1. Dismembered Dolls
Tangled in fishing nets, dolls with twisted limbs, faded faces, and missing eyes are an oddly common find. They drift from who-knows-where, creating the unnerving sense that you’ve pulled up something cursed or haunted.
2. The Great White Shark with a Bite Out of It
Finding a shark while fishing is terrifying enough. But discovering a great white shark with a massive bite mark raises endless questions. What could be big enough and brave enough to attack a great white? Fishermen who’ve made this find are left with chills – was it a larger shark? An undiscovered sea creature? Whatever it was, we may never know.
3. Unmarked Human Remains – Skeletons Still in Uniform
In several cases, fishermen have stumbled upon human remains wearing old military uniforms or uniforms from unknown organizations. These eerie finds could be from lost war victims, crew members from vanished ships, or perhaps people who were intentionally left to the sea.
4. Submarine Periscopes (But No Submarine)
Imagine being out on the water and spotting a periscope – with no submarine in sight. A few fishermen have been spooked by such sightings, with periscopes mysteriously rising above the waves only to vanish. Conspiracy theorists suggest everything from abandoned Cold War relics to spy equipment.
5. Ancient Treasure Chests
While many dream of treasure, some fishermen have actually found centuries-old chests. Some are empty, but others contain precious jewels, gold coins, or artifacts from long-forgotten ships. One fisherman even found a sealed note – though sadly, it was too waterlogged to read.
6. The Lovecraftian “Frilled Shark”
The frilled shark is a nightmarish, eel-like creature with rows of sharp teeth. This living fossil is rarely seen, living deep in the ocean, but a few fishermen have accidentally pulled it up. With its ancient features, it’s no wonder it feels like something straight out of a horror novel.
7. The “Old Hag’s Finger” – Severed Human Fingers
Sometimes, what’s hauled up from the ocean looks disturbingly like a human finger. These aren’t just ghost stories; some fishermen have genuinely caught finger-like bones and digits on their lines, often preserved in salty waters. Some speculate that they’re linked to shipwrecks, disappearances, or even witchcraft.
8. Phantom “Sea Monster” Carcasses
Decaying, unrecognizable corpses of massive sea creatures have been found tangled in fishing nets. From giant blobs of flesh to mysterious, scaly remnants, these creatures defy easy identification, sparking theories of sea monsters, undiscovered species, and legendary cryptids.
9. “Message in a Bottle” with Cryptic Notes
Occasionally, fishermen find bottles with notes inside, but some are more cryptic than heartwarming. Some notes feature odd symbols, incomprehensible languages, or instructions leading to dead ends, leaving those who find them scratching their heads.
10. WWII Bombs and Mines
Discovering bombs isn’t common, but for a few unlucky fishermen, hauling up WWII-era bombs and mines is a chilling reality. Some of these are still live, prompting emergency calls and evacuations to safely dispose of the explosive relics.
11. The “Ghost Ship” Buoys
Fishermen have reported finding buoys drifting in the open sea, often with strange markings or inexplicable wear and tear, as if they’ve been lost for decades. Some buoys have no clear origin and seem to be linked to ghost ships or areas where vessels mysteriously disappear.
12. Mysterious Handcuffs Attached to Nothing
Imagine reeling in your line only to find old, rusted handcuffs dangling. Fishermen have stumbled upon pairs of handcuffs attached to *nothing*, just the cuffs themselves, as if they’d been broken free in a dramatic escape or dropped to sink into the ocean’s mystery. Some believe they’re relics of a crime that remains unsolved or perhaps even more sinister.
13. The Legendary Coelacanth Fish
This ancient fish species, thought to have been extinct for millions of years, shocked scientists when it was discovered alive in 1938. Since then, a few fishermen have encountered it, marveling at its strange body and prehistoric fins, a living fossil straight from another era.
14. Illegal Drugs and Cash
From floating bales of cash to suspicious bundles of narcotics, fishermen in various coastal areas have stumbled upon these strange finds. Often, they’re the byproducts of failed drug smuggling runs or cargo dumps, and needless to say, they’re usually best left untouched.
15. Stone Tablets with Strange Inscriptions
Occasionally, fishermen reel up strange, barnacle-covered stone tablets covered in what look like ancient, unreadable symbols. Archaeologists sometimes study them, but many remain undeciphered, fueling theories about lost civilizations or ancient sea cults.
16. Severed Heads of Large Fish with Unusual Wounds
Some fishermen have caught heads of massive fish like tuna or marlin – but what’s eerie is the clean, unusual wounds on them. These finds spark a haunting mystery: were they attacked by another predator, or was something else at play in the ocean?
17. Lost Sailor’s Journals in Waterproof Containers
Every now and then, a fisherman finds an old, weathered journal that was kept waterproof in a sturdy container. Some journals hold accounts of long-ago voyages, encounters with deadly storms, or cryptic last entries that only deepen the mystery of where the sailor went.
18. Creepy, Lifelike Mannequins
Mannequins floating in the water can give anyone a scare, and some fishermen have reeled them up with lifelike faces that appear to stare back. Whether they were discarded from ships or swept off beaches, they’re unsettling in the extreme.
19. Giant Squid Tentacles
Giant squids are deep-sea creatures rarely seen alive. So when fishermen pull up enormous tentacles severed from the whole creature, it’s a frightening discovery. What could have been strong enough to dismember a giant squid? These mysterious finds keep the ocean’s secrets alive.
