Beyond bubbling reefs and foaming waves lapping upon the shore, the deep dark ocean stretches for miles. Beyond the charming turquoise waters of Hawaii, or the flourishing kelp forests off the coast of California lies an uninterrupted expanse of pitch black water, housing horrific and undiscovered creatures.
According to NOAA), “95 percent of our ocean is unknown.” Despite the incredible human achievements in reaching other planets, we still know so little about our own planet. Having explored only 5% of the world’s oceans, there are bound to be unexplored species lurking far below the surface. Though these fears are mostly unfounded, I ask you to imagine this:
You’re all alone in the middle of the ocean. There is no land for miles and miles around, the night sky lit only by an indifferent moon. You’ve been treading water for how long? You can’t remember. The frigid water seeps into your soul, biting into your face and body, chilling you to the bone. The water yanks you down, your fatigued muscles waning. You can’t fight for much longer. Out of the corner of your eye, you see something moving down below. In the dim moonlight, you see a monstrous shadow moving in the all-consuming blackness below. A puckered gray fin. A flash of serrated teeth in an unhinged jaw. And it’s gone.
You stick your head below the water, frantically splashing to try and get a glimpse of the creature below you. You’re surrounded by nothing but blackness for miles and miles. And there’s no way out.
I get shivers down my spine just to think about these scenarios. The first time I went snorkeling was in the Baja Peninsula, treading water above a bottomless pit like this. The ugliest fish I have ever seen swarmed around us, their slimy, scaly flesh brushing against my legs and arms. Their bulbous eyes staring unblinking into my soul. Embarrassingly, I freaked out and I couldn’t go into the ocean (where my feet couldn’t touch the ground) for a long time. Despite being mostly irrational, I can’t help but wonder and fear what might lurk fathoms below.