underwater

MIAMI BEACH — South Florida is seeing a wave of new cars, but they won’t add to traffic or lengthen anyone’s commute. That’s because the cars are made of marine-grade concrete and were installed underwater.

Over several days late last month, crews lowered 22 life-size cars into the ocean, several hundred feet off South Beach. The project was organized by a group that pioneers underwater sculpture parks as a way to create human-made coral reefs.

“Concrete Coral,” commissioned by the nonprofit REEFLINE, will soon be seeded with 2,200 native corals that have been grown in a nearby Miami lab. The project is partially funded by a $5-million bond from the city of Miami Beach. The group is also trying to raise $40 million to extend the potentially 11-phase project along an underwater corridor just off the city’s 7-mile-long coastline.

“I think we are making history here,” Ximena Caminos, the group’s founder, said. “It’s one of a kind, it’s a pioneering, underwater reef that’s teaming up with science, teaming up with art.”

She conceived the overall plan with architect Shohei Shigematsu, and the artist Leandro Erlich designed the car sculptures for the first phase.

Colin Foord, who runs REEFLINE’s Miami coral lab, said they’ll soon start the planting process and create a forest of soft corals over the car sculptures, which will serve as a habitat teeming with marine life.

“I think it really lends to the depth of the artistic message itself of having a traffic jam of cars underwater,” Foord said. “So nature’s gonna take back over, and we’re helping by growing the soft corals.”

Foord said he’s confident the native gorgonian corals will thrive because they were grown from survivors of the 2023 bleaching event, during which a marine heat wave killed massive amounts of Florida corals.

Plans for future deployments include Petroc Sesti’s “Heart of Okeanos,” modeled after a giant blue whale heart, and Carlos Betancourt and Alberto Latorre’s “The Miami Reef Star,” a group of starfish shapes arranged in a larger star pattern.

“What that’s going to do is accelerate the formation of a coral reef ecosystem,” Foord said. “It’s going to attract a lot more life and add biodiversity and really kind of push the envelope of artificial reef-building here in Florida.”

Besides the project being a testing ground for new coral transplantation and hybrid reef design and development, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner expects it to generate local jobs with ecotourism experiences such as snorkeling, diving, kayaking and paddleboard tours.

The reefs will be located about 20 feet below the surface of the water and about 800 feet from the shore.

“Miami Beach is a global model for so many different issues, and now we’re doing it for REEFLINE,” Meiner said during a beachside ceremony last month. “I’m so proud to be working together with the private market to make sure that this continues right here in Miami Beach to be the blueprint for other cities to utilize.”

The nonprofit also offers community education programs, where volunteers can plant corals alongside scientists, and a floating marine learning center, where participants can gain firsthand experience in coral conservation every month.

Caminos, the group’s founder, acknowledges that the installation won’t fix all of the problems — which are as big as climate change and sea level rise — but she said it can serve as a catalyst for dialogue about the value of coastal ecosystems.

“We can show how creatively, collaboratively and interdisciplinarily we can all tackle a man-made problem with man-made solutions,” Caminos said.

Fischer writes for the Associated Press. Associated Press videojournalist Cody Jackson contributed to this report.

AN ANCIENT Roman ship downed by a storm has been found centuries later at a holiday hotspot – and there’s even treasure on board.

The 2,000-year-old discovery was made mere metres from a popular beachfront – and baffled researchers claim the ship is still in great condition.

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The archaeological sensation was unearthed along the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia this month, almost two millennia after it sunk.

Its timbers even “look like they were just carved”, according to the gobsmacked research team.

Divers suspected there might be a wreck at the Roman port of Barbir after discovering an antique plank with a metal nail in 2020.

Five years later, the entire 42-foot vessel has now been revealed, along with a haul of ancient coins.

One of them even included the ancient Roman emperor, Trajan.

The incredible shipwreck lies in the village of Sukošan just a few miles south of Zadar, one of Croatia’s biggest tourist destinations.

The International Centre for Underwater Archaeology, which led the excavation, said the ship was likely lost in a storm.

Director Mladen Pešić said: “As the evidence shows us, the ship was docked in the harbour.

“It was found just in front of the pier, so we suppose that due to the bad weather the ropes could be broken and the ship might have hit the shore.”

He added: “Broken stern elements give us evidence of this, since this beam that belongs to the keel was split like it hit a hard surface.

“The ship was probably in such bad condition that the owners decided to leave it on the bottom of the harbour.”

