Les épaves de navires sont malheureusement courantes et de nombreux plongeurs trouvent des navires au fond de l’océan. Mais qu’en est-il des voitures ? Des bus ? Des avions ? Ils finissent rarement dans l’océan et beaucoup ont une histoire intéressante derrière eux. Certains ont été abattus pendant la guerre, tandis que d’autres ont été délibérément coulés pour créer un récif artificiel. Découvrez ces voitures, bateaux et avions sous-marins du monde entier.
L’avion du criminel Pablo Escobar a coulé aux Bahamas
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Pablo Escobar était un célèbre trafiquant de drogue colombien qui a fait passer ses marchandises en contrebande tout au long du XXe siècle. Il transportait ses marchandises dans des avions, dont l’un s’est écrasé près de l’aéroport de Staniel Cay aux Bahamas.
Dans les années 1970, un pilote a contacté l’aéroport par radio pour demander de l’aide afin de retrouver la piste d’atterrissage faiblement éclairée. Il craignait que son avion ne tombe en panne de carburant. Le lendemain matin, des plongeurs ont fouillé Norman Cay et ont trouvé l’avion coulé, rempli de stupéfiants. Les pilotes s’étaient échappés et avaient survécu, mais l’avion de contrebande d’Escobar y est toujours présent à ce jour.PUBLICITÉ
Ces wagons de métro vintage sont désormais dans l’océan
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Sur la côte est des États-Unis, 2 500 wagons de métro Redbird sont sous l’eau. C’est le résultat des efforts de la Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) de New York. De 2001 à 2010, la MTA a transformé ces wagons hors service en récifs artificiels.
Ces wagons de métro sont toujours sous l’eau le long des côtes de Caroline du Sud, du Maryland, du Delaware et du New Jersey. En tant que récifs artificiels, ces wagons favorisent la vie marine en permettant aux coraux et autres formes de vie marine de les habiter. Ils sont également fascinants pour les plongeurs.PUBLICITÉ
Ce « yacht fantôme » a été gelé sous l’eau
reddit/u/SoulXtrm
Si vous naviguez jusqu’à Ardley Cove, en Antarctique, vous verrez un yacht gelé sous l’eau. Ce yacht, appelé Mar Sem Fim ou « Mer sans fin » en français, appartenait au journaliste et entrepreneur brésilien João Lara Mesquita. Lui et son équipage tournaient un documentaire sur l’Antarctique lorsque le yacht a coulé.
Selon les membres de l’équipage, le bateau a été renversé par des vents de 100 km/h. La marine chilienne a secouru les survivants quatre jours plus tard. Mar Sem Fim est resté à 9 mètres sous l’eau, visible depuis la surface, pendant un an jusqu’à ce qu’il soit récupéré.PUBLICITÉ
How This 1957 Volkswagen Bus Ended Up Underwater
Guillaume PROST/Pinterest
In 1973, someone dumped their 1957 Volkswagen 23 Window Bus into a lake. This was common. Fjord, a water inlet in Norway, became a popular dumping ground for vehicles. It cost less to buy a new car than to repair the old one.
For 36 years, divers could swim by the old Volkswagen along with other tires and car parts in the lake. But in 2009, Morten Lunt heard about the vehicle and lifted it out of the water. He is currently trying to restore it.
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Divers Can Swim Into Buses Beneath A Pennsylvania Lake
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Dutch Springs near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is a popular diving site. Along with its various species of fish, the lake also contains multiple cars and buses. Dutch Springs used to be a dumping ground for out-of-commission vehicles before it was converted into a diving spot in 1980.
These buses were likely cheaper to dump than to restore. In the 20th century, public lakes were not as moderated as they are today. As a result, dozens of cars and buses ended up 100 feet below the surface. Divers can even swim inside them!
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This Sunken School Bus Is Not As Creepy As It Looks
Laura Bates/Pinterest
Most people see school buses transporting children to and from school, not at the bottom of the ocean. A decrepit school bus found underwater is a jarring sight. But don’t worry; this bus did not contain children when it sank.
This school bus was submerged in Baldwin County, Alabama, as part of a training exercise. It tested bus drivers and emergency responders on safety protocols in case an accident occurs. Despite how it looks, this sunken school bus is actually saving lives.
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A 40-Year-Old Graveyard Of Toyotas
Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images
The Red Sea near Sudan, Africa, holds a graveyard of sunken Toyota cars. These cars have been underwater for over 40 years. In 1977, the Saudi-Arabian cargo ship Grande America was transferring 181 cars, all of which were Toyotas. It ran aground in the Sha’b Suadi Reef, 50 miles north of Port Sudan.
Now known as the Blue Belt Shipwreck, this spot has become popular with divers. Most of the cars are heavily decayed, but you can still see some engines, steering wheels, and fenders. The fish seem to enjoy it, too.
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This 1930s Airliner Is Almost Entirely Intact
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Many planes that land in the ocean fall apart, usually from bombing, harsh weather, or strong currents. But this World War II plane is remarkably intact. This is a Douglas DC3, an American airliner produced in the 1930s and ’40s, yet the inside and outside are almost perfectly preserved today.
It is unclear when this plane crashed, but it was likely in the 1930s. Divers found it off the coast of Turkey and think it had been transporting military supplies.
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Sunken Tourist Buses In Britain
Orrin Childe/YouTube
Dayhouse Quarry, also called Chepstow Quarry, is underneath the Wye River on the Wales-England border. The area has multiple sunken vehicles, including commercial trucks, double-decker British tourists buses, tanks, and even a helicopter. They have been there for decades.
These vehicles were purposefully sunk to create a training ground for divers. Even today, divers go there to swim around the vehicles and take unique underwater photos. There are so many stunning pictures from Dayhouse Quarry that it’s hard to pick a favorite!
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In 2017, A New Military Aircraft Was Tossed Into The Ocean
Tyson Paul/Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
As you can probably tell by the picture, this sinking was recent. The plane is a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four-engine transport craft. It is known for transporting a large amount of cargo and passengers over long distances, but it also carried out medical missions.
So how did it end up underwater? In 2017, the Jordanian Air Force decided to sink one of these planes to create artificial reefs. Off the coast of Aqaba, Jordan, divers will find a 112-foot-long Hercules with a 132-foot wingspan.
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A Mysterious Underwater Beetle
reddit/u/RedOrange7
Not much is known about this underwater Volkswagen Beetle. It was found off the shore of Portugal and seems to be falling apart at the seams. Before dumping it into the sea, the mysterious owner removed the engine.
Since 1938, Volkswagen has produced 20 million Beetles. The original reached 25 horsepower and a top speed of 62 mph. In 1998, they launched the “New Beetle” which is often seen today.