I really want Atlantis to be real. The thought of a highly-developed society destroyed and sunk below the ocean has amazing literary appeal. It's a romantic notion, and one that may have roots in actual events. (The eruption of Thera, or the Athenian Invasion of Sicily, etc...) And while there will always be the question of how it was destroyed, we'll also have the question of where it once was. As the mysteries of the ocean are dwindling slowly, there are a few places scattered around the globe that could be the final resting spot of the once great civilization.
Bimini RoadThe Bahamas
A coincidentally configured row of submerged limestone, or a man-made water dock for ships? Bimini Road, discovered in 1969 near North Bimini Island and below three fathoms of water. At the site, Dr. J. Manson Valentine found what he referred to as "an extensive pavement of rectangular and polygonal flat stones of varying size and thickness." The rocks themselves, rounded through years of erosion, have multiple layers of similarly "cut" rocks behind them, indicating that the "road" may have been a wall or dock at one point. Conversely, scientists have argued that the stones are nothing more than naturally occurring "beach rock".
Yonaguni MonumentYonaguni Island, Japan
There is something different sunken off the coast of this small Japanese island. Yonaguni has a series of rock formations or "structures" that appear to have been cut by the hands of man, sit quietly on the bottom of the sea. Though there is no archeological evidence to support the existence of humans, some people believe that the monuments are structures from a 5,000 year-old civilization. (The area is noted for its earthquakes, including one in 1998 which destroyed part of the island.)
Great Blue HoleLighthouse Reef, Belize
There is very little chance that the Great Blue Hole was once the home of a great and powerful situation. But it's an awesome part of the ocean, so I felt like including it. Imagine a hole, 1,000 feet across and 400 feet deep, formed as a cave structure collapsed on itself as the sea-levels rose. Noted explorer and all-around badass, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, named the Great Blue Hole one of his top-ten diving sites on the planet.
If any of our YesButNoButYes readers know of other cool underwater structures, we'd love to hear about them.
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Echo, ask J-Dub if he ever went to '2000 Flushes' in college. That's a pretty fricken sweet freshwater dive. Kind of freaky when you hit the deep (800 ft.)
Bimini Road - Didn't I read somewhere where that's where John McCain grew up?
Zing!
I've always liked deep holes, but this one is incredibly beautiful.
Is not this the place where Phelps was born?
Isn't Atlantis just another name for Alexandria? I mean, it was a great city that was swallowed by the ocean.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau did a special in the 70's on his search for Atlantis. The Bimini Road and other sites were visited by the Calypso team. It's available on DVD in one of the Cousteau box sets, ("The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey: The Complete Series"), which you can Netflix.
It's hard not to believe that Atlantis existed, the mere fact that there are references to it from the Myans to Plato are amazing. I think that it might be somewhere near Krakatoa what with all of the fantastic volcanic activity there.
I dig the Myans... and am looking forward to 12/12/2012...