Florida: An 80-foot object has appeared on Daytona beach shores in Florida. It is made of wood and possibly some metal. Neither beachgoers nor officials have been able to guess what it is. An underwater archeological team is analysing the pictures.
The object is 80 feet long and was first discovered by beachgoers. It consists of long rows of wood pieces jutting up. People are not sure whether it has metal pieces. Volusia County officials said the object was previously buried under the sand. Hurricane Nicole eroded the beach in November and brought the mysterious object to the surface, reported New York Times.
The high tides have made it impossible to rope the object off.
According to a spokesperson for the County, the object slowly started protruding out of the sand after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole battered the beach. Volusia Beach Safety Deputy Chief Tammy Malphurs told CBS News affiliate WKMG that the erosion on the beach has been "unprecedented." She has seen the beach for 25 years and this is the first time it has been exposed.
Experts are still trying to determine what the object is and many citizens have taken to social media with theories and speculations. The most common guess is that the object belongs to an ancient shipwreck because it is made of wood and metal. Some think it is part of an old pier. If proven true, it must have been a giant pier. Some people also think the object is a chunk of spectator seating from the days of NASCAR races.
This is not the first time the coasts of Florida or other places across the world have come up with mysterious objects. Erratic weather caused by climate change has been resulting in shifting sand and erosion. This has come with many surprises.
In 2020, wooden timbers and bolts were seen protruding at Crescent Beach. Maritime archaeologists think it is a relic of Caroline Eddy, a 19th-century ship. In 2021, a high school student found a rare 1715 Fleet gold coin on Turtle Trail beach in Florida. In October 2022, a man found a diamond ring worth $40,000 in St. Augustine.
What sets apart the giant object in Daytona is that no one has been able to identify what it is.