Some Of The Things To Fear In The Deep That Can Trigger Thalassophobia

‘Thalassophobia’ is quite a complicated word for something pretty simple. It means ‘fear of the ocean.’ Lots of people have this fear – and for a good reason, too! There are so many unexplained and strange things lurking beneath the waves that are sure to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Sometimes, it is the creatures underneath the water that make people feel afraid. Other times, the remains of human activity – like shipwrecks – give people the chills. And then, occasionally, it is the sheer nothingness that terrifies us! Here are a few photos that will let you know for sure if you have thalassophobia. Some of them are so scary that they are guaranteed to instill this fear in you even if you don’t have it!

Shark School

One shark alone is terrifying enough. Now imagine coming across a whole bunch of them – we would be absolutely terrified! This picture is as frightening as it is quite beautiful. You will never find us anywhere near them, though!

Seriously, what is it with people who go diving to see this? We reckon that they must have some kind of death wish because there is no way anyone would do this for fun. It’s way too scary to fathom!

I See You…

One thing that’s scary about diving underwater is that it is not just about the things that you can see – it’s also the things that see you! That includes objects that are not even alive, such as this strange statue.

It is not too clear what this eye is doing underwater, but it certainly gives us the creeps! The way that it seems to be staring directly at us is just plain odd. We would definitely not be this relaxed!

Camouflaged Croc

Many deadly animals are hiding in the ocean, but you should not forget about the rivers, too! Think about this picture the next time that you decide to go for a quick paddle. You might find yourself regretting your decision!

We are amazed that anyone was brave enough to continue swimming and take a photo of this terrifying beast lurking under the waves. It is pretty amazing how well-hidden this crocodile is. We certainly did not see it straight away!

Tentacle Terror

This one is just plain weird. Any creature with more than the standard two or four arms is scary enough. Now, imagine one with over eight of them! We would be absolutely terrified and get out of there immediately.

We’re not even sure what creature this is. Is it a squid, or is it an octopus?! Either way, one thing is for sure – it is absolutely terrifying! This is one of many reasons to keep yourself on dry land.

Spooky Shadows

We have already seen some creatures that look pretty scary, but what about the creatures that you can’t see? There is nothing spookier than seeing the shadow of a colossal creature, let alone the beast itself. Can’t you agree?

We really hope that this picture is fake. Just look at how humungous that whale is! The tiny little sailor in the boat next to it really puts into scale and perspective how small we humans are compared to whales.

Photo Opportunity

Some people will risk it all to get a good picture, and apparently, that includes risking life and limb! This man must have a heart of steel to be able to pose for a picture as heart-attack-inducing as this.

Look at the edge of that pit! Not being able to see what is on the other side is utterly terrifying. We seriously doubt that any picture is worth feeling as afraid as this. Somehow, the man looks pretty calm!

Follow the warning!

Whenever you see a warning sign telling you to do or not to do something, we strongly recommend that you follow it. That includes if you see this advice underwater, like this sign. You should absolutely steer clear of this area!

It is clear that something pretty bad happened beyond these rocks, so we don’t think anyone should go anywhere near the area. They have even included skull-and-crossbones to make the message crystal clear to any potential nearby divers who are exploring.

It’s all so quiet

We have already seen quite a few scary creatures under the water, including some spooky shadows. But what is more frightening than seeing that? Seeing nothing under the water, like this picture. The complete absence of anything makes it look terrifying!

It feels like the perfect environment for a sea monster or huge animal to hide in. In some ways, not seeing one of these animals make it look even scarier than actually seeing them! The emptiness is so chilling.

Huge Squid

For a long time, scientists thought that giant squids were just a work of fiction created by the overactive imagination of sailors. However, they soon realized that these beasts were real when they searched the seas to find one of them!

This picture is just further proof that giant squids do exist, and they do not appear to be very afraid of humans, either! We wonder what other mysterious creatures could be hiding under the waves, away from human eyes.

