What's the most unusual things spotted on open ocean?

[Spraygun]

We were coming back to Texas this weekend. When the ship slowed down and did a turn.I know the Gulf of Mexico is not an ocean. But its big and deep.

In 10,000' of water was a boat upside down. 300 miles from land.

Everbody stopped everything and all went to starboard side to observe.

Then someone outside was actually concerned our ship was going to flip over from the weight shift.😃😃

Anyway our ship stopped for a short time to observe for any signs of life. The ship got real quiet. And the music stopped.

After about 10 minutes total. No sign of life was present. We steamed on.

There was no debris of any kind. It was interesting. But the boat was under 14'. It also didn't have any bottom paint on it. And no barnacles either.I think it was nothing based on my experience. But the looks on peoples faces.

They were all pretty worried.

I took pictures.I will try an post.

 

 

 

 

Sent from Samsung Galaxy using speech to text

[GUT2407]

Off the coast of Darwin we saw what could have been an airforce target or an un deployed life raft, Capt did about turn to check all was well.

[chengkp75]

Anchored a couple miles off Pascagoula, MS, saw a 2 foot nutria floating by on a pallet.

 

Flipped pleasure boats are not uncommon, especially in the Gulf and the waters around Florida.

[Markmom18]

On the short trip from Long Beach, CA to Catalina Island my husband and I were shocked at the amount of garbage in the ocean, just heartbreaking! :o This sighting took place on the Catalina Express, but thought worth mentioning.

[suet]

We were pulling out of Galveston once, and had to turn back to port during the dinner service (and this was one of my family and mine first cruises) because the ship that we were one, hit (or just BARELY missed so it was said) a fishing boat. Luckily the people got off their boat in time, but the cruise ship had to go back to port for reasons of were the fishing crew were they OK. They were rescued by the pilot boat. But this was WAY back when the Carnival Sunshine was called the Carnival Destiny. To say it was interesting understatement. It felt like all of a sudden the ship was trying to do a hard right, and we all though oh so cruise is going to be like this! ON NIGHT ONE!!! DOOM!

Alas. This has not stopped me from cruising. Is there a word for a person who has to cruise at least 2 to 3 times a year. Oy. I don't mean to sound how that did. But I need ocean, and beaches, and fun, and and and and. You all get me.

Shutting up. Forgive me. I'm a professional rambler.

And travel agent.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[sailor05]

Seems like someone else posted passing by a capsized boat here a week or 2 ago and they also stopped to check for any signs of life.

[suet]

The one that I was talking about? This happened back in 1999, My whole family's taste of cruising.... And we'll Now it's our preferred way to travel.

So I apologize for being a bit ignorant when I say that I've not heard of the one your talking about. When did the one that you are talking about happen? Cause like I said, clueless. Forgive me.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Flatbush Flyer]

The sail of a partially submerged underway nuclear sub near Mare Island. From a distance it first looked like a mid-channel marker - that is, until I saw its wake.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[EastTex]

Not really unusual but often have seen flying fish on the return leg from Cozumel to New Orleans.

[LHT28]

conning tower of a sub in the North sea

That was something new for us

[chengkp75]

Fishing trawler in the North Sea running to shore with a sea mine in its net. Ships regularly operating there have posters warning of the various types of ordnance that is still being found from two world wars.

[Spraygun]

Anchored a couple miles off Pascagoula, MS, saw a 2 foot nutria floating by on a pallet.

 

Flipped pleasure boats are not uncommon, especially in the Gulf and the waters around Florida.

Those nutria are resourceful little creatures.

 

Sent from Samsung Galaxy using speech to text

[gooch47]

We love seeing flying fish.

 

We saw a dead, decomposing whale literally covered in sea birds. I have a picture of it somewhere.

 

We've also seen huge pods of dolphins or maybe porpoises leaping out of the water.

 

And dozens and dozens of sea otters floating in the water in Tracey Sound in Alaska.

[Spraygun]

Somebody mentioned a collision at sea.

We were out on a new casino boat, out of Galveston a couple of weeks back.

Our Captain Crunch ran our boat head on into the Galveston South jetty. He hit a fixed marker. Put a 100-foot gash down the whole side of the ship. Luckily it was above the waterline. There were some pretty panicked folks on the boat that night. Pretty good video on the internet also. I'll never forget the sound of the steel being torn open from the hull.

