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Dive into a collection of 10 captivating stories, ranging from perilous aquatic dangers to mysterious islands of escape, and discover hidden Easter eggs unlocked with the keyword “Mytour.”
10. Kick ‘Em Jenny
On August 5, 1944, the wooden schooner Island Queen disappeared in the Caribbean Sea, somewhere between St. Vincent and Grenada, taking all 60 passengers and crew with it.
During the height of World War II, many speculated that the boat had been torpedoed by either an Allied or German submarine. However, the absence of any debris in the water made this theory highly unlikely.
Researchers now theorize that a natural underwater phenomenon consumed the ship entirely, similar to how humpback whales use bubble nets to trap prey. As previously mentioned, these whales create bubble columns to encircle schools of fish before swallowing them whole.
The underwater volcano Kick ’em Jenny operates in a similar fashion, though it acts alone. Its unique name comes from local fishermen who likened the turbulent waters around it to being kicked by a mule.
Discovered in 1939, Kick ’em Jenny erupts approximately once every decade. While the risk is minimal, an eruption could cause a localized tsunami or hurl hot rocks up to 5 kilometers (3 miles), potentially damaging or destroying nearby vessels.
A more insidious threat arises during the volcano’s quieter periods. Like humpback whales, Kick ’em Jenny releases massive bubble columns into the water through a process known as degassing.
As the bubbles ascend, they displace seawater, creating areas of lower water density. Boats traversing these zones may lose buoyancy and sink intact into the volcano’s vast opening. This is likely the fate that befell the ill-fated Island Queen.
9. Ganvie
During the 17th century, mighty Fon warriors in West Africa protected their people from enslavement by negotiating with the Portuguese. In return for their freedom, they captured and sold members of weaker neighboring tribes into slavery.
A clever Tofinu tribesman devised a non-violent strategy to outsmart the Fon. The Fon believed Lake Nokoue was inhabited by a demon, and their religious convictions prevented them from attacking anyone residing in the water.
Thus, the Tofinu relocated to the expansive lagoon, constructing an entire stilt village. By living on the water, they ensured their safety.
Over the years, the lakeside settlement evolved into Ganvie, a self-sufficient town. Today, around 30,000 residents live in stilted huts, traveling by canoe to visit neighbors and friends, even those living next door.
While the threat of slavery has long passed, the townspeople continue to use the lake for their daily needs, including visiting the church, bank, post office, market, and hospital. Tourists can even stay at a lakeside hotel. The school stands as the only building entirely on an island, and residents are bringing in soil to create a cemetery.
Households operate like enterprises. Men typically farm fish, selling their catch to their wives, who then sell it at the market. The women are ultimately responsible for providing food and managing the household income.
8. Witley Park
J. Whitaker Wright, born in 1845 in England to humble beginnings, amassed wealth in America before losing it all. Returning to England, he regained his fortune by luring investors into fraudulent mining ventures, embodying the extravagant and audacious lifestyle of a man with grand ambitions.
Wright acquired two estates, merging them into the expansive 1,400-acre Witley Park in Surrey. He embarked on constructing a lavish 32-bedroom mansion featuring 11 bathrooms, a palm court, a theater, a velodrome, a private hospital, and more. His ambitious landscaping efforts, including flattening hills and creating three artificial lakes and an island, raised concerns among his neighbors.
While Wright openly displayed his wealth, his crowning achievement remained concealed beneath the water, accessible only to invited guests. To outsiders, the sole hint was a Neptune statue seemingly walking on water in the center of a lake.
In truth, Neptune stood atop a glass-and-metal dome. This underwater structure provided a shielded space where guests could play billiards, dance, or simply admire the fish swimming around them in the lake.
Sadly for Wright and his investors, his financial situation mirrored his underwater billiards room. The collapse of one of his companies triggered a chain reaction of bankruptcies. In 1904, he was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to seven years in prison.
The cunning former tycoon had no intention of serving time. After the verdict, during a meeting with his lawyers in the courthouse, Wright requested a cigar and whiskey. He then ingested a smuggled cyanide capsule, ending his life in the same flamboyant, defiant manner in which he had lived.
7. The Walkable World Map
If you find yourself in Denmark and fancy a quick global tour, Soren Poulsen’s creation is the perfect solution. You can even row a small boat across the Pacific Ocean to enjoy a round of mini-golf or indulge in a pastry and coffee.
