony will have it, the country has had a severe drought in recent years, and now the church and its cemetery sit on dry land. That's what you call payback is a bitch.
Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
If you have ever been to New York, then you know the subways run underwater across both the Hudson and East river. This uncanny photo could be your worst nightmare of riding the New York City Transit subway system. Have no fear because this subway car is submerged on purpose to create an artificial reef for marine life along the eastern seaboard. The cars bring new life to the ocean for crustaceans and fish alike.
Once decontaminated, over 2500 cars were dumped off the coasts of New Jersey, Georgia, South Carolina, and Delaware, to name a few. It's recycling man's garbage while providing food and shelter for the oceans' marine life.
Cruise Ships' Graveyard
Covid-19 has wreaked havoc globally with everyone suffering one way or another. The cruise ship industry took a major hit even before other industries were feeling it. To fight the downward decline, cruise lines are ditching the ships in graveyards, trying to scrap as much metal as they can to make up for losses. There are so many ships waiting in Greece because there is no room left in the ship scrapyard in Turkey.
Stripped of anything valuable, these ships all become floating ghost ships waiting to be scrapped, metal by the ton. Sad to see all the cruise liners sitting dead at the docks. These ships have sailed!
Sunken Airship
Boats usually sink, and planes usually crash, but this is a bit of both-- a sunken plane looking very much intact. This diver swims down the aisle as a flight attendant would walk through checking on passengers' seat belts are secured. No passengers aboard this flight, as we hope he's not checking for any, that are still buckled in their seats. It's just unsettling to see what belongs in the air underwater.
We hope this was sunken on purpose to give all the fishies a new home by recycling an old plane into an artificial reef for ocean life. Either way, it's a haunting sight.
World Discoverer Down for the Count
Built in the 1970s, the World Discoverer, traveled the world exploring the far ends of the earth for 30 years until it struck rocks in Roderick Bay, Nggela Islands. For all the trips this ship has made to Antarctica, Chile, Argentina, the South Pacific Islands, and Alaska just to name a few, it was a rocky coral reef that took it out of commission, where it now lies as a tourist sight.
Half sunken, it's beginning to look like part of the landscape with trees and bushes growing on it. Once a great sea fairing ship, now reduced to a rusting metal shell, but hopefully the ocean life like it.
Minesweeper
At first glance, this looks like an underwater full-metal scuba suit emerging from depths unknown, or an alien helmet beacon device. What is it? An ocean mine, like landmines they bury on roads to stop enemies from gaining territory, except in the water. War is an ugly business, it causes death and destruction wherever it treads. Landmines and ocean mines blow up things, sadly it's usually people that get hurt or killed by these contraptions of death.
When wars end, people don't just pick up all the mines they laid out, nope-- they just pack themselves up and leave the wake of carnage and wreckage behind them. They're still out there, beware!
The Unsinkable Sinks
The Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable, made of thousands of tons of steel, a marvel for its time, and yet on its first sailing managed to sink into the freezing depths of the Atlantic ocean. The propeller of this great ship was just as massive, weighing 38 tons and each blade was 23 feet long, designed to move the titanic with immense force, as it was the fastest ship of its time.
The propeller now sits in the frigid waters of the Atlantic ocean slowly rotting away some 13,000 feet down on the ocean floor. No one ever expected an 883-foot long steel cruise liner would splinter into pieces, ever.
Ocean Serpent
The Loch Ness Monster is a Scottish Folklore story of a giant sea monster living in Loch Ness, a freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands. This is not she, but another. The Ocean Serpent lives off the coast of France and is a whopping 400 feet long, made of aluminum, this serpent skeleton appears to be slithering on top of the water. Inspired by China's mythical dragons, he's freaky scary.
Chinese-French artist Huang Yong Ping created this artwork in 2012 off the shore of Saint Brevin Les Pins, in western France. This artwork has a gloom factor with an environmental message.
Lost Egyptian City Sleeps in the Nile
Thonis-Heracleion was once the largest ancient port in Egypt at the mouth of the Nile River. Submerged underwater for nearly 2,000 years, this Greek and Egyptian city is being brought to light by archaeologists who discovered it in 2000. Through earthquakes, tsunamis, and rising sea levels, the city eventually fell into the Mediterranean, and with it, the mesh of two cultures coexistence. This Statue of Hapi seems to be calling to the scuba diver.
Ironically, Hapi, the God of flooding the Nile, was meant to bring fertility to the land. Hapi waits under the Nile to once again emerge. Well, he did his job well, he flooded everything including himself.
