The 10 Coolest Places to Swim

Bioluminescent Bay


Located in Puerto Rico, on Vieques Island, there is a shallow body of water with a narrow inlet known as Mosquito Bay. In each gallon of the bay there are 720,000 phosphorescent single-celled organisms that glow when they are agitated. It is a defense mechanism — the glowing is designed to daze whatever predator is bothering the tiny dinoflagellates. All together the bay, on a moonless night, will produce more than enough light to read. Swimming in Mosquito Bay will cause your limbs to be bathed in blue-green light. If you stop moving the light will dim, and eventually disappear completely, but each time you twitch it begins anew. Every time your kayak moves it too will be illuminated. It’s also easy to spot larger creatures; when manta rays or large jellies enter the mangrove swamps gentle rings of light form around them. If you scoop up a handful of the water you can watch individual glowing plankton roll down your arms and hands. And the salinity of the water, like the Dead Sea below, is high enough you can float sitting upright. Photographing Biobay isn’t easy, so there aren’t many high quality pictures of it, but enjoy the ones we found below.


Jellyfish Lake



12,000 to 15,000 years ago one of the limestone rock islands in the nation of Palau sealed itself off from the ocean and became a marine lake. A few jellyfish were sealed inside, and with virtually no predators, they began multiplying and evolving. Today more than 10 million jellyfish inhabit Ongeim’l Tketau, known as Jellyfish Lake to tourists. Their sting became evolutionarily useless, and has been lost over time, to the point that the jellies are completely harmless to swim with. Swimming in Jellyfish lake, surrounded by a translucent sea of rhythmically pulsing creatures, is known to be unbelievably serene. The jellies, varying in size from basketballs to blackberries, slowly undulate as they follow the path of the sun across the surface of the lake.





Devil’s Swimming Pool


The Devil’s Swimming Pool, or Devil’s Armchair, is a naturally formed infinity pool at the very top of Victoria Falls in Zambia. 420 feet above the river below, it is perfectly safe (in the dry season) to relax at the edge of one of the world’s largest waterfalls. From above the water it appears as if there’s nothing to stop one from being carried over the lip of the falls, but beneath the surface there is a natural rocky ledge that generates a back-eddy and stops the current. Looks scary, especially to jumping into, but the thousands of still-alive visitors can attest to its perfect safety record.







Dean’s Blue Hole


In a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas, is the deepest underwater sinkhole in the world. It plunges 663 feet to the ocean floor, making it vastly deeper than other blue holes (The Great Blue Hole in Ambergris Caye, Belize is 410 feet deep, and the Blue Hole in Sinai, Egypt is about 420 feet deep). Dean’s is known worldwide as the perfect spot for free-diving; it was the location over the last few years of numerous new world and national free-diving records. The blue hole is roughly circular at the surface, with a diameter ranging from 25 to 35 metres (82–110 ft). After descending 20 metres (66 ft), the hole widens considerably into a cavern with a diameter of 100 metres (330 ft). If you prefer marine life to extreme breath-holding, however, I might recommend The Great Blue Hole in Belize. I snorkeled and dove it in 2007, and was enthralled with the crystal clear water and huge number of large fish and sharks. It was the first place I encountered a wild Blacktip reef shark, a wonderfully beautiful place. Jacques-Yves Cousteau declared it one of the top 10 scuba diving sites in the world.





The Dead Sea

The shores of the Dead Sea are the lowest land point on the surface of the Earth. Resting 1385 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is also a hypersaline lake, one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water. It resides in the Middle East, between Israel and Jordan, and even appears in the Bible. What interests STS, however, is the level of salinity. Besides tasting awful, it also provides exceptional levels of buoyancy. The tourist in the photo is sitting in a reclined position, and the water is dense enough to support his weight. If you tried that in your local swimming pool you’d immediately sink. Apparently it’s an unbelievable sensation.





Chuuk or Truk lagoon

Truk Lagoon, also known as Chuuk, is a sheltered body of water almost fifty miles long by thirty miles wide surrounded by a protective reef. It is composed of 11 major islands, along with 46 smaller ones inside the lagoon plus 41 on the fringing coral reef — today part of the Federated States of Micronesia. Its interest to STS stems from its use in World War II as the forward anchorage for the Japanese Imperial Fleet. It was considered the most formidable of all Japanese strongholds. When the US Naval forces captured the Marshall Islands they launched an early morning attack on February 17, 1944 against Truk Lagoon. This was Operation Hailstone, a bombardment lasting three days that sent virtually everything of value - 60 ships and 275 aircraft - to the bottom of the ocean. Today it has turned into a divers paradise after being explored by Jacques Cousteau. It is full of ghostly remains; the waters are almost devoid of normal ocean currents so they are almost perfectly preserved. The waters are crystal clear, and some ships lie less than 15 meters below the surface. Divers can easily swim across decks littered with gas masks and depth charges and below deck can be found numerous human remains. In the massive ships’ holds are row upon row of fighter aircraft, tanks, bulldozers, railroad cars, motorcycles, torpedoes, mines, bombs, boxes of munitions, radios, plus thousands of other weapons, spare parts, and other artifacts. Of special interest is the wreck of the submarine I-169 Shinohara which was lost when diving to avoid the bombing. The sub had been part of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The coral encrusted wrecks attract a diverse array of marine life, including manta-rays, turtles, sharks and corals.