Radiocarbon analysis dates the ship to the first or second century AD – roughly the period of Trajan’s reign.

And though the ship was damaged enough to sink, it is in surprisingly good condition for its age.

Dr Pešić said: “The preserved ship was almost 13 meters in length and 3.5m in width.

“Many different elements were preserved – keel, planks, frames, ceilings, and many elements of the ship’s upper construction.”

He continued: “It is quite well preserved; some of the planks and frames look like they were just carved.”

The construction of the vessel suggests it was built to carry heavy loads over medium-to-long distances.

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And the artefacts found on board point to the same conclusion.

Dr Pešić said there were many shards of “pottery, glass, and other archaeological material” that could be connected with ship and the port.

“Most interesting are two complete jugs that were part of the ship’s equipment,” he explained.

“As we found many olive pits on it, we suppose that at the moment of sinking, the ship was transporting olives for further processing or for sale.”

The ship will now be preserved in-situ, being covered with a protective geotextile membrane and reburied in the sand.

But a recreation of the ship is planned for public display.

Dr Pešić said: “The plan is to make a 1:10 scale reconstruction of the existing ship construction in order to make a predictive model of ship how it looked in Roman times.”

Excavation of the ship was the work of a multinational team, including experts from Croatia, France, Poland, Germany, and the UK.

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BRITAIN must square up to Russia over its threats to undersea cables or risk a “catastrophic” attack a report by parliament has warned.

The military is “too timid” defending pipelines and seabed internet cables and must adopt a much more “muscular” approach, it said.

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The report by Parliament’s National Security Strategy Committee called for “punitive consequences” for saboteurs that go beyond calling them names.

It warned: “Otherwise, aggressors that are content with implausible deniability can cause damage with minimal risk.”

It comes after Navy chief General Sir Gwyn Jenkins warned Russia’s sub-sabotage unit GUGI was “regenerating”.

The committee of 22 MPs and peers warned Russia was the “primary threat” capable of causing severe disruption to the UK.

They cited “numerous allegations” of Russia and China using proxy actors to sabotage subsea cables in the Baltic and Indo-Pacific.

They panned Labour’s former telecoms minister Chris Bryant for dismissing their concerns as “apocalyptic”.

The report said: “The Minister (Bryant) suggested that exploring the risks of a co-ordinated attack on subsea infrastructure was unhelpfully “apocalyptic”.

“We disagree. Focusing on fishing accidents and low-level sabotage is no longer good enough.”

The report warned the UK faces a “strategic vulnerability”.

Proper “defensive preparations” could reduce the chances of a sabotage attack, it added.

Sir David Omand, a former GCHQ spychief, warned Britain would be in Russia’s “crosshairs” in the event of a ceasefire in Ukraine.

He said: “We really must expect the Russians to pick on us.”

Professor Kevin Rowlands, from the Royal Navy’s Strategic Studies Centre, told the committee that Russia’s GUGI had over 50 vessels including submarines that could dive to 6,000 metres.

He raised fears over vessels deliberately dragging their anchors to sever seabed cables and saboteurs armed with axes cut cables on land.

He said: “Dragging an anchor over a well‑plotted cable is easy and deniable.

“Pre-positioning any timed charges is difficult and risky for whoever is doing that.

“Using divers is difficult and, again, is trackable.”

He added: “In the future, one-way uncrewed underwater vehicles are probably a way ahead for any adversary.”

The MoD said it was investing “in new capabilities to help protect our offshore infrastructure, using the latest technology”.

It said: “This includes through the UK-led reaction system Nordic Warden, to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure, the high-tech RFA Proteus and Atlantic Bastion – high tech sensors above and below the seas to track submarines.”

The Sun understands the advice came from lawyers paid by the Ministry of Defence to act on behalf of the SAS and its veterans.

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Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles says large underwater attack drones have ‘very long range’ of operations.

Australia will spend 1.7 billion Australian dollars ($1.1bn) on a fleet of extra-large underwater “Ghost Shark” attack drones, in a move that officials said would supplement the country’s plans to acquire sophisticated nuclear-powered submarines.

Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said on Wednesday that the Ghost Shark autonomous underwater vehicles will complement Australia’s naval surface fleet and submarines to provide “a more capable and more lethal navy”.

“This is a profoundly important capability for the Royal Australian Navy,” Marles said.

