17 Nightmare-Inducing Stories About Oceans, Lakes, And More Straight From Wikipedia

Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed
·7 min read
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If you're one of the millions who suffer from thalassophobia (i.e. the intense fear of deep bodies of water such as the ocean or sea), then I probably don't have to remind you that the ocean, lakes, and other bodies of water can be scary places.
If you're one of the millions who suffer from thalassophobia (i.e. the intense fear of deep bodies of water such as the ocean or sea), then I probably don't have to remind you that the ocean, lakes, and other bodies of water can be scary places.

Vajirawich Wongpuvarak / Getty Images/iStockphoto

If you're one of the millions who suffer from thalassophobia (i.e. the intense fear of deep bodies of water such as the ocean or sea), then I probably don't have to remind you that the ocean, lakes, and other bodies of water can be scary places.

So, when I decided to go searching for creepy Wikipedia stories (LOL, what's wrong with me?!) about the ocean and other watery places, WELP, I found some nightmare-worthy results. Check it out:

Warning: Some images in this post are potentially disturbing. Continue at your own risk.

Roopkund or
Roopkund or

Anuroop Khandelwal / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Roopkund or "Skeleton Lake" where you can see hundreds of human skeleton remains.

This shallow lake in India is famous for having hundreds of human skeletons at the edge, which you can see when the snow melts. According to researchers, the bones are the remains of people killed in a sudden and violent hailstorm in the 9th century.

We will Never give up!!
Love and miss you Beck xxxxxx pic.twitter.com/Zm6zSh1Xv3

— Find Rebecca (@RebeccaCoriam) June 13, 2014 ">The Disappearance of Rebecca Coriam who was a crewmember on the cruise ship Disney Wonder.

Coriam missed her shift one morning aboard the Disney cruise in 2011, and couldn't be found in her room or anywhere else on the ship. However, investigators did find CCTV footage of her (at 5:45 a.m. that morning) having a phone conversation and appearing emotionally distraught. This was the last record of her presence aboard the ship and her body has not been found.

The disappearance of Andrew McAuley whose distress calls were later found on a recovered memory stick.
The disappearance of Andrew McAuley whose distress calls were later found on a recovered memory stick.

Handout / Getty Images

The disappearance of Andrew McAuley whose distress calls were later found on a recovered memory stick.

McAuley was an Australian kayaker who attempted to cross the Tasman Sea in 2007. He slept in the kayak using a sea anchor and a capsule that enclosed him into the kayak's hatch. When his kayak was recovered, the capsule was missing. In the aftermath, footage was found on a memory stick in his camera and shows him making distress calls saying he was sinking and needed a rescue.

The Murder of Helle Crafts whose chopped up remains were found in a lake.
The Murder of Helle Crafts whose chopped up remains were found in a lake.

New York Post Archives / The New York Post via Getty Imag

The Murder of Helle Crafts whose chopped up remains were found in a lake.

After Helle Crafts's disappearance, a snowplow driver reported seeing her husband using a woodchipper near the lake on the night Helle was last seen. In and near the lake, police found pieces of metal and human tissue including a tooth, a fingernail, bone chips, human hair, fingernails, and blood that all matched Helle. Police concluded her remains had gone through a woodchipper.

The Salish Sea human foot discoveries.
The Salish Sea human foot discoveries.

RT America

The Salish Sea human foot discoveries.

Since August of 2007, there have been at least 20 DETACHED human feet discovered off the coasts of British Columbia in Canada and Washington state in the US. There are a ton of theories as to why JUST feet have been discovered — ranging from boating accidents, plane crashes, suicide, foul play, and even the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The Lake Bodom murders, one of the most infamous unsolved homicide cases in Finnish criminal history.
The Lake Bodom murders, one of the most infamous unsolved homicide cases in Finnish criminal history.

Romi Tolonen / Getty Images/EyeEm

The Lake Bodom murders, one of the most infamous unsolved homicide cases in Finnish criminal history.

In June 1960, four teens decided to camp on the shore of Lake Bodom. Three of the teens were stabbed and bludgeoned to death. The only survivor, Nils Gustafsson, sustained a concussion and some facial fractures. He claimed to have only gotten a glimpse of the attacker. Gustafsson was later tried for their murders but acquitted.

The Lady in the Lake trial about a woman whose body was discovered by amateur divers at the bottom of a lake.
The Lady in the Lake trial about a woman whose body was discovered by amateur divers at the bottom of a lake.

Pa Images / Getty Images

The Lady in the Lake trial about a woman whose body was discovered by amateur divers at the bottom of a lake.

Carol Park's body was discovered at the bottom of Coniston Water in North West England. She had been wrapped in a pinafore dress, plastic bags, and weighed down with lead piping. In a post-mortem, it was discovered that her face had been smashed and that the murder weapon was an ice axe. Her husband, Gordon Park, was eventually found guilty, but there was a ton of controversy surrounding the case.

