I'm not crazy but . . .

[litebender]

While sailing on the Norwegian Gem last saturday night, I witnessed a strange and unexplained sight off the starboard side.

 

My wife woke me up sometime around one or two o'clock and said " quick! come out on the balcony - I see the weirdest thing! Floating above the waves were balls of light, about the size of tennis balls. They were moving with the ship as birds do, rising up and dancing around before drifting out of sight.

 

At any one time there were from one to about a dozen of these objects. They seemed to rise up from the water surface and fly upward to just above the ship. My wife called them "glow birds", they reminded me of Tinkerbell. At no time did we see any evidence of wings or recognizable shape, even when the glowing spheres passed in front of the white smoke drifting up from the ship's smokestack.

 

No, we weren't drunk or under the influence! We watched the show for about 20 minutes then went back to bed. That evening the ship had left St. Thomas and was en route to Samana, Dominican Republic. So at that time I believe we were sailing between Puerto Rico and Samana.

 

Anyone have a similar experience?

 

P.S. At a meeting with the cruise staff my wife mentioned this to the captain who had no explanation. He probably thought we were nuts!

[Keith1010]

Wow, I've never seen anything like this.

 

Keith

[fortinweb]

While sailing on the Norwegian Gem last saturday night, I witnessed a strange and unexplained sight off the starboard side.

 

My wife woke me up sometime around one or two o'clock and said " quick! come out on the balcony - I see the weirdest thing! Floating above the waves were balls of light, about the size of tennis balls. They were moving with the ship as birds do, rising up and dancing around before drifting out of sight.

 

At any one time there were from one to about a dozen of these objects. They seemed to rise up from the water surface and fly upward to just above the ship. My wife called them "glow birds", they reminded me of Tinkerbell. At no time did we see any evidence of wings or recognizable shape, even when the glowing spheres passed in front of the white smoke drifting up from the ship's smokestack.

 

No, we weren't drunk or under the influence! We watched the show for about 20 minutes then went back to bed. That evening the ship had left St. Thomas and was en route to Samana, Dominican Republic. So at that time I believe we were sailing between Puerto Rico and Samana.

 

Anyone have a similar experience?

 

P.S. At a meeting with the cruise staff my wife mentioned this to the captain who had no explanation. He probably thought we were nuts!

 

Water is very phosphorescent in places. I have been on sailboats on moonless nights where the wake created enough light to easily see the water's surface. When the ship creates a wake, the water becomes foamy due to air being mixed in by the disturbance. It's the white color seen on top of the wake. Perhaps these lights were phosphorescent bubbles created by the wake that floated up by the air turbulence the ship creates while underway.

Edited November 7, 2013 by fortinweb

[kcwingwalker]

Water is very phosphorescent in places. I have been on sailboats in pitch darkness that created enough light by the wake to be able to easily see the water's surface. When the ship creates a wake, the water becomes foamy due to air being mixed in by the disturbance. Perhaps these lights were phosphorescent bubbles created by the wake that floated up.

 

I've heard of this too and I believe fortinweb is correct. How lucky you were to see this amazing site?!

[20pluscruises]

While sailing on the Norwegian Gem last saturday night, I witnessed a strange and unexplained sight off the starboard side.

 

My wife woke me up sometime around one or two o'clock and said " quick! come out on the balcony - I see the weirdest thing! Floating above the waves were balls of light, about the size of tennis balls. They were moving with the ship as birds do, rising up and dancing around before drifting out of sight.

 

At any one time there were from one to about a dozen of these objects. They seemed to rise up from the water surface and fly upward to just above the ship. My wife called them "glow birds", they reminded me of Tinkerbell. At no time did we see any evidence of wings or recognizable shape, even when the glowing spheres passed in front of the white smoke drifting up from the ship's smokestack.

 

No, we weren't drunk or under the influence! We watched the show for about 20 minutes then went back to bed. That evening the ship had left St. Thomas and was en route to Samana, Dominican Republic. So at that time I believe we were sailing between Puerto Rico and Samana.

 

Anyone have a similar experience?

 

P.S. At a meeting with the cruise staff my wife mentioned this to the captain who had no explanation. He probably thought we were nuts!

 

WOW!!! That would have been something to see!!! Did the cruise chatge extra for the show? :)

[candycaramel]

Post a picture.

[litebender]

Water is very phosphorescent in places. I have been on sailboats on moonless nights where the wake created enough light to easily see the water's surface. When the ship creates a wake, the water becomes foamy due to air being mixed in by the disturbance. Perhaps these lights were phosphorescent bubbles created by the wake that floated up by the air turbulence the ship creates while underway.

 

Interesting thought - but a couple of points:

 

* the glowing spheres moved along with the ship - they did not drift back as the ship passed.