“We have consistently articulated that Australia faces the most complex, in some ways, the most threatening, strategic landscape that we have had since the end of the second world war,” Marles said.

The government said it signed the $1.1bn, five-year contract with Anduril Australia to build, maintain and develop the uncrewed undersea vehicles in Australia.

“This is the highest tech capability in the world,” Marles said, adding that the drones would have a “very long range” as well as stealth capabilities.

Australia is in the midst of a major military restructuring, focused on bolstering its long-range strike capabilities in an effort to balance China’s expanding military might in the Asia Pacific region.

Marles also said that Australia was now a leading player in “the world in terms of autonomous underwater military capabilities, and Ghost Shark is capable of engaging in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike”.

Dozens of Ghost Sharks will be built in Australia, with opportunities to export to the country’s allies, Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said, adding that the first Ghost Sharks will be in service at the beginning of 2026.

Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group has said it wants to incorporate autonomous technology into the country’s defence forces because Australia has a vast coastline and up to 3 million square kilometres (1.1 million square miles) of northern ocean that needs to be defended, but only a relatively sparse population.

Separately, Australia plans to build stealth, nuclear-powered submarines with the United Kingdom and the United States under the AUKUS programme over three decades.

But critics of the AUKUS deal in the US have questioned why Washington would sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia without stocking its own military first.

As a result of the criticism, US President Donald Trump’s administration has put AUKUS under review to ensure it aligns with his “America First” agenda.

A WOMAN’S body has been found chained by the neck and tied underwater with two concrete dumbbells at a popular fishing pier in Thailand.

The horror discovery was made after stunned locals spotted the corpse floating close to shore.

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The body was found on Friday near Ban Tha Yai pier in Phang Nga’s Mueang district.

Police Lieutenant Pheerawit Chaichanyut of Khok Kloi Police Station said officers rushed to the scene with Kusoltham Foundation rescue workers after receiving an emergency call.

The victim – whose identity, address, and nationality are still unknown – was wearing grey shorts and a brown round-neck T-shirt.

Police believe she had been dead for around two days before being found in the murky waters.

A heavy chain had been wrapped tightly around her neck and secured to two concrete dumbbells in what investigators believe was a calculated attempt to keep the body hidden on the seabed.

But despite the grim effort, currents carried her to the surface and she drifted close to land.

“This is a serious case, and we are treating it as a possible murder,” Pol. Lt. Pheerawit said.

“The way the body was weighted down points towards an attempt to conceal it.”

The body has been sent for a full autopsy to determine the cause of death and whether the woman was alive before entering the water.

Local leaders and neighbouring districts have been told to check missing persons reports for anyone matching her description.

Cops will meanwhile scour CCTV from the pier and surrounding waterways for suspicious movements in the days before the grim find.

Anyone with information – particularly those who may have noticed unusual activity near Ban Tha Yai pier – is urged to contact police immediately.

The case echoes a similar discovery in February when a fisherman in Rayong found a woman’s decomposed body inside a locked suitcase weighted with two 10kg dumbbells.

Her identity also remains unknown.

More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.

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Rio Secreto in Cancun was discovered almost two decades ago by complete chance. Now the underground oasis has become a major tourist attraction in the Mexican seaside town

Tacos, tequila and sombreros are just some of the clichés that come to mind when thinking of the stunning country of Mexico. But what many visitors don’t realise is that there’s a whole other world lurking beneath the surface—literally.

Not only can holidaymakers enjoy cenotes—natural water pools believed by the Mayans to have a connection to the underworld—but they can also explore an entire underwater cave system.

Remarkably, Río Secreto in Cancún was only discovered in 2006 by a man who was hunting in the jungle. The story goes that he chased an iguana into a hole, which turned out to be the entrance to a vast underwater oasis. In the years since, the site has been painstakingly mapped, and guides now lead around 100 tourists per day through the cave, which is full of stalactites and stalagmites.

Bats also call the cave home, along with some interesting creepy crawlies—which I, for one, tried my best not to look at during a recent trip in June 2025. Head torches are needed to see the wonders of the cave, and at one point in the tour, our guide asked us to turn them off to show just how dark it really is inside.

READ MORE: Lesser known island next to huge tourist hotspot with unspoiled beaches and crystal-clear water

The long, glittering stalactites and stalagmites are otherworldly, leaving you feeling as though you’ve landed on another planet. Some physical strength is needed to clamber over rocks and swim through parts of the cave, but nothing too strenuous.