The existence of bog bodies — i.e. human cadavers that have been naturally mummified in a peat bog.
The existence of bog bodies — i.e. human cadavers that have been naturally mummified in a peat bog.

Tim Graham / Getty Images

The existence of bog bodies — i.e. human cadavers that have been naturally mummified in a peat bog.

The preservation of bodies in bogs is a natural phenomenon, i.e. not a result of humans purposefully doing it. The bogs' acids, with pH levels similar to vinegar, conserve human bodies in the same way as fruit is preserved by pickling.

The Lake Nyos disaster that killed almost 2,000 people.
The Lake Nyos disaster that killed almost 2,000 people.

Eric Bouvet / Getty Images

The Lake Nyos disaster that killed almost 2,000 people.

This 1986 eruption in northwestern Cameroon triggered the sudden release of about 100,000–300,000 tons of carbon dioxide. It's believed that most of the victims had been poisoned by a mixture of gases that included hydrogen and sulfur. Among eye and nose pain, victims also suffered asphyxiation similar to being strangled.

Little Miss Lake Panasoffkee, an unidentified young woman found murdered in Florida.
Little Miss Lake Panasoffkee, an unidentified young woman found murdered in Florida.

Sumter Sheriff

Little Miss Lake Panasoffkee, an unidentified young woman found murdered in Florida.

This Jane Doe was discovered partially submerged in Lake Panasoffkee in Florida. The victim was fully clothed, with a ring on her ring finger (suggesting she may have been married), and with a man's size 36 belt fastened around her neck.

The Lava Lake murders, one of the oldest unsolved murder cases on Oregon's history.
The Lava Lake murders, one of the oldest unsolved murder cases on Oregon's history.

Donald_gruener / Getty Images

The Lava Lake murders, one of the oldest unsolved murder cases on Oregon's history.

This was a triple murder that occurred at Little Lava Lake in Central Oregon's Deschutes National Forest almost 100 years ago, way back in 1924. Three friends had planned to spend the winter in a log cabin, working as fur trappers. After going missing, blood, human hair, and teeth were found leading to the lake where their bodies were eventually discovered as the frozen ice thawed.

The MV Joyita, a ship whose crew and passengers mysteriously disappeared.
The MV Joyita, a ship whose crew and passengers mysteriously disappeared.

Tagata Pasifika

The MV Joyita, a ship whose crew and passengers mysteriously disappeared.

This merchant vessel set sail in the South Pacific in 1955 with a crew of 25, but was found adrift five weeks later with no one on board and in bad condition. There are many theories about what happened, especially since the ship had been called "unsinkable."

The sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis that left crew members floating alone in the ocean...with sharks.
The sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis that left crew members floating alone in the ocean...with sharks.

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty

The sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis that left crew members floating alone in the ocean...with sharks.

Apparently, the sinking of this ship resulted in the most shark attacks on humans in history. It was so bad that some survivors killed themselves or even other crew members in various states of delirium and hallucinations.

The Abyssal zone, the part of the ocean that remains in perpetual darkness.
The Abyssal zone, the part of the ocean that remains in perpetual darkness.

Nat Geo WILD

The Abyssal zone, the part of the ocean that remains in perpetual darkness.

This layer of the ocean comes from the Greek word meaning "bottomless," and makes up over 83% of the ocean and covers 60% of the Earth. Since there's no light, there are no plants to produce oxygen which results in a death trap for organisms that can't quickly return to oxygen-enriched water above.

Oba Chandler — a murderer who threw his victims into the water while still alive.
Oba Chandler — a murderer who threw his victims into the water while still alive.

ABC Action News

Oba Chandler — a murderer who threw his victims into the water while still alive.

Chandler murdered a woman, Jo Rogers, and her two teen daughters in Tampa Bay, Florida in 1989. The victims' bodies had water in their lungs, proving they'd been thrown into the water while still alive and were initially tied down with concrete blocks. However, because the bodies bloated from decomposition, they floated to the surface where they were found. Chandler was executed on Nov. 15, 2011, at Florida State Prison in Raiford.

The very long List of Bermuda Triangle incidents.
The very long List of Bermuda Triangle incidents.

James Gass / Getty Images

The very long List of Bermuda Triangle incidents.

There are at least 923 fatalities attributed to the Bermuda Triangle including many missing planes, incidents at sea (allegedly Christopher Columbus and his crew even saw strange lights there), and one incident on land where two lighthouse keepers went missing, never to be found.

And finally the Diving bell spider — a species of spider that lives almost entirely underwater.
And finally the Diving bell spider — a species of spider that lives almost entirely underwater.

Windmill Books / Universal Images Group via Getty

And finally the Diving bell spider — a species of spider that lives almost entirely underwater.

Found in clean fresh water (like lakes, ponds, and more), this is the only known spider that spends almost all its life underwater. It only comes above the surface to briefly replenish its oxygen supply. Their bite is very painful and can cause vomiting and feverishness. Just one more reason to be afraid of water. 🙃