We really don't know much about what's in our oceans. That's a very scary thought. It's also enormous, so the stories of people who have been lost out in it for weeks at a time can really creep you out. What the hell are we doing out there? Isn't being on land freaky enough?
Oh, and did none of you watch Jaws? If that's not reason enough to stay on land, I don't know what is. Some of you are way too brave for your own good.
As beautiful as the ocean can be, many people have had some unnerving experiences. We heard some of them after Redditor anchorwitch asked the online community,
"Sailors, scuba divers, surfers, and others…have you seen or experienced anything on or in the water that gave you the creeps? What is your creepiest ocean-related experience?"
"I encountered a moray..."
"I encountered a moray eel chomped in half on a night dive. Eel was still swimming."
alexnewberry
Half along what axis? Inquiring minds want to know.
"Had a pool of dolphins..."
"Had a pod of dolphins swim under me and my friend, grazed our legs. The waves sucked, we were just hanging out on the boards."
"Immediately thought bull shark or nurse, checking if we were food. Then we saw dolphins popping up. They were just passing through I guess."
iBelieveinSpace
I'm convinced dolphins do that on purpose for funsies.
"I've had some of the best and worst..."
"I've had some of the best and worst experiences of my life cave diving. Moments where I was totally at peace in a completely alien environment and just one with nature in a way that I don't think is possible outside of a few very special situations."
"I've also had a few moments where I thought I was going to die alone, in the dark, underwater. Only one of those moments was a true close call. The others were mostly psychological and valuable learning experiences. It's not for most people and it takes a certain mindset, but my life would be noticeably emptier without it. Risks and all."
helodriver87
Cave diving is like taking all of the claustrophobic horror of standard caving with the deadliness of diving.
"When a 10 foot mako..."
"When a 10 foot mako swam past as we were diving with lemon and nurse sharks. A little bit of poop came out."
[deleted]
Ha. I initially read this in a way that made it seem like you were terrified that the ten footer pooped.
"The creepiest..."
"The creepiest for me was seeing a 12 foot tiger shark swimming in the distance when I was diving in Hawaii. The water was clear but there was a little haze. It was just far enough away that i kept losing track of where it was. Then I would turn my head around and see it behind me again."
verac23
Nooope.
I have seen way too many killer shark movies.
"Thankfully no..."
"Thankfully no, but I had a buddy who swears part of his route was “haunted with shrimp”. I could never quite get a full explanation of what that meant, but he’d get a funny look in his eye and goosebumps when he talked about it. Weird stuff."
[deleted]
Damn, I need to know this now. Don't leave me hanging!
"There were days..."
"There were days/nights out on the Persian Gulf when the sea was perfectly calm and looked like glass. The stillness always gave me the creeps for some reason."
Tonys_Grundle
It becomes disorienting. Your mind does weird things when you have no point of reference.
"Noticed in my peripheral vision..."
"Snorkeling - noticed in my peripheral vision a massive moray eel that was longer than me, about 6’, and about one foot away from me just swimming beside me , it was no threat but scared the crap out of me at first ,more than seeing a shark in the distance."
Dengareedo
When an eel passes by, and you think you might die, that’s a morayyyyy
"I was young..."
"I was young (maybe 2nd grade?) and was out on a lake with my friend. At the time, I was really into fishing, so that’s what we were doing. I was leaning down over the water to take a look at what was going on in there, and a MASSIVE gar pike came right up to the surface and charged past us. I still think about it."
fcker5000
That would absolutely leave an impression!
"Looked up..."
"Was snorkeling around Clearwater with my nieces. Looked up and thought I saw a shark for a split second so I made us all go in. They were pretty mad at the time. The next day we wake up and it’s on the news that a girl was bit by one at the same beach later that day."
[deleted]
Sounds like you definitely dodged a bullet!
The ocean is terrifying, friends. Moral of these stories: Probably best to stay on land and mind your business.
Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
Elaine Miles/Facebook
@doctor_kristinm/Threads
@PeteHegseth/X
The White House