Participants are offered walking sticks to aid with this before walking through a short stretch of jungle to reach the mouth of the cave. Inside, the cool air is a sharp contrast to the 30°C sun beaming down at the entrance, adding to the surreal experience.

Our guide, Imelda, spoke passionately about the site as we ambled along the path. She ensured everyone in our group was happy and engaged throughout. Before we began the tour, Imelda introduced us to a Mayan shaman, who gave us a blessing before we made our way down the steps into another world.

We clambered under and over rocks and even got to swim in the cool water. As someone who is claustrophobic, I was never afraid—the tall cave ceilings mean you don’t feel cramped or stuck.

The experience was magical, but one thing that caught me off guard during the visit was the strict ban on photography. GoPros are not allowed inside the cave, nor is any camera equipment, including phones—some of which tourists had placed in waterproof pouches in preparation.

Instead, a photographer accompanies the group, capturing images as you walk and swim through the trail. These are available for purchase at the end of the excursion and can be viewed on a computer screen—akin to the ones you see after a ride at Alton Towers, albeit with slightly fewer screaming faces.

However, with a price tag of around $100 (around £72) for a photo package or $30 (around £21) per person, it’s a costly addition to the day. And when most of the images are of you carefully stepping over a rock in a lifejacket, helmet and wetsuit, it’s not surprising that I walked away with just the memories of such a special place.

We then made our way back to AVA Resort Cancún to end the day with a cocktail—or five—for a job well done.

Book it

Seven nights at the brand new five-star AVA Resort Cancun costs from just £1,651 per person on a premium all-inclusive basis in an Oceanfront King Room with Sea View and Balcony with two-person spa tub. Price is based on two adults sharing on an All-Inclusive Basis and includes direct return flights from London Gatwick to Cancun. Price based on select September 2025 departures. Visit AVA Resort Cancun for rooms.

A ticket to Rio Secreto is $89 (around £65) for adults and $44.50 (around £32) for children.

British Airways flights from London Gatwick to Cancun cost from £498.

An abandoned village that was purposefully flooded to make way for a huge reservoir has exposed itself several times in the last 70 years – as visitors marvel at the remains

An abandoned village that was submerged underwater back in the 1940s mystically reveals itself due to a rare phenomenon.

For years, Derwent thrived as a vibrant village – one that seemed utterly irreplaceable to its residents. Situated in the heart of the Peak District, in Derbyshire, the tiny community boasted its own school, a stunning church, and an impressive country manor house with immaculately manicured gardens, ornamental trees and a large fishpond.

Locals resided on cosy streets in limestone cottages – with stunning views of the rolling countryside at their doorstep. However, between 1935 and 1943, plans to flood the entire village – along with the neighbouring community of Ashopton, were given the green-light.

READ MORE: Abandoned UK island untouched for nearly 100 years just yards from seaside town

Despite protests from locals, who had to evacuate the villages to the nearby Yorkshire Bridge estate, the entire area was transformed into a sweeping dam in 1943, just two years before the end of World War Two. Over time, rain and mountain-run off started to fill the valley, and Derwent slowly became completely submerged under water.

Now known as Ladybower Reservoir, this impressive sheet of blue can hold a whopping 27,869 mega litres of water – and serves the neighbouring cities of Derby, Sheffield, and Nottingham. It has become a popular site for walkers and nature lovers, and underwent major refurbishment during the 1990s to raise and increase the strength of the dam’s wall to reduce the risk of ‘over-topping’ in a major flood.

But, in 2018, the lost village exposed itself once again – following an ‘exceptionally dry and hot summer’ that drastically decreased the reservoir’s water levels. Images show the ruins of Derwent, which had long been forgotten about, still remain intact – including the foundations of the church and hall, along with some of the cottage’s walls.

The village appeared again in 2022, following similar weather conditions that lowered water levels in the reservoir. The phenomenon attracted swathes of tourists who flocked to the site to marvel at the remains of a railway that became temporarily visible.

At the time, a spokesperson for Severn Trent warned visitors to be ‘aware’ that the exposed reservoir bed was ‘extremely muddy and not safe to walk in’. “You can get a great view of both the chapel and the railway from the shoreline,” they added. “Please do not walk out to the ruins.”

If scorching temperatures continue to swelter the UK, the chances of Derwent revealing itself increases. However, with downpours of rain slated to brutally end the on-going heatwave – the village may remain underwater this year.

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