At his family farm on Lake Klejtrup, Poulsen dedicated the final 25 years of his life to building Verdenskortet (“Map of the World”) using just a wheelbarrow and basic hand tools.
From 1944 until his passing at 81 in 1969, Poulsen manually crafted a 4,000-square-meter (43,000 ft) scaled-down world map. Every 27 meters (89 ft) on his outdoor map represents 111 kilometers (69 mi) of the Earth’s actual surface.
During winter, Poulsen placed numerous boulders and smaller stones on the frozen lake to outline the continents. As the ice melted in warmer weather, the rocks sank, forming the foundation for the landmasses on his map.
Poulsen would then finish each section by adding more stones, soil, and grass. Every country on the map features a miniature flag placed in its correct location.
Born on this property in 1888, Poulsen spent two decades in the US during his youth before returning to his family farm to establish an orchard business. When this endeavor failed, he turned his passion for geography into the creation of a walkable world map.
Today, Verdenskortet stands as a popular tourist destination, offering a variety of family-friendly activities.
6. Gruner See
Much like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, Gruner See (“Green Lake”) in Styria, Austria, experiences an annual transformation, shifting from a serene winter pond in a picturesque park at the foot of the Hochschwab Mountains to a stunning emerald lake with an enchanting underwater world.
For centuries, this annual event occurs around early May as melting snow from the mountains floods the basin below. The lake, typically 1–2 meters (3–6 ft) deep in winter, expands to a maximum depth of about 12 meters (40 ft) by late spring and early summer.
Adventurous summer visitors equipped with scuba gear can explore the crystal-clear, icy waters, which offer a view so pristine it feels like gazing through polished glass into a magical, storybook realm.
Underwater benches, footbridges, hiking trails, submerged trees, and the vibrant green grasses that lend the lake its emerald hue appear suspended in time. Only the occasional trout swimming by seems to exist in the present moment.
As professional photographer and scuba diver Thomas Aichinger shared with Smithsonian magazine, “Diving here feels like flying, as you glide above the park’s submerged benches and bridges.”
However, this annual marvel is fleeting. By July, the water recedes rapidly, leaving the enchanting underwater world of Gruner See as nothing more than a magical memory.
5. St. Nicholas Cathedral
Russia has a unique history of submerging religious sites—literally.
In the 1930s, as part of his efforts to modernize the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin commissioned the construction of reservoirs and dams along the Upper Volga, which submerged centuries of the region’s history beneath the water.
One of these submerged relics, St. Nicholas Cathedral, is marked by a towering 75-meter (245 ft) bell tower rising above the Uglich Reservoir. Constructed around 1800, this structure once belonged to the cathedral’s bell tower, built on the grounds of a 14th-century monastery in Kalyazin, Russia.
The monastery, once renowned, controlled 200 settlements and 13 villages, generating significant revenue. It also welcomed high-profile guests, including Catherine the Great and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
While the monastery and adjacent buildings were flooded, the bell tower remained intact for navigation purposes. At one point, boats could even pass through the lower section of the tower.
Later, an island was constructed around the tower. The Soviets used it to train paratroopers until an accident occurred during a jump. Today, the bell tower attracts tourists and occasionally hosts Orthodox Christian ceremonies.
In the 21st century, Russia is once again submerging religious structures. In 2015, the Russian Orthodox Church, alongside the Night Wolves, a Kremlin-linked motorcycle group, began building the world’s first underwater church off Crimea’s coast.
To date, they have secured a 3-ton cross to the seabed. This church will also honor St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, and will serve as an underwater museum showcasing Crimean history.
4. Kelimutu’s Tricolored Lakes
Kelimutu National Park in Indonesia is home to the world’s only tricolored lakes, situated atop the Mount Kelimutu volcano. Like a 1970s mood ring, the three crater lakes frequently shift their vibrant hues, believed by locals to reflect the emotions of the spirits residing within them.
The lakes’ vivid colors are so intense they resemble paint on an artist’s palette. Despite their proximity, each lake changes color independently, displaying shades of turquoise, rusty red, green, brown, black, or even white.
