This article was originally published on 24/7Mirror
The ocean's waters cover 70% of our planet's surface, so it is no surprise that now and then, the great big sea spits out something truly remarkable. A relic from human history, a creature from the dark ocean's seabed, or simply a gift from nature, there is no limit to the secrets hidden in the waters. Here are some of the most astounding things to ever wash up on shore—some of them are truly out of this world!
Through The Looking Glass
These gorgeous beings are named By-the-Wind Sailor, and they are cute as they are harmless. They are mostly transparent, and on their top, they have a single, triangular sail that uses the wind to carry them across the ocean.
These glass-like creatures visit the coasts of the united stated every few weeks, giving beachgoers a true sight to behold. Surprisingly, their frequent appearance on the shore doesn't harm the species at all.
Miss Congeniality
There are certain things better off hidden in the darkness of the ocean. This well-intentioned creature is one of them, and it has been rightly named Hell Fish. It appeared on the shores of Mooloolaba beach in Australia.
This fish only wanted to be part of our world, but sadly he was rejected over their looks. Maybe, as a society, we will learn to see that what is on the inside matters. But for now, that's one ugly fish.
A Spineless Whale
Sometimes, the oceans throw parts of the animal rather than the entire thing. This spinal column was found on West Runton Beach in England, and it used to belong to a sperm whale.
It has become a recurring event for bones washing up on the shore across the planet. They are sent to labs to be examined and then displayed across museums or maritime centers.
Big Calamari
This beautiful under-the-sea creature found itself washed up on the shores of New Zealand at Wellington beach. Three brothers discovered this giant while simply enjoying a day at the beach.
Now, believe it or not, this occurrence happens on a fairly regular basis, with squids of all sizes, giant and small, show up and surprise beachgoers all over the world.
What's the point?
This skeleton is another item to wash up on a Wellington beach in New Zealand. We don't think anyone expected this skeleton of the pufferfish to be so pointy. After all, wouldn't it burst the fish like a balloon?
Having landed on a beach that harbors mainly pebbles, What's so impressive about this skeleton is the fact it's pretty much intact, and it's a rare thing to find out there.
He's Heading Somewhere
This unfortunate shark has met its demise somewhere in the ocean and lost its head. Eventually, finding a new home on the shores of Farewell Spit, once again, in New Zealand.
It is quite a mystery to solve. Firstly, Where did the body go? And secondly, what could have decapitated this shark the way it did? Maybe it's best not to find out the answer to the second question.
Double Feature
This one is not only terrifying but mesmerizing as well. When was the last time you saw a double-headed dolphin? Found on the beaches of Izmir, Turkey, these guys have sure made a splash.
This one-year-old creature was swept up through a storm in the ocean and crashed down on land. Dolphins also tend to appear on beaches around the globe, but conjoined dolphin twins? that is a one in a million event.
Not Pickles
Pyrosoma Atlanticum, commonly known as sea pickles, usually float in colonies in the ocean. They casually find themselves on the beach when the tides get strong and pull them towards the land.
The sea pickle's diet consists of plankton, as they filter liters of ocean water in a matter of hours. A fun fact about these oblong creatures is they are considered relatives to sea stars, sand dollars, and urchins. They look pretty cool, too.
An American Dinosaur
This Dinosaur femur arrived on the shores of the state of Washington, USA. The marvelous bone remained hidden in the deep waters of the pacific ocean, was finally discovered million years later, proving for the first time that dinosaurs were in America
Scientists identified the owner of the bone as a theropod, a dinosaur similar to a T-Rex and a velociraptor. The 80 million-year-old femur is considered a discovery like no other, advancing our knowledge about prehistoric life.
Looking On
You will need to see it to believe it. Beachgoers found an eyeball that arrived at the shores of Pompano Beach, Florida. Its size is similar to that of a standard softball, and its owner has yet to be identified.
A champion of the staring game, this massive eyeball remains under the protective custody of The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and will go through genetic testings to identify its origin.
Doing A 180
The 180 million-year-old bones of a prehistoric fish-lizard, an ichthyosaur, were found on the coast of England by Tony Gill, a professional fossil collector. This discovery is considered one of the biggest ichthyosaur fossils found.