Sudden realisation

We all know that boats are pretty big, but most of us do not realize how big they are until we see a picture like this. This picture puts into perspective how tiny humans are compared to what we can build.

You might think that this is just a model, but that’s a real, fully-grown man sitting on a boat propeller! If we can build something as huge as this boat, what do you think Mother Nature has in store for us?

Underwater spacecraft

When astronauts come back to Earth, they always land in the sea, which is the safest place for them. But, do you ever wonder what happens to the spacecraft that they were traveling in? Take a look here to see!

This is part of the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft that touched back down on Earth in 1961. It took over 35 years for this to be recovered 16,000 feet below the tides, but luckily, the astronaut was found almost immediately.

Plastic nightmare

This picture might be a fake dinosaur, but we can assure you that we feel the fear is real! It’s really scary and hard to think about how an animal like this once swam the oceans millions of years ago.

If we came across something like this in real life, we have no idea what we would do! Hopefully, this is just someone’s idea of a prank and not a picture of the Loch Ness Monster or something similar.

Titanic Terror

Looking at this picture, it is hard to understand how terrified the passengers on board of the Titanic must have felt when the boat started to sink. This picture is from the hit 1997 film starring Leonardo de Caprio.

We feel incredibly sorry for anyone who was on board at the time—seeing the water fill up the stairs and the rest of the boat would have been scary beyond belief. It feels like the stuff of nightmares.

Dive deep

Here is further proof of how thrill-seeking some people can be. For most of us, seeing a huge hole under the seafloor is a big no-no. We would undoubtedly be swimming straight away from there. Not this diver, though!

Their first thought was to swim into the hole, not away from it! We would not recommend doing this, as there could be any number of things hiding in there. Perhaps it’s the home of a massive sea monster?!

Looking into the abyss

If you look just at the top half of this picture, it looks like quite a beautiful snap. The way that the rocks underneath the water almost mirror the ones above is quite stunning. Now, look underneath the surface…

The sheer blackness of the ocean underneath is far from beautiful! Anyone brave enough to dive across this is much braver than we could ever be. We cannot even imagine the things living down there in the hollow darkness.

Scary shoreline

After looking at the other pictures above, you might think that your best bet is to stay on the beach, close to the shore. After all, there is nothing there that could hurt you…right? Well, you would be wrong!

Hiding right at the water’s edge are these long, terrifying arms that look ready to snatch you into the water! Luckily, this is just a bunch of creepy-looking seaweed and nothing actually evil. At least, that is what we think…

Give us a smile

Going out on a boat during the daytime can be quite pleasant, especially on a warm day. But going out on a boat at night? That’s a completely different story, as you can see from this picture. You’re not alone!

There are plenty of other animals that are lurking in the sea, just waiting for their next meal, including sharks! We are so surprised that this user managed to take a photo of what must’ve been an absolutely terrifying moment.

Freaky Fish

Most fish are pretty small and harmless creatures unless you are talking about piranhas. You would hardly think that any of them could be a cause for concern, but you would be wrong. Look at the size of this guy!

We are not even sure what kind of fish this is, but one thing is for certain, it is absolutely enormous! It seems to have a huge set of teeth, too, that are perfect for munching on people. How scary!

Creepy Crustacean

There are so many fantastic creatures under the sea, but not all of them make us want to take a visit. Like this spiny crab, just waiting for innocent passers-by to fall prey to its ridiculously long, freakishly spiky legs.

We actually feel a bit better about this one, since it’s supposedly just a close-up. There are no giant spiny crabs roaming around to attack humans. Still, we feel bad for that shrimp or any fish that cross its path.

Trees in the lake

This picture is half beautiful and half horrifying. There is something quite mysterious about the way that these trees seem to be growing out of absolutely nothing in the water, roots hanging in the waves and leaves up above.

It is also strange to see how small people are in comparison to these monstrous trees. The diver in the picture looks only a little bigger than the trunk of one of the trees. This picture is a sheer work of art.

Blade runner

We are not too sure why so many divers appear to be attracted to old ship parts, but we reckon it might be because of their sheer size. You can see just how big a boat is in this picture.

