When I was young, our summers often involved trips to California where we would visit Sea World and Disneyland, and it inevitably involved an entire day spent at the beach. We would pack beach chairs and umbrellas that we would have to tote through the burning hot sand where my parents would excuse us to go play. My older brother and I would quickly run into the ocean and swim out into the depths where the waves would start to break (right where the surfers would wait to catch waves). We would play for hours and hours diving under the capsizing waves and letting the water flip us around in the sea. Only making our way to the beach so we could walk back to where my parents were because the tide would pull us far down the beach without us even realizing what was happening. As a kid I never thought twice about what could be lurking in the water just below our feet. It frightens me just thinking about what might have been swimming near us without our noticing. The ocean is a vast, scary world that we know very little about. And it’s so dark and murky that something could be within feet of you and you wouldn’t even notice. I’m less inclined to swim out into the ocean now that I’m older (and watch National Geographic). Here are some disturbing photos of things that lurk in the ocean that will make you think twice about your carefree summers at the beach from now on!
- 1. If this was the one andonly picture in this post, it would be enough to make me question why anyone would get in the water! I watched a documentary once where they tagged a white shark and it went within yards of swimmers at the beach several times. Super scary to think this could be near you and you wouldn’t even know until it’s too late!
- 2. Just knowing the sheer size of animals in the ocean is enough to creep any sane person out! And they blend right into the water around them!
- 3. I’m afraid of small jelly fish! Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to run into a giant Lion’s Mane Jellyfish?
- 4. They say that space is the last frontier, but I beg to differ. The ocean is so immensely deep and mostly unexplored. They are discovering new species all the time! I really don’t want to know what monsters are yet to be discovered in the dark abyss!
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- 6. I’m not exactly sure what this is. It looks like a combination of a potato bug and slug. Whatever it is, I really don’t want to encounter one in the water!
- 7. Am I the only one who is worried for this swimmer going over a deep dark drop-off in the ocean floor?! Who knows what’s down there waiting to devour an unsuspecting victim!
- 8. Yeah, sure the giant stingray looks like it’s smiling, and the swimmer is doing her zen-thing, but that thing may be smiling because it found an easy snack!
- 9. I know seaweed isn’t as scary as a shark, but have you ever had something brush up against you that makes you jump out of your own skin? That’s the sensation I get just seeing these swaying in the waves!
- 10. This Goblin Shark is the stuff of nightmares! And it doesn’t even matter that they live in the deepest parts of the ocean. The fact that they exist at all is reason enough to stay out of the water!
- 11. I’m sure people would get a kick out of exploring abandoned ships in the ocean, but those vessels give me an eery feeling. I would be worried the propeller would magically turn on and chop me up if I was that diver, even though my brain tells me that it can’t happen.
- 12. Even scarier than sharks is the giant squid! Have you seen how aggressive squid can be? And they travel in swarms that can tear you apart!
- 13. An Angler Fish is definitely a rival for the Goblin Shark in the freaky fish contest! Those needle-like teeth are something I NEVER want to encounter in my life! If I ever see something bright and shiny, flicking around the dark ocean, you can bet I will swim in the opposite direction!
- 14. Another example of how the ocean can just have the floor drop off from right beneath you! I would be so scared a huge eel is hiding in that hole ready to snap up the diver!
- 15. Even though whales aren’t intimidating in theory, I guarantee they are in person. They are ginormous! And could easily kill you without even trying. You could be swatted like a fly by this massive creature!
- 16. If I was this surfer, I would be saying “Hell No!” and beat feet back to shore, where I would never get in the water again! I wonder if he is too close to see the shark though. It puts the dangers you face when in the water into a new perspective!
- 17. The only way I like crab is served steamed in a bucket! I would cry if I ran into one on the beach or in the water!
- 18. Stingrays as far as the eye can see. I would love to see this, from the side of a boat. But even then, I would be terrified I might fall in and find myself surrounded by these creatures!
- 19. Could you imagine scuba-diving just to find yourself surrounded by a school of hammerhead sharks?! I hope sharks can’t sense fear because I would be a goner in this situation!
I think marine life is absolutely beautiful! I love the ocean and I love the beauty of sharks, fish, etc., but I would prefer to appreciate them from the safety of land, or in the very least, from the deck of a boat. Knowing there are monsters in the ocean make me appreciate aquariums all the more! Aquariums allow me to see what is lurking in the sea with the comfort of knowing they are behind thick glass! I’m pretty sure I will never go swimming in the ocean again and you can be sure that I won’t ever let my children go off on our own like my parents let me as a child!
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