If you care to see the fossil for yourselves, you can! It is currently exhibiting nearby the shore in which it was found, at Charmouth Fossils. It's found a new home among other similar specimens that might interest you.
It's Not What You Think
This eight-year-old boy is holding vomit with his bare hands. Yes, your read that correctly. It is a whale's vomit. Also known as gray amber or Ambergris, this substance is found in the intestines of a sperm whale.
Ready for a fun fact? The Ambergris, for hundreds of years, has been used for many things such as potions, medicine, spices, and stabilizing perfumes. By the way, that vomit was valued at 65,000$.
Hump Day
It is a sight you don't see every day. A 40-foot humpback whale found itself on a Californian beach on a sunny day after meeting its end somewhere in the ocean.
Bystanders looked on as the authorities brought in a bulldozer to safely remove the giant creature back into the ocean, to allow it to decompose uninterrupted. RIP humpback whale, and thank you for the memories.
A Whale's Tale
It is a tale about a whale's tail, traveling thousands of miles to arrive on the English shoreline. How this impressive tail met its end is unknown, but we can only hope it had a good life.
This tail was part of many more sealife creatures washing up on the beaches of England as a hurricane in March 2018 caused high tides and powerful winds, able to carry incredible underwater wonders.
Murder Mystery
Here is a gruesome twist. Four great white sharks were found dead on the coasts of South Africa during May and June in 2017, but the weirdest part was every shark was missing its liver.
If you thought a human was responsible for this heinous crime, think again because marine biologists can confirm Orca whales are to blame, as they are known predators of sharks and their favorite part to consume? You guessed it, the liver.
The oarfish
Meet the oarfish! A rare find indeed. This boomerang-like creature washed up on Catalina beach in California in June of 2015. Its impressive length stands at 13.5 feet (4 Meters).
The oarfish live in the depths of the ocean, and because of this fact, not much is known about their anatomy and their behavior. When a find like this reaches land, scientists run to explore and examine this incredible opportunity.
Clumpy Ocean
These strange wax-like clumps appeared out of nowhere on the coastline of France, stretching out on the shore for almost 40 miles (60 kilometers). They arrived in groups of thousands and washed along with the tides.
The clumps' origin hasn't been determined, but the highest probability of they how they came to be, according to Sea-Mer Association, is that these clumps are a by-product of hot grease from a boat's exhaust. Yuck!
Blob, Blob, Blob
This guy washed up on a California beach, and honestly, no one is sure what this is. Marine biologists' estimated guess is this might be some type of sea slug or a limpet.
Here is another proof we have yet to understand or even be aware of the creatures lurking in the water. Marine life is like the tip of an iceberg sticking out of the water while its entire body remains hidden underneath.
What A Mass!
In July 2016, on the sands of Acapulco beach in Mexico, this mass of grayish flesh was found washed up on the shore. As it turns out, this flesh comes from the decaying heads of sperm whales.
Next time you're on your Mexican beach vacation and you stumble across decaying sperm whale heads, leave them alone and notify authorities to clear the mess out. Then, return to enjoy your mai-tai cocktail.
Melting Point
This wonderous find is an ancient walrus skull, found on the shoreline of Norway, with other bones in the area estimated to be 10,000 years old. At the end of the last ice age, frozen off areas from the deep seabed began to melt, revealing hundreds of fossils.
The fossils are preserved in the ice, in great condition, and remain mostly intact. Archeologists from all over the world tend to find many discoveries on these new melted beaches.
Snow Fight!
For the first time in history, this event has been recorded on a beach in Siberia in Russia in the fall of 2016. the combination of wind and cold weather created these balls and covered an 11 mile (17 Kilometers) stretch of land.
If you are planning a snow fight, and in need of ammunition, we advise you to take a trip to Siberia and go at it. Mother nature obviously produced these solely to throw them at opponents.
Pushing Driftwood
This humongous driftwood came out straight from a fairy tale land and washed up on the shores of La Push Beach in Washington. Pieces of driftwood this big usually measure between 5 and 10 feet in diameter and over 100 feet tall.
Fun fact, La Push Beach became famous for more than its driftwood appearances. It was heavily shown in the Twilight book and film series, as they are nearby the heroes' town.
