“I’ve been on the beach probably 25 years and that’s the first time I’ve seen it exposed.”
Unidentified Beach Object
Beach erosion caused by Hurricane Nicole and Ian has caused a massive mysterious object to poke out of the sand at Daytona Beach Shores in Volusia County, Florida — a tantalizing enigma that’s naturally fascinating folks online.
The lengthy object appears to be mostly made out of wood and metal and measures roughly 80 feet from end to end, The New York Times reports. Officials are still investigating and can only hazard a guess.
“It is a mystery,” Tamra Malphurs, a spokeswoman for Volusia County Beach Safety, told the NYT. “Many people think it is an old ship of some sort.”
Extreme Erosion
Others have speculated that the object is a piece of an old pier, or that it could be a long-lost piece of NASCAR spectator seating from the community’s iconic racetrack, according to the NYT.
Erosion has been particularly bad thanks to the two hurricanes making landfall this summer.
“We haven’t seen this kind of erosion in a very long time,” Volusia beach safety deputy chief Tammy Malphurs told local news. “I’ve been on the beach probably 25 years and that’s the first time I’ve seen it exposed.”
Extreme, climate change-driven weather patterns have unearthed a number of unusual objects across the world this year. Low water levels have uncovered entire lost villages, ancient ruins and a number of shipwrecks.
It’s only a matter of time until we can figure out what the mysterious object unearthed on Florida’s shore is. For now, all we can do is speculate.
READ MORE: Mysterious Object Emerges on a Florida Beach, Setting Off Speculation [The New York Times]
More on mysterious objects: Astronomers Puzzled by Extremely Peculiar Object in Deep Space