From a work of art to an entire national park, here are 10 amazing places that vanish underwater
10.
Passage Du Gois
The Passage Du Gois is a natural 2.5 mile long road on the Atlantic coast of France,
which is often named as one of the most dangerous roads in the world.
The stone paved route connects the Île de Noirmoutier with the coastal town of Beauvoir-sur-mer,
and has been used since the 16th century.
The reason why it can be dangerous, though, is the rapidly rising tides that happen in
the area.
At low tide it is slippery, and it’s only usable as a road for 1.5 hours before and
after the lowest point of the tide.
Over the years, many people have miscalculated their timings and have had to abandon their
cars!
Once the water comes in, it can be as deep as 13 feet above the road’s surface, which
means that if you haven’t completed your journey, you’ll have no choice but to swim.
9.
Curio Bay
If there’s one thing we know about New Zealand, is that it’s home to some stunning landscapes!!
Especially when the Lord of the Rings movies came out, but one of its lesser known places
is also one of its most amazing.
Curio Bay is a region of rocky coastline in the southland district of the country.
It’s a favourite spot for tourists because of the wealth of wildlife.
There are penguins, fur seals, sea lions, and large pods of dolphins that swim in the
waters, but the real beauty of the area is revealed during low tide.
This is because it’s also the site of one of the most extensive fossilised Jurassic
forests in the world.
It’s about 180 million years old!!
Normally covered by water, when it recedes the 12 mile forest is exposed.
It was once covered in trees on a coastal floodplain, but a number of times in its history
it was covered by large sheets of volcanic ash and sediments.
These sediments gradually turned the wood into rock, and in some places even the ferns
and leaves have been fossilised.
It’s been invaluable to understanding how the flora of the world once was, and is a
stark reminder of how our planet changes over time.
And now for number 8, but if you are new here be sure to subscribe before you leave!
Have you ever heard of the lake that disappears in the winter?
Stay tuned to learn more!!
8.
St. Michael’s Mount
St. Michael’s Mount is an island to the South West of England, which is home to a
medieval castle and church- the sort of place you’d expect to see in Game of Thrones!
The island got its name because it is said that St. Michael appeared to a group of fishermen
in the year 495 to warn the fisherman of certain peril!
The oldest surviving buildings date all the way back to the 12th century.
The legend has brought pilgrims, monks, soldiers, and fishermen to the island ever since.
Four miracles are said to have happened here and it is also believed to be on a special
spiritual line.
It is quite a charming place and the castle and monastery can still be visited today.
So what’s the problem?
Access to the island is somewhat limited.
During low tide, there’s a cobbled causeway that you can walk across in a matter of minutes.
If, however, you don’t check the times of the tides, you might be stuck between worlds
like the mists of Avalon!!
Actually no, I’m just joking.
In the past it was a big problem but now you can pay a small fee to take a boat back to
the mainland instead.
This disappearing access is what continues to add to the magic of the place.
7.
East Quoddy Lighthouse
East Quoddy Lighthouse is on Campobello Island, New Brunswick.
In the 1820’s, trade between the island and the coast of Maine flourished, and it
became a hive of activity for fishing and shipbuilding.
The only problem was that the shallow waters in the region were treacherous for the boats,
so the lighthouse was built to warn sailors that they were getting close to land.
Now the shipping industry has rescinded, but the lighthouse still stands, and is a popular
place for tourists to visit.
However, now this is one of the most high risk places you could ever visit.
During low tide, slippery rocks are exposed that allow you to walk across to the island,
but you only have about 1.5 hours where the water is low enough to cross and return again,
before the rocks are submerged and you’ll become stuck on the island for 8 hours until
tide lowers once more.
If you do visit, it’s worth wearing sturdy hiking boots to traverse the rocks, and be
prepared to be stuck on the island overnight if you don’t get the timings quite right!!
Despite the negatives, the views from the lighthouse are simply stunning, and are a
great draw for visitors from miles around.
6.
Mont Saint Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the most popular tourist attractions in France, and became
a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979.
The sanctuary is surrounded by medieval walls, with a series of buildings and towers that
rise above the base, and the ancient abbey that stands over it all.
The structure is about 3,000 feet in circumference, and is built upon a granite outcrop that reaches
256 high from the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.
The structures have been there since 966, and have since endured countless wars, including
the Hundred Years War and the French Wars of Religion.
Because it sits in a bay, the surrounding waters rise and fall with the tide.
When the sea levels are low, the vast sandbanks emerge so you can access on foot, but when
the tide rises, these banks fully submerged and the granite rock becomes an island.
A raised causeway was constructed in the late 1800’s to allow permanent access to the
island, no matter what the level of the sea is, but this had the unintended consequence
of blocking the flow of sediment, which resulted in massive build ups along its side.