There's A Dice In The Water
This photo was taken by a user on Reddit, on a local U.S. beach. The giant die appeared out of nowhere and managed to create quite a stir regarding its origin. To this day, no one knows how it got there or where it came from.
We would assume someone missing this giant die would have noticed it was, well...missing. On the other hand, it's completely logical that someone threw it out on purpose. Then again, why not just throw it in the trash?
El DeBarge
Beachgoers in St. Pete Beach in Florida found a true one-of-a-kind (we hope) visitor washed up on the shore. A barge weighing nearly 40 tons, is 200 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 8 feet tall, so yeah, it's pretty big.
Just the size is incredible, but the fact that it rode the waves and managed to find itself on a beach in Florida is more impressive in our opinion. Where ever it came from and the journey it must have made makes this item extraordinary.
Elmo's Beach Day
A tragic end to a muppet we all know and love. This stuffed Elmo toy found itself on one of the beaches in Oregon, USA, after it was tossed into the ocean and made its way back to land.
Someone should notify Sesame street that Elmo won't be coming home any time soon. Maybe Big Bird was behind this? or could it be the cookie monster? It's probably Bert and Ernie, they always looked suspicious to us!
The Return Of The Couch
We are all up for a summer day at the beach, finding a spot to lay down and having a drink or two. Bringing a couch with you? That's going to be a big no-no.
It does sound alluring to sit on a couch while looking at the sea, with waves crashing down on the shore, and feeling the comfy cushions under your body, the sun is out and shining, but again, a big no-no.
All Aboard!
Sometimes, magical things appear on the beach, and this is one of them. Surprisingly, shipwrecks get washed up onto the shore quite often. Thank you heavy winds and strong tides, for bringing us treasures like these.
This ship landed off the coast of Fraser Island in Australia. Creative locals took it upon themselves to add a little color to the rusty exterior by splashing paint on it. Today, the ship has become a tourist attraction open for all.
Plane And Simple
We have here a United States Army Air Force fighter plane after it crashed during WWII on the Gwynedd coast. This plane was discovered an astonishing 60 years later on a beach in Wales!
Airplanes are known for appearing on shores around the globe. Whatever the reason for a plane to go down, you can count the ocean's current to bring it back to land.
Robots Don't Need Hands
If you travel to Great Kills Park Beach in New York, you might end up finding the entire body of this severed robot hand. How it came to the shore remains a mystery, and no robot has stepped forward to claim the hand yet.
Our imagination immediately takes us to the Terminator, and perhaps a futuristic war that was fought and we may never know even took place. The only piece of evidence is this robot's hand in the sand.
Sadistic Lego
Why is there a single lego piece in the sand? Our best guess is someone who has sadistic tendencies wanted to watch the world burn. We all know, one of the worst things to happen to our feet is steeping on a lego.
The truth is, a container back in 1992, filled with 4.8 million individual pieces of lego, fell into the sea around the coasts of England, and 20 years later, legos continue to wash up on the shore.
Riding Into The Sunset
This Harley Davidson did what no other bike had done before. It traveled from Miyagi in Japan to British Colombia in Canada when it was swept up in the 2011 Japanese tsunami.
If this isn't great publicity, then we don't know what is. The bike that can take you anywhere you want, whenever you want. Sign us up for the next group purchase. These bikes rule!
Failure To Send
These love letters from soldiers who fought in WWII never made it to their destinations. The proof is scattered all over European beaches, with countless letters discovered over the years since the wars.
The culprit behind these undelivered letters can trace back to sea storms, who knocked post containers off their route. Naive to believe, but we hope in the end, the soldiers returned home and were able to complete the story for their loved ones.
Rubber Ducks
This is a 25-year-old duck tale. A container leaving Hong Kong back in the year 1992, was lost in the pacific ocean. Onboard the container were 28,000 yellow rubber ducks.
To this day, rubber ducks from that lost container continue to appear on beaches all across the globe, with Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, United States, England, and France on the list.
Plane Down
In 1942, this fighter plane, named Maid of Harlech, crashed off the coasts of England. During a training exercise, the engines died, and the plane went down. The pilot luckily survived the ordeal.
It took 60 years for the Maid of Harlech to be discovered. We are keeping our hopes up for when they find Amelia Earhart's vanished plane somewhere around the planet.