Yangbajain hot springs

The Yangbajing hot springs, in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, (known to people who appreciate freedom as Tibet) provides much of the electricity for Lhasa, the capital. A thermoelectric power plant on the edge of the Yangbajain hot spring fields, which cover 20-30 square kilometers. These particular springs are so interesting because they are at an elevation of approximately 14,000 feet (about the same as the peak of Mt. Rainier in Washington State). The water emerges from the crust of the earth at 84 degrees F, which is higher than the boiling point at that altitude. The springs themselves aren’t as beautiful as some of the other locations on this list, but they have a misty charm of their own.








The Seagaia Ocean Dome



The Seagaia Ocean Dome was the world’s largest indoor waterpark, located in Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan. The Ocean Dome measures 300 metres in length and 100 metres in width, and is included in the Guinness World Records. It opened in 1993, and visitor numbers peaked in 1995 at 1.25 million a year. The Ocean Dome was officially closed on October 1, 2007. The Ocean Dome sported a fake flame-spitting volcano, artificial sand and the world’s largest retractable roof, which provided a permanently blue sky even on a rainy day. The air temperature was always held at around 30 degrees celsius and the water at around 28. The sand was made from crushed marble, which doesn’t stick to skin as much as regular does — meaning when you lay down you don’t get sandy. Check out the pictures below — what an engineering project!



Sistema Sac Actun

The Yucatan Peninsula is home to the longest underwater cave system in the world. Sistema Sac Actun was found to be connected to Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich, creating a system 154,783 meters long, the longest underwater cave in the world. By comparison the previous record holder Ox Bel Ha measured a puny 146,761 m. I mean that’s only 91 miles long, sheesh. The two have been exchanging the record for years as new, previously unexplored, sections are discovered. The whole system has been named Sistema Sac Actun, and is home to some of the most decorated and beautiful cave diving sites in the world. The most well known entrance is Grande Cenote, pictures of it are above and below. There is surprisingly little information about this incredible cave system, but we’ve shared what we could find. Once you get in to the system the water temperature is relatively constant, and some parts are very fragile and require perfect buoyancy. As you get deeper in the system there are incredible stalactites and stalagmites, and other geologic features.

10 Most Mysterious Monuments of the World

Around the world, in places as diverse as Homestead, Florida and Yonaguni, Japan stand monuments and ruins whose origins are shrouded in mystery. Nobody knows exactly why Stonehenge was built, how a set of manmade ruins came to be submerged deep in the ocean or who commissioned a giant carved granite set of post-apocalyptic instructions for rebuilding society on a remote hill in Georgia.

Here are some of the most mysterious monuments of the world. I Hope you will like it.


Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse


On a barren knoll in northeastern Georgia stands one of the world’s most bizarre and mysterious monuments. But it wasn’t created during ancient times. Known as the ‘Georgia Guidestones’, this stone structure of five 16-feet-tall, 20-ton slabs of polished granite is inscribed in eight languages.

Lake Michigan Stonehenge


Researchers got quite a surprised when they found what appears to be an ancient Stonehenge-like structure 40 feet beneath the surface of the water in Lake Michigan.

Underwater Ruins in Japan


On the southern coast of Yonaguni, Japan, lie submerged ruins estimated to be around 8,000 years old. It was discovered in 1995 by a sport diver who strayed too far off the Okinawa shore with a camera in hand.

Submerged Wonders of Alexandria, Egypt


Off the shores of Alexandria, the city of Alexander the Great, lie what are believed to be the ruins of the royal quarters of Cleopatra. It is believed that earthquakes over 1,500 years ago were responsible for casting this into the sea, along with artifacts, statues and other parts of Cleopatra’s palace.


The Mysterious Stones of Baalbek

The largest Roman temple ever constructed stands in ruins not in Greece or Rome, but in Baalbek, Lebanon. No one knows what made this site so special to the Romans, prompting them to quarry, move and assemble so many stone blocks.

Easter Island



Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, is most famous for its monumental statues which were created by the Rapanui people. The heaviest moai erected weighs 86 tons, illustrating how great a feat it was for the Rapanui to have created and moved them.

Stonehenge

Perhaps the world’s best known monument is Stonehenge, located in the English county of Wiltshire. Though theories and speculation abound, no one knows what the original purpose of the prehistoric monument was and it remains one of the earth’s greatest mysteries.

Machu Picchu


Machu Picchu is the most well-preserved city of the Inca Empire, hidden in the Peruvian Andes high on a steep mountain with a flattened top.


