Along the vast coastlines of the United States, a new wave of mystery has captured the attention of both the public and national security officials. Reports of Unidentified Submersible Objects (USOs)—the aquatic cousins of UFOs—are surfacing in unprecedented numbers, with thousands of sightings logged near American waterways in just the past few years. The phenomenon, far from being confined to the realm of science fiction, is now prompting serious discussion among high-ranking military officials, lawmakers, and scientists alike.
At the heart of this surge in underwater anomalies is Enigma, a UFO-tracking app that has quickly become the world’s largest searchable database for unexplained aerial and submersible phenomena. Since its launch in late 2022, Enigma has amassed reports on over 30,000 Unidentified Flying Objects and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), but it’s the underwater sightings that have recently stolen the spotlight. As of August 2025, Enigma had recorded more than 9,000 USO sightings within 10 miles of U.S. shores or major bodies of water, with 500 of those within just 5 miles of the coast, according to Marine Technology News.
The data reveal that California and Florida are the nation’s hotspots for USO activity, with 389 and 306 reports respectively—perhaps unsurprising given their extensive ocean coastlines and busy maritime zones. Enigma’s maps display dense clusters of sightings running up and down both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, painting an eerie picture of persistent, unexplained activity in American waters.
Many of these reports describe objects that defy conventional explanation: glowing orbs rising from the depths, craft plunging into the sea without leaving so much as a ripple, and mysterious green lights moving beneath the surface. One striking video, submitted near Fort Lauderdale, Florida on June 11, 2023, shows green lights shifting beneath the waves, recorded from a boat—an image that has left both experts and enthusiasts scratching their heads.
But these aren’t merely the tales of overactive imaginations or optical illusions. The U.S. military has documented and, in some cases, verified similar incidents. A particularly notable episode occurred in July 2019, when the USS Omaha tracked a spherical object buzzing a Navy fleet off the coast of San Diego before it plunged into the ocean and vanished without a trace. Pentagon officials later confirmed the authenticity of the footage, which showed the object leaving no wake or debris as it entered the water—an ability that seems to defy the laws of physics.
Retired Navy Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, former acting head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has been one of the most vocal officials urging the government to take these phenomena seriously. In a March 2024 report for the Sol Foundation, Gallaudet warned, "The fact that unidentified objects with unexplainable characteristics are entering US water space and the Department of Defense is not raising a giant red flag is a sign that the government is not sharing all it knows about all-domain anomalous phenomena." He went on to say that the apparent ability of these objects to move seamlessly between air and sea without crashing or even creating a splash could have "world-changing" ramifications.
Gallaudet’s report, which has been cited by IBTimes UK and BizPac Review, draws on testimony from pilots, credible observers, and calibrated military instruments that have recorded objects accelerating at rates and crossing the air–sea interface in ways not possible for anything made by humans. He reiterated this point before the U.S. House Oversight Committee in late 2024, stating, "Pilots, credible observers and calibrated military instrumentation have recorded objects accelerating at rates and crossing the air–sea interface in ways not possible for anything made by humans." Such statements have only fueled public curiosity and concern about what might be lurking beneath the waves.
The strangeness doesn’t stop there. In September 2025, Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna, chair of the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, presented military surveillance video showing a UAP splitting a Hellfire missile in mid-air and continuing on its course. Luna remarked, "Not a single witness was aware of any U.S. military technology capable of such a feat. Every witness described the footage as extremely ‘scary’." The revelations underscored a growing sense that the U.S. government may not be fully transparent about what it knows regarding these phenomena.
While some experts speculate that secret military drones or advanced underwater vehicles could account for a portion of the sightings, others insist the speeds, maneuvers, and seamless transitions between air and water reported by credible witnesses go far beyond current human technology. Veteran Navy sonar operator Aaron Amick has described so-called "fast mover" contacts appearing on sonar that are "so quick that you can't measure the speed." These accounts, combined with the sheer volume and consistency of reports, have made it increasingly difficult to dismiss the phenomenon as mere fantasy or misidentification.
Historical records suggest that USOs are not a new phenomenon. Accounts stretch back centuries, with medieval sailors and early naturalists describing luminous or fiery objects rising from or plunging into the sea. In the 11th century, witnesses in England reported a fiery object that "revolved, ascended on high, and then descended into the sea." Naturalist Andrew Bloxam, in 1825, recounted seeing a red, luminous orb rise from the ocean, describing it as "the color of a red-hot cannon shot," and so bright that "a pin might be picked up on deck." These stories, echoed by modern-day sonar operators and military personnel, paint a picture of a persistent mystery that has spanned generations.
Adding to the intrigue are ongoing speculations about alien bases on the dark side of the Moon and interstellar spacecraft powered by nuclear energy. While such claims remain on the fringes of mainstream science, they highlight the breadth of public fascination—and concern—surrounding anomalous phenomena in our skies and seas.
For now, the ocean remains the least understood domain on Earth, and the surge in USO reports has only deepened the mystery. As Gallaudet put it, "We know more about the surface of Mars than our own deep sea." With new technologies enabling more widespread and systematic logging of unexplained events, the hope among researchers and officials is that greater transparency and investigation will finally shed light on what—if anything—is out there, lurking beneath the waves.
One thing is clear: the story of USOs is far from over, and as sightings continue to mount, the call for answers grows ever louder.
