15 of the Most Interesting Discoveries from Lakes and Oceans Around the World
Wouldn’t it be cool to stumble upon a Medieval sword, or some 3000 year-old canoes, or you know, almost half a billion dollars in sunken treasure?! Okay, so one of those is clearly a tad more enticing than the others, but you have to admit, they’re all pretty rad. The nerdy little archaeologist wannabes around here think so. Mulit-Millennia canoes in Lake Mendota, Wisconsin were raised this year, so there could be more down there! If that doesn't float your boat, then we don't know what will!The fact that some of this was found thousands of feet deep makes it all so much cooler. Like, okay, you land-dwelling discoverers found some stuff in a cave. Big whoop! These folks had to pack on some serious gear and breathing apparatuses to explore the dark, terrifying depths! Those freaky anglerfish things are down there. No thank you! So, like us, we hope you enjoy the coolness of these awesome discoveries from somewhere safe, warm, and dry.
15 Pavlopetri
YouTubeThe submerged city of Pavlopetri was discovered off the coast of southern Greece in 1967 by Nicholas Flemming. It is considered the oldest submerged city in the world, with evidence of urban structures from over 5,000 years ago.
14 Medieval Spears in Poland
Marcin TrzcińskiUnderwater archaeologists recovered four medieval spearheads from Lake Lednica in Poland. One of the spearheads is gilded with precious metals and features elaborate decorations, suggesting it may have belonged to a nobleman or prince.
13 The Mendota Canoes
Wisconsin Historical SocietyIn 2021 and 2022, The Wisconsin Historical Society, in partnership with Native Nations in Wisconsin, recovered a pair of historic dugout canoes from Madison’s Lake Mendota. Testing revealed the first canoe is 1,200 years-old, and the second one is roughly 3,000 years-old. Since then, the team has identified 14 more ancient canoes in the lakebed — six of which were found between the Spring and Fall of 2025. They will be displayed at the Wisconsin History Center when it opens in 2027.
12 Lost Mayan Artifacts
In 2014, a flooded sinkhole in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula was found to contain elongated skulls and other human remains, suggesting a possible link to ancient Mayan rituals. Locals consider it to be haunted and warn others to stay away.
11 A Mastodon Tusk
FacebookIn April 2024, scuba diver Alex Lundberg discovered a 4-foot, 60-pound mastodon tusk about a half-mile off the coast of Venice, Florida. The fossil is estimated to be a million years-old.
10 Apollo 11’s Engine
In 2013, a team of divers funded by Jeff Bezos successfully recovered the engines from NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, which had remained lost at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for over four decades.
9 A Massive Mountain
Schmidt Ocean InstituteIn November 2023, researchers mapping the seafloor near Guatemala discovered a gigantic underwater mountain. The 5,250-foot-tall cone-shaped structure is the remnant of an ancient underwater volcano and covers around 5.4 square miles.
8 A Mysterious Golden Orb
NOAA Ocean Exploration, Seascape AlaskaIn September 2023, NOAA researchers dredged up a mysterious golden orb from the seafloor 10,825 feet deep in the Gulf of Alaska. Initial analysis revealed it was "biological in origin,” but scientists had no idea what it was. When it was pulled to the surface it lost most of its structure and "melted" into a gloopy pile.
7 Artifacts From The First Naval Battle Off The Coast Of Sicily
RPM Nautical FoundationIn November, 2013, archaeologists found artifacts from the site of the first ancient naval battle off the coast of Sicily. Remnants including battering rams, helmets, armor and weapons date back to the Battle of the Egadi Islands, which was fought between the Romans and the Carthaginians in 241 BC.6 Stone Age Tools in Sweden
In the Baltic Sea, Swedish divers discovered flint tools, animal horns, ropes, and a harpoon carving made from an animal bone that are said to be over 11,000 years old.
5 The Ancient Egyptian City of Heracleion
For centuries, the city was believed to be a myth like Atlantis, but in 2001, an underwater archaeologist searching for French warships stumbled across giant statues of pharaohs, gods and goddesses, a sphinx, 64 ancient ships, 700 anchors, dozens of sarcophagi, gold coins from nearly 1,200 years ago.
4 Treasure Worth $400 Million
The Mel Fisher BlogTreasure hunter Mel Fisher spent 16 years looking for the wreckage of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha off the coast of the Florida Keys. In 1985, he and his team finally found the wreck and its 40 tons of silver, gold, and emeralds. Valued at roughly $400 million, it’s one of the richest finds in history.
3 Mungo Man And Woman
Jim BowlerIn 1974, Jim Bowler discovered two sets of human remains in Lake Mungo, Australia that date back to 40,000 years ago. Called Mungo Man and Mungo Woman, they gave a better idea of the length of time that indigenous Australians have lived there. Mungo Woman is also the earliest-recorded cremation found anywhere in the world.2 The Sword in the Lake
Jonkoping County MuseumEight year-old Swedish-American girl Saga Vanecek was skipping stones across Lake Vidostern when she reached in to pull out what she thought was a stick in the mud. Instead, she found a 1,500 year-old sword that predates the Vikings.
1 Well-Preserved Mammoth Calves
University of Michigan Museum of PaleontologyIn 2007, explorers in Siberia unearthed two mammoth calves dating to about 40,000 years ago. They nicknamed them Lyuba and Khroma and they’re considered some of the best-preserved specimens ever found.