The exact cause remains a mystery. Scientists suggest that volcanic gases interacting with minerals in the water create chemical reactions, producing the stunning colors. However, locals dismiss this scientific explanation, maintaining their centuries-old belief that the lakes are the resting place for their ancestors’ spirits.
The westernmost lake, Tiwu Ata Mbupu (“The Lake of Old People”), stands apart and is believed to be the resting place of elderly individuals who lived virtuous lives.
The middle lake, Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai (“The Lake of Young Men and Maidens”), is said to house the souls of righteous young people.
Sharing a crater wall with the middle lake is Tiwu Ata Polo (“The Lake of Evil Spirits” or “The Enchanted Lake”), where the spirits of wicked individuals, regardless of age, are said to be trapped after death.
3. Jindo Island
Those skeptical about the parting of the Red Sea should visit South Korea’s Jindo Island to witness what Ambassador Pierre Landy called the “Korean version of Moses’s miracle.” While it may not alter their views on the Red Sea, participating in the annual Jindo Sea Parting Festival is an exhilarating experience.
The Jindo Sea parts several times annually between March and June, revealing a land bridge spanning 40–60 meters (130–200 ft) in width.
Some scientists attribute this phenomenon to tidal harmonics, suggesting that gravitational forces periodically align to produce an exceptionally low tide, exposing the land bridge.
During the four-day festival, hundreds of thousands of people traverse the 3-kilometer (2 mi) path from Jindo Island to Modo Island. It’s easy to envision persecuted individuals using the bridge to escape before the sea closed, thwarting their pursuers.
Jindo Island’s folklore includes an escape tale involving an elderly woman and tigers. According to the legend, the island was plagued by tigers, prompting villagers to flee to Modo Island, inadvertently leaving behind Grandma Bbyong.
Each day, Grandma Bbyong prayed to Yongwang, the ocean god, for reunion with her family. In a dream, she was promised a rainbow road would allow her family to cross the sea safely. The next day, the Jindo Sea parted, revealing the rainbow bridge, and her family rescued her from the tiger-infested island.
2. Big Major Cay
In the Bahamas, the stunning island paradise of Big Major Cay boasts pristine white beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and around 20 wild pigs, earning it the nickname “Pig Island” or “Pig Beach.” While humans don’t inhabit the island, locals and tourists often sail in to feed these wild animals.
The pigs are both lazy and clever, much like the Tom Sawyers of their species, relying on humans to do most of the work. They spend their days lounging in the sand or basking in the sun, eagerly awaiting their next meal delivery.
When boats approach, the pigs put on a show, swimming out to greet their visitors, accepting food, and then playing in the water while posing for photos before returning to their beachside relaxation.
However, the waters around Big Major Cay weren’t always a haven for pigs. European explorers often left domesticated animals like pigs, chickens, goats, and cattle on islands as a food source for future voyages. Sometimes, the sailors never returned, or the animals escaped from ships and made their way to shore.
By the 1600s, several Caribbean islands were home to feral pigs. Early hunters cooked their pork on a frame known as a boucan or buccan, leading to the term “buccaneer,” which later became synonymous with pirates, as Caribbean pirates were known to hunt wild pigs and savor barbecued pork.
1. The Bolton Strid
Near Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire, England, lies a treacherous spot known as the Bolton Strid. At just 2 meters (6 ft) wide, it appears to be a shallow mountain stream but is, in fact, a dangerously deep and fast-moving river. Its exact depth remains unknown, but its deadly reputation is well-documented.
Despite clear warnings, some visitors attempt to leap across the stream or use stepping stones to cross. Those who fall in have never survived, and in most cases, their bodies are never found.
Had these individuals walked roughly 90 meters (300 ft) further, they would have discovered that this seemingly small stream is actually a narrow section of the River Wharfe, which typically spans about 9 meters (30 ft) in width.
While the banks of the Strid appear close together, the land on either side forms an overhang. Beneath the surface, strong currents have carved hidden tunnels and caves, which may contain the remains of some of the Strid’s unfortunate victims.
According to legend, in 1154, a young boy named William de Romilly attempted to jump the Strid but failed, meeting a tragic end. His mother, Lady Alice de Romilly, grief-stricken, donated the surrounding land to monks, who established Bolton Abbey. William Wordsworth later immortalized de Romilly’s fate in his poem “The Force of Prayer.”