That night was the 105th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic😨😨😨

I'll try to post this video I shot, when we got back to the marina

 

 

Sent from Samsung Galaxy using speech to text

[Spraygun]

That's not the video I'm going to try again

 

Sent from Samsung Galaxy using speech to text

[Flatbush Flyer]

conning tower of a sub in the North sea

 

That was something new for us

 

 

Must have been a very old submarine to have a "conning tower." Perhaps you're talking about the "sail." The conning equipment in modern subs is below the deck.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[mrsfuzzmo]

I've got two.

 

2008 Sailing out of Miami on the Carnival Liberty, we had an aft cabin with extended balcony. Because of the big balcony, we invited our four other friends to watch sailaway from that spot. As we were getting close to exiting the channel, a very small (probably 10'-12') boat with two men fishing in it was capsized by the ship's wake....right before our eyes! First we thought it to be funny, but when we realized that the men didn't have life jackets on, and we weren't sure they could swim, we thought we were prehaps going to watch someone drown with no way of helping them. Fortunately they both swam to shore successfully and everyone cheered!!

 

1991 - Dolphin Oceanbreeze cruise to San Blas Island in Panama. When the ship anchored off the coast of the small island, the locals in their hand carved canoes started motoring or paddling out to the ship. Within about 30 minutes of us anchoring, the ship was completely surrounded by hundreds of canoes filled with Kuna Indian families looking for "money, money, money". We'd been told this would happen and it was tradition to go to the casino and get a roll or two of quarters to throw out to them. Many of them had upside down umbrellas in which to catch the coins, others would dive in the water....very deep after those that missed the boats. It was a really cool experience!! I have some video of this as well as some amazing photos, but it was pre-digital, so I'll have to find them and scan them in.

[SantaFeFan]

On the short trip from Long Beach, CA to Catalina Island my husband and I were shocked at the amount of garbage in the ocean, just heartbreaking! :o This sighting took place on the Catalina Express, but thought worth mentioning.

 

This has been a problem this year with all the rain we have had here in California. Runoff into the storm drains will collect trash and debris that ends up in the streets and sweeps it out to sea. It is indeed unfortunate and heartbreaking.

[Spraygun]

Well I can't seem to post video. At least from my cell phone anyway. So I got a couple screenshots here. It may not look that bad

But it was. They have since repaired it though. The beauty of Steel. It's easily fixable. Unfortunately,they still kept Captain Crunch.

 

Sent from Samsung Galaxy using speech to text

[AZ Ocean Lover]

I remember reading awhile ago on this same topic of someone seeing a hippopotamus carcass float by. I hope they see this thread and can add details.

[Sequim88]

On our first transatlantic after three days at sea and seeing water, nothing but water and sky for days, we were eating dinner in a specialty restaurant at a table by the window and glanced out expecting to see... just water but instead a tanker was passing the other way about a quarter mile away. Nothing unusual about a tanker except we were in the middle of the ocean and here was traffic going the other way that really reinforced the sense of isolation. We watched it until we could not see it anymore because it made the ocean not seem so lonely.

[Kartgv]

We once had a whale that swam along-side the ship for miles - keeping perfect pace about 300 feet away, surfacing and blowing pretty frequently. We've also seen many dolphins, and some sort of very large rays jumping up and skimming the wake. Back in the early 80's we saw armed patrol boats 'escorting' the ship in the Caribbean when we neared Cuban waters.

[celle]

A submarine, half submerged and running alongside us, in the Baltic Sea.

[jocap]

On our first transatlantic after three days at sea and seeing water, nothing but water and sky for days, we were eating dinner in a specialty restaurant at a table by the window and glanced out expecting to see... just water but instead a tanker was passing the other way about a quarter mile away. Nothing unusual about a tanker except we were in the middle of the ocean and here was traffic going the other way that really reinforced the sense of isolation. We watched it until we could not see it anymore because it made the ocean not seem so lonely.

 

When we go from the UK to the Caribbean, the officers have a competition to see how many ships we see... they were hoping for 12 this year, but actually saw 16 in 10 days.

Last year we were all out on deck to watch the great rowing race from the Canaries to Antigua... there was 4 women from Yorkshire doing this, and we all wanted them to at least finish. All you could see was tiny pin pricks of light from their rowing boats. They would have been relieved to see a ship in that vast space. The Yorkshire women were way behind the leaders, by many days, but they did finish! :)

[cruzincurt]

A couple of years ago coming back through​ the Florida Straits we came upon a boat of Cuban refugees. Ship stood by until a Coast Guard cutter showed up in about 45 minutes. The ship stood away and the cutter shielded the pickup actions from the prying phone cameras on our ship.

 

Sent from my B3-A30 using Forums mobile app