Nice Sharky Sharky
Sharks have a bad reputation in real life and the movies. If you ever saw Jaws, then you know sharks are no joke. They are the top carnivorous predators of the ocean, just look at his teeth, and we all know why. This shark statue was made for a movie in 2007, and even though he isn't real, he will make you pee your wetsuit any day you happen to swim by.
Maybe sharks have a bad reputation as Bruce from Finding Nemo put it. "I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food."
Water Street Formerly French Street
When it rains, water usually runs down the street in the gutter or occasionally floods clogged sewer drains. It's not every day you can give directions for underwater streets, but this is what happened in Texas after Hurricane Harvey barreled through in September of 2017. French Street, as you can see is completely submerged by floodwaters that engulfed the whole neighborhood. It's quite the contrary to the desert heat that comes to mind thinking of Texas.
If it wasn't for the sign, you wouldn't be able to tell this is a street. It looks more like a lake or small river with gentle rapids, but definitely not a street in town.
Giant of the Ocean
The USS Midway is a colossal Aircraft Carrier built in the 1940s, commissioned just after World War II, and active for 47 years serving the Navy until it was decommissioned to become a museum in San Diego, California. Just look at the size of her compared to the kayaker in the water. She is so big that she was the first aircraft carrier that was too big to fit through the Panama Canal.
They may have said that the Titanic was unsinkable, but the USS Midway is nearly impossible to sink-- after all, she has been in many wars, and she's still afloat. Holding 120 planes she's a floating arsenal.
No Need For a Distress Call
The owner of this boat definitely gets his fair share of laughs watching people's reactions when they see him chilling on a half sinking boat. While he may be having the last laugh he's also constantly telling people not to send a distress call to the coast guard, bet he didn't think of that when he decided to make a boat look like it's always sinking. This boat may be more trouble than it's worth.
It's a great conversation piece once everyone has calmed down and relaxed that there isn't an emergency. Although with only half a boat, he best not spring a leak. Hope he has a life preserver.
Whale or Navy Ship
Is that a whale they seem to be rallying around? Maybe it's a submarine surfacing? Nope, that is the bottom of a retired navy ship. The USS Spiegel Grove served its country well and in 2002 had planned to be sunk as a new reef ecosystem off the coast of Key Largo, Florida when it sank early and rolled over bottom-up. In 2005 Hurricane Dennis swept past the Florida keys and flipped the USS Spiegel Grove right ride up.
Just think how massive the water current had to be to flip a 510-foot ship, weighing almost 7,000 tons, over. If you're into scuba diving then add the USS Spiegel Grove to your bucket list.
The Mighty Titanic
You can just imagine Kate Winslet leaning over the bow of the Titanic (1997) with Leonardo DiCaprio snuggling behind her and the theme song, "My Heart Will Go On" playing in the background. A memory etched in everyone's brain of the famous Titanic movie, and this is that actual bow some 13,000 feet underwater at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Built to be indestructible it sank on its maiden voyage from England to New York City.
Sunk on April 14th, 1912 the Titanic is slowly being eaten away by bacteria and before long, it will be all but gone forever. The band played while the ship sank, knowing their fate.
Ride the Atlantis
The next time you're taking a vacation in Hawaii make sure to check out Atlantis Adventures, where you can board a submarine and dive 100 feet deep to observe Hawaii's underwater sea life. Atlantis has been offering this unique opportunity to ride in a submarine since 1988 and is the most environmentally friendly submarine around. A choice of three subs, each is battery powered, emitting no pollutants into the ocean and coast guard approved.
While this photo looks like the scuba diver is racing the submarine in the darkness, the ocean life along the Hawaiin Islands is bountiful. So if you're brave enough to take the dive, you'll never forget it.
Stranded and Run Aground
You go to the cemetery to pay your respects to loved ones long gone, and what do you see washed up on shore? A stranded oil rig, weighing 17,000 tons holding 280 tons of diesel fuel. Called the Transocean Winner, this rig was being towed from Norway to Malta when the tow lines broke, and it drifted onto the beach of Dalmore in Western Isles, Scotland. Dalmore beach was closed in case diesel fuel leaked.
The oil rig is completely out of place onshore as they are usually a few miles off of coastlines. The Transocean Winner looks like it just picked up and left the ocean as if walking away.
Christ of the Abyss
This Christ statue with its outstretched arms and palms wide open sits 55 feet under the Mediterranean sea off the coast of Italy, in San Fruttuoso, meant to protect all scuba divers. It seems everywhere you go, even under the sea, Christ is lurking, calling on his constituents. Created by Duilioi Marcante in 1954 as a tribute to his dear friend, and first-ever Italian to wear scuba gear, Dario Gonzatti.
Dario died diving, and the statue is located where the accident happened, as a memorial to him. Over the years, the statue has been resurrected, repaired, and returned to its resting place.