That tiny figure, balancing on the blades of the ship’s turbine, is a human diver! We have no idea what this ship is doing so far down in the water, but we doubt that it is for any good reason.

Whale Bones

We often think of whales as being pretty peaceful creatures. They are relatively harmless to humans and can often be heard singing in the ocean. But then we remember how big these things are, and they don’t seem so gentle!

You might think that the huge white thing in this picture is a huge fake dinosaur bone from Jurassic Park. In reality, it is actually the backbone of a whale floating on the surface of the water in Norway!

Jumbo Jet

Seeing a boat underneath the waves is bad enough, but seeing a plane is even more of a cause for concern. The underwater wreckage of a plane is a sure sign of disaster and not something we want to see.

There is something so eerie about this picture. The way the cockpit of this plane seems to be lurking in the water, it looks like a giant animal about to eat you. Honestly, we are not sure which is scarier!

Absolute nothingness

If seeing complete blackness under the water was not enough for you, then what about seeing complete greenness instead? We are really not sure which one is less comforting, as they are both spine-chilling situations to be caught up in.

The water is so thick and cloudy here that it is impossible to see anything apart from the sheer greenness all around. We hope that the diver who took this picture swam immediately out of there as we would do!

Say cheese!

The worst part of this picture has to be that was actually created by a person. Just what kind of sick individual would want to make something as horrifying as this?! What do we mean? This is a real, preserved shark!

This picture was taken at crystal World Exhibition Centre in Devon Meadows Victoria Australia. Her name is Rosie and she died in 1998. An artist preserved her body and we can guess the only reason would be to scare the daylights out of people.

Pool shark

Before we look at this picture, we just want to confirm that it is one hundred percent photoshopped. You will not see any sharks swimming in the pool with people anytime soon! Still, this picture represents a very real fear.

It sounds like a silly fear, but we would be lying if we said we have never been afraid of this happening. There is nothing else that you could do in this situation apart from swimming away and screaming!

I’m watching you

Sharks and giant squids are meant to be very terrifying animals, so it seems natural to be afraid of them. But seals? They look so adorable on land, yet they become monsters as soon as they are under the waves.

This seal, in particular, seems to be looking at the camera with a menacing stare. It feels like it’s looking directly into our soul! Luckily, we’re too big to be a seal’s prey, and it probably swam away soon after this was taken.

Another sick joke

Just what is it with people making horrifying monster structures and leaving them under the water?! Real sharks are scary enough, but this fake one takes the cake for being the most disturbing. For starters, look at those sharp teeth!

It seems like it belongs in the movies Jaws and not many hundreds of feet underneath the water. The black, almost invisible eyes make it seem even eerier. We wonder how scared these divers were when they found this beast!

Monochrome Monster

If that fake shark was not enough, try taking a look at the genuine article. Those teeth look ready to tear into anything! It is no wonder that so many of us are utterly terrified of these fearsome creatures.

There is something about the fact that this picture is in black-and-white that makes it look even scarier. Thankfully, humans are not a shark’s food, and they usually bite people by mistake. It does not make them any less disturbing!

Lunchtime

This picture is a clear reminder that we should not just be afraid of the things deep below the water. The creatures living near the surface are just as terrifying as you can see with this horrifying water snake!

We had no idea that animals this big even lived in the ocean, let alone close to the surface! We hope that humans are off the menu. This snake looks like it caught a pretty sizeable meal with this fish.

Down, down, down

We have no idea how long the chain in this picture actually is, but we have a feeling that it is quite lengthy. That fact makes this picture much, much scarier, as you realize how massive and deep the ocean is!

Fun fact: we know more about outer space and planets in the sky than we do about the things lurking deep within our oceans. Looking at how deep and mysterious this picture is, it is not hard to see why.

Hunting for prey

Forget thalassophobia; we think this list has made us develop galeophobia instead – the fear of sharks! They are probably the scariest thing living in the oceans. What is worse than one shark swimming around? A whole bunch of them!