Peace aGreat Zimbabwe RuinsFew people know that the modern-day African country of Zimbabwe was actually named after stone ruins that lie all over the countryside. The ‘Great Zimbabwe Ruins’ are some of the oldest and largest structures located in Southern Africa.nd Fascism


This is a particularly brutal piece of satire - the dove of peace is often shown dead or dying but here it is transfixed - literally - on a bayonet, representing the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930s. The League of Nations building is shown in the background. Peer closely and you will see the swastika flying from it. This shows the bitterness, felt by many that the nascent organization founded to represent the nations of the world in the aftermath of the First World War had failed in its duty. In its ineffective manner it had, in fact, encouraged the rise of Nazism and Fascism on the beleaguered continent of Europe.


Peru’s Chavín de Huantar RuinsWhile not as famous as the ruins at Machu Picchu, the Chavín de Huantar Ruins of Peru are also a fascinating World Heritage. It’s unclear why the Chavín culture disappeared, though some believe that the Chavín de Huantar ruins offer clues as to why some civilizations vanish

Animal weddings from around the world

And a quick get away for the honeymoon.

Puppy love…. London’s Harrods was the choice of venue for this extravagant pair

Two giant pandas tuck into their wedding cake having exchanged vows during a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony.


This catty couple look ‘purrrfect’ for each other as they tie the knot in matching pink outfits.

Two giant pandas tuck into their wedding cake having exchanged vows during a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony.

Proud miniature pigs display their wedding certificates after their ceremony in Chongqing, southwestern China

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It was a traditional chruch wedding for this great dane and her rather small husband….


Monkey love… Jhumuri and Manu tied the knot infront of half the village.

Giraffe couple Zagallo and Beija Ceu show affection towards each other after their wedding in Rio de Janeiro.

Frog Raja, left, didn’t wait around to be kissed by a princess…. Instead, he took the hand of his sweetheart Rani.

Top hat and all… Puki the dog awaits his bride to be…

Amazing Buildings Swallowed by the Desert

The desert is one of the best landscapes for finding ancient buildings. The arid climate lends itself to preservation, and there is little danger of serious decay or damage from flooding. At the same time, the sand is an ever-shifting geographic feature that can swallow whole towns both quickly (as in a violent sandstorm) or slowly (as it shifts over time). The elements of one of the world’s harshest climates can wreak havoc on anything man-made, even while providing the perfect climate for it to be preserved.



Mosque Minaret, Egypt




This 1100 year old mosque was discovered near the town of Al Burullus along Egypt’s Mediterranean coastline. Archaeologists discovered in only recently, and speculate that there could be an entire town buried beneath the sand. The minaret is believed to be 30 meters tall, but only the very tip is showing above the sand.


Arouane




The outpost of Arouane is located halfway between the legendary city of Timbuktu and the salt mines. Though the salt caravan’s travel infrequently these days, the town is still inhabited. However, the ever-shifting sands mean that the buildings are almost always partially buried.


Armenian Ruins




This ruined building in Ani, Turkey is part of the remnants of the country’s once strong Armenian population. Persecution and genocide caused many Armenians to move elsewhere (as far away as Los Angeles). Meanwhile, ruins like these dot the arid countryside.


American Ghost Towns




The Berlin Ghost Town in Nevada is a reminder of the late 19th century gold rush. Located at the base of the Shoshone Mountains, the buildings were not covered by sand. Some still stand eerily intact amid the thriving desert shrubs. A mill and a hotel are the two largest remaining buildings in Berlin.


Meroe, Sudan




The pyramids at Meroe show the influence of the ancient Egyptian empire. A Nubian kingdom once had its capitol at Meroe. Pyramids and a city were built more than 2300 years ago. The city is now Sudan’s largest archaeological site, with the tombs almost completely unearthed but other parts of the city still hidden under the ever-shifting sands.



Telouet, MoroccoTelouet was inhabited until 50 years ago. Located high in the Atlas Mountains, it housed rulers who were loyal to the French colonial administration in Morocco. Because of this fact, and because slaves were used to serve the ruling family, little care has been taken to preserve these buildings which are being eroded by time and the harsh winds of the high desert.



Sahel




The Sahel is the Sahara’s little sister. Located just below the Sahara, it is mostly characterized by semi-arid grasslands. Parts of the Sahel have fallen victim to desertification, with the sand from the Sahara literally blowing into the grasslands.


Namibian Ghost Town



The town of Kolmanskop was built when diamond fever hit Namibia in the early 1900s. The town was quickly constructed a few miles inland from a major port. A mere 10 years after the first inhabitants moved in, people started leaving as diamond prices fell during World War I. By World War II, the town was completely deserted and the sand dunes started to reclaim the land.


Sandstorms




Though sandstorms would probably never be fierce enough to swallow a huge city like Dubai, they can temporarily cause problems by creating low visibility and coating everything with a layer of dust.


Dune-covered Church




This church in northern Denmark was covered by a sand dune in the late 17oos. In its final days as a working church, parishioners actually had to dig their way in. The tower, the only part that is still visible, is in remarkably good shape and has become an easily recognizable landmark. This is also a good example of why shifting sands are not merely found in the desert.