Drogon!
England's Jurassic Beach is known for its many prehistoric findings, but one day beachgoers discovered something truly out of this world. What they found was a 40-foot dragon skull overlooking the sea.
We wish dragons were real, but sadly this skull belonged to a creative ad campaign for the popular HBO series, Game of Thrones. A team of sculptors worked for two months to create this masterpiece.
Cannonball!
These antique cannonballs were found fused on a beach in South Carolina, in 2016. They were created and used back in the 1800s, during the American civil war.
After authorities have been alerted, a bomb squad arrived to remove and destroy the cannonballs. In case they were still active and ready to explode. Don't worry, two cannonballs were also preserved and kept on display at Fort Moultrie, a military base in South Carolina.
The Importance Of Palm Oil
In August 2017, clumps of congealed palm oil covered nearly a dozen beaches across Hong Kong. A container carrying palm oil crashed near mainland China, and the cargo spilled out to the sea.
Did you know palm oil is in everything? Pizza, Chocolate, doughnuts, deodorant, shampoo, lipstick, and many others. The reason is because of how versatile the oil is, in both the easiness it is stored and its different properties that apply to many products.
Olympic Runaway
An Olympic starting platform built for swimming practices and competition during the 2016 Olympic Games came loose and found itself washed up on the shores of Brazil, the hosting country.
The beach in which the platform arrived, was forced to close down to visitors and swimmers, to allow rescue teams a bit of clearance to go in the waters and retrieve the runaway platform.
Seagarettes
In 2014, a hurricane managed to push a Danish cargo ship off course, causing 500 containers of cigarettes to fall into the sea. A day later, Beachgoers began noticing packs of Marlboro cigarettes scattered all over the coasts of the United Kingdom.
The lost cigarettes were estimated at 4 million dollars. After the cargo's owner gave their permission, the cigarettes packs were sent to be burned altogether to produce electricity for the English people.
Shopping At Sea
Back in 2011, a shopping cart was washed up on Aberdeen Beach in Scotland. It is safe to assume there isn't a shopping center somewhere out in the ocean, and we're pretty sure they don't have shopping carts out there either.
It could be an art piece. The shopping cart was abandoned at the beach, making a statement about human society and capitalism in today's world. We are consumed by shopping non-stop, always trying to get the newest, best product even while the beach, a natural beauty, is in front of our eyes.
Tired Of This
Hurricanes are known as violent natural occurrences, and they tend to take things from one place to another. As in this case, where a hurricane knocked an artificial reef made out of tires and scattered them all over a beach in South Carolina.
The number of tires found over time was 10,000. We hope whoever found them has taken them in and gave them a new use. A floating device for the kids? Maybe use one as a spare when you get a flat tire? There are many uses for random tires.
Ancient Sandstone
Beachgoers discovered this sandstone during the '70s on an Australian beach. Tasmanian Aboriginal people who lived in that area created this unique rock, and archaeologists learned that spiral carving is a mark for a meeting place or campsite.
If you want to see the sandstone, you can! After photographing the stone for research, it was donated to the Queen Victoria Museum and put on display for viewers from all over the world.
Lady Liz
Meet Lady Liz! A retired iron ship that for 30 years hauled cargo to parts all over the world. Unfortunately, her end came after finding herself in bad weather, which caused too much damage.
In 1936, Lady Liz found herself a new home, as she was retired to the Falkland Islands, where she remains to this very day. For a while, there were talks to turn her into a floating museum, but due to lack of funding, it never happened.
The Lego Man
In 2007, a life-size lego man appeared on a beach in the Netherlands. Then in 2008, another appeared in Brighton beach. It happened again in 2011, this time in Florida. 2012 came by, and another lego man appeared. Another two lego men were discovered in 2014 and 2015, in Japan and Austria respectively.
A dutch artist named Ego Leonard is responsible for the lego men's appearances all over the world. We will continue to wait for the next time a lego figure will appear.
Bottled Up
If you think about it, this is what a letter in a bottle is supposed to do. Its mission is literally to get washed up on the shore for someone to discover it and read the letter.
Since we are a bit wiser and a little more conscious, next time, instead of throwing glass or plastic bottles out into the ocean, just text or write an email. There is no need to pollute the sea to get the message across.