It is difficult to describe how terrified we would feel if we saw this picture in real life. With this many sharks swimming around you, there is no hope of getting out alive. All you can do is pray!

On the edge

The person in this picture might not have gone diving into the water, but they sure risked things by putting their toe into the pool. Any kind of ferocious creature could come up from the darkness to eat them!

That is not even the only dangerous thing about this picture. The rocks around are quite slippery, so they could easily fall into the water and cut themselves on the edge. We recommend everyone stays clear of such places.

Take a picture

Here is another person who we assume has a death wish, judging by this picture. Either that or they are very brave! We hope that posing for a picture on the edge of the rock was worth it for them.

There is no way that you would catch us doing anything similar! There could be creatures hiding in the shadows, waiting to pull you under. It almost does not bear thinking about what could happen to you in this location.

Deep, deep below

It is quite alarming to see something human so far away from human surroundings, just like this picture. There is something so sad and surreal about seeing a boat lying on the ocean floor, abandoned by all the people who once used it.

You can just about see a diver in the corner of the picture, swimming amongst the wreckage. We wonder how they are feeling as they explore this lost area. We would certainly be very fearful of what we’d find here.

Far, far away

The user who posted this picture said that they were visiting an Air BNB Island and decided to go for a quick paddle in the boat. Well, they thought it was quick at first, but this picture says something different.

It seems that he actually ended up going pretty far instead! Being this far away from the shoreline is enough to make anyone feel nervous. We hope that they managed to get back safely. At least they have a boat!

Light at the bottom

The scariest part of this picture is not the darkness but the light – and how unpowerful it is! It looks like the diver has a pretty strong flashlight, yet it cannot do anything against the surrounding darkness nearby.

We are surprised that anyone would be willing to go this far under the water by themselves with only a flashlight for company. We hope that this picture is a video game and not a real person down there!

Underwater Art

A new trend in art is creating sculptures in weird locations, and that includes underwater, too! These statues can be found on the seafloor near Cancun, Mexico. We would love to know how they were built and how they got down there!

Did the artist just drop them into the water and hope that they hit the bottom? Or did they take them down there gradually? Either way, we are very glad that this is not our job – it’s too frightening.

Into the unknown

One thing that we’ve learned so far from these pictures is that there is quite a number of gigantic holes in the ocean floor. Another thing is that where there is a giant hole, divers will go down to explore!

One thing is for sure, and that is that these divers are far braver than we will ever be. Seriously – what is it about these gigantic holes that make people think, “let me go down and explore what’s in there?!”

Under the ice

Seeing an iceberg floating in the water is quite a beautiful sight as they look so majestic. But when you view it from underneath, it is no longer beautiful but instead absolutely spine-chilling. How is all of this hiding underneath!?

Do you see that tiny little black spot near the bottom? It is a rover sent by scientists to investigate the iceberg. We hope they got what they were looking for – an absolute nightmare to keep you up at night!

Mermaid underneath

This little girl might only be eight years old, but she has the courage of an 80-year-old! We love the fact that she decided to go diving in her mermaid costume into somewhere so deep and dark like this cave.

However, there is something quite jarring about seeing something so bright and sparkly next to something that is the complete opposite. If you want to take a trip here for yourself, it is part of Ginnie Springs in Florida.

Guadalupe Island

If you look at the top of this picture, you might think that it’s just a gorgeous holiday snap. After all, the water is blue, and the sky is clear. What could possibly go wrong? Well, look further down…

…and you will see that there is actually a humungous shark hiding near the surface! The way that it has its jaws are wide open makes it seem like it is ready to feast on whatever poor soul comes swimming past.

Scary signs

This picture is proof of how scary words can be. We have so many questions about what objects are submerged under the water – and why they’re so dangerous! Even so, we think following the advice of the sign is best.

It could be anything that is down there, such as sharp rocks or maybe bits of garbage that could seriously injure any divers. However, the fact that the sign is here means there must have been an accident before…