In 2014, a road built on stilts was completed, and the original causeway was removed, so
now you can visit by car at any time of the day, and the water and sediment is able to
freely flow beneath the stilts.
5.
The Manjuyod White Sandbar
Have you seen those images of bamboo huts sitting on stilts above the ocean?
Well the Manjuyod White Sandbar is one of those places.
It’s in the Philippines and, while being just as stunning, it is a cheaper option for
tourists than the more famous sites like the Maldives.
The sandbar is on the Eastern shore of the island of Negros.
It’s a couple of square miles in size, and during low tide is covered in pristine sand-
with 5 one-room structures standing about 15 feet above the ground on stilts.
When it’s like this you can see tons of different coloured starfish that some people
go around and collect, although I don’t recommend doing that if you care about the
environment!
Soon enough, though, the tide starts to come in, and it’s quick.
Within an hour the entire sandbar is covered in ankle deep water, and before you know it,
it’s deep enough in the azure blue ocean that you’ll need to swim, or seek refuge
in one of the structures!
It’s such a peaceful and beautiful place, but don’t worry about the need for refreshment-
once the waters have risen, locals paddle around in canoes to sell cold beers to anyone
who wants one!
4.
Canadian Mural
If you’ve ever looked out across a bay and thought the endless mass of grey concrete
was rather depressing, then you might just change your mind after seeing the Bay of Fundy.
The bay lies between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in Canada.
It’s claim to fame is that you here you can experience the highest tidal range on
earth, with the distance between low and high tide being as much as 52 feet.
This provided artist Sean Yoro with a unique opportunity, and he decided to paint a mural
on the wall that would disappear and then revealed, by the changing tide.
He reached the wall by surfboard, and painted the entire mural using eco-friendly paint.
Yoro needed to be very precise with his planning, ensuring that he knew exactly where the tide
would be to make sure that he could complete the work.
It was finished in late 2017, and one of the mysterious things about it is that it’s
not entirely clear how long it’ll be there for!
With its constant exposure to seawater and the sun, it’s quite possible that it will
have completely disappeared in less than 6 months.
3.
Angel Road
Angel Road is a stunning stretch of sand that can be found near the port of Tonosho, which
is on the Shodoshima Island in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan.
It connects the mainland with three smaller islands that lie close by but, because of
the tides, the road is only revealed twice a day when the sea level is at its lowest.
It gets its name because of its extreme beauty, but also as a result of being a part of local
legend for a long time.
It is believed that walking across the road hand in hand with your lover will bless your
relationship for eternity.
Signs of the romance in the air can be seen all around, with declarations of love hanging
from trees, and trinkets left in all sorts of locations around the island.
2.
Jindo Island
Every year, on the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, something amazing happens.
It attracts hundreds of thousands of people, both locals and tourists, and is a mass celebration.
Known as the Jindo Sea-Parting festival, a natural phenomenon occurs that sees the northern
part of the East China Sea open up to reveal a 1.8 mile pathway that connects Jindo Island
with its neighbouring island of Modo.
Unlike with other similar events that take place when the tide changes, this event only
occurs two or three times each year between March and June.
The reason for this is thought to be what is known as “Tidal Harmonics”- the result
of the interaction between the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun, as well as the
force generated with the spinning of the earth.
Occasionally these all line up to be in phase with each other, and cause extreme tides.
Local legend, though, has explained this with tigers.
The story goes that there used to be a large population of the cats on Jindo island, and
the local villagers were forced to move to Modo island.
Unfortunately a woman named Bbyong was left behind, who then began praying to the god
of the ocean, Yongwang.
Finally she saw a vision in a dream, and the next day she approached the sea, which parted
to allow her to re-join her family.
1.
Green Lake
This is perhaps by far, the most amazing place that vanishes underwater.
The Green Lake, in Tragoess, Austria, is normally only about 3 feet deep for most of the year.
Visitors go to see the beautiful scenery, and to sit on benches next to the water to
enjoy the tranquillity.
There are small bridges to cross streams, and it looks like a perfect scene for a landscape
painting.
The region is surrounded by mountains and, every year when winter ends, the snow and
ice from the mountains melts.
All of this water flows into the lake, which more than doubles in volume, and completely
floods the park.
The benches, trees, and bridges are all completely submerged under 36 feet of water and, for
a time, are only accessible by divers!
Where people were once having picnics and enjoying the fresh air, completely disappears!!
It truly is one of the most picturesque and unusual parks in the world.
In July the water starts to evaporate and by winter the lake has essentially disappeared!!
There is also a lake in Oregon that disappears and reappears every year.
Have you ever visited one of these places?
Let me know in the comments!!
Thanks for watching!!
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