 

* I would expect bubbles to pop. These stayed lit until they drifted up or out away from the ship.

 

* one other observation I didn't mention: My wife said that when I came out onto the balcony, the spheres drifted further away from the balcony, as if disturbed by our voices. I can't verify this (but who am I to question my wife;)).

[John Bull]

 

............. my wife mentioned this to the captain who had no explanation. He probably thought we were nuts!

 

Mebbe he was right :p ;)

 

First thing that comes to mind is reflections - from ship's lights perhaps? Or even your bedside light. And especially if bounced off glass.

What you really needed to do was go elsewhere - up on deck? - & see if it was the same. Could've also tracked the ship's wake to see if the ship had turned at the same time as the apparition moved.

But then the mystery may have deepened, with a deck-hand reporting a ghostly apparition moving around the deck, dressed only in shorts :D

 

 

My amusement with UFO sightings isn't quite as great as my amusement with conspiracy theories, partly because many of the people who experience them tend to be sane & partly because there's a logical explanation somewhere.

Even though you were sailing along the edge of the Bermuda Triangle :eek:

 

JB :)

[litebender]

Post a picture.

 

 

I regret that I did not attempt to photograph the event. Believe me, I thought about it but I figured it would be tough to get a good image. The spheres were very nondescript; a video showing their movement would be more remarkable.

 

(also, I figured someone would have a common explanation- but after asking several other people if they knew what we had witnessed, I began to think that this was quite unusual, and wished that I had at least attempted a photo or movie)

[mom says]

Could you have been seeing a school of flying fish? I have no idea if they display any bioluminescence, but I do know that they are active at night (fishermen catch them by using lights as a lure).

[litebender]

Could you have been seeing a school of flying fish? I have no idea if they display any bioluminescence, but I do know that they are active at night (fishermen catch them by using lights as a lure).

 

I have never seen flying fish, but I imagine they jump out of the water and pretty quickly fall back in. The objects we saw stayed above the water. Their movements suggested that of birds or insects, but there was no noise and no evidence of wings.

 

At times two or more of them would swoop upwards and come together briefly. The movements were definitely animate in nature - that's what made it so unusual.

[alexspepa]

according to wikipedia some jellyfish glow in the dark:

 

 

there are many types of jellyfish. The smallest jellyfish are just a few inches across. The largest jellyfish is the Lion's mane (Cyanea capillata), whose body can be over 3 feet (1 m) across, with much longer tentacles. Some jellyfish glow in the dark (this is called phosphorescence).

[cb at sea]

I'm pretty sure jellyfish can't jump out of the water! Flying fish do stay in the air longer than normal fish when they are just jumping out of the water....but they still move pretty fast!

 

You'll have to take another cruise, and see if this happens again! Have a video camera at the ready!

[Aquahound]

I think you have a true mystery on your hands. I've spent a lot of time at sea, both pleasure and while serving. I've seen a lot of bioluminescence, but never anything that flew.

 

Are you sure you weren't seeing something from the ship's stacks that was reflecting light?

[litebender]

I think you have a true mystery on your hands. I've spent a lot of time at sea, both pleasure and while serving. I've seen a lot of bioluminescence, but never anything that flew.

 

Are you sure you weren't seeing something from the ship's stacks that was reflecting light?

 

Aqua,

I had a similar thought since the smoke curling over the starboard side was illuminated. But the question remains, what was reflecting the light?

 

We thought they might be birds with white underbellies, but as previously mentioned there was no hint of wings, no sound.

 

I appreciate comments from anyone with experience at sea. It's starting to look like there is no ready explanation. Makes me regret even more that I did not record this event.

[cruiseco]

Apparently, the longest time aloft a flying fish was filmed was 45 seconds. They're known to travel the length of three football fields or more.

 

How's this . . . a combo theory? The phosphorescence is going on in the water at the same time the flying fish are riding the air currents coming off the forward edge of the ship's wake and picking up some of the little critters and carrying the light effect with them.

[litebender]

Apparently, the longest time aloft a flying fish was filmed was 45 seconds. They're known to travel the length of three football fields or more.

 

How's this . . . a combo theory? The phosphorescence is going on in the water at the same time the flying fish are riding the air currents coming off the forward edge of the ship's wake and picking up some of the little critters and carrying the light effect with them.

 

 

Wow! Great thought.

 

So I went to youtube to see some flying fish. Those suckers can really glide.

 

The main difference is that the fish are all traveling in the same direction at approximately the same speed. My critters were sort of floating, drifting in different directions, almost like hummingbirds (which I doubt would be out at sea).

Whatever they were, the ship's illumination could very well have been reflecting off of them. The strange thing is that the ball of light was very steady and consistent with no flickering or change in shape.

[emilysmom97]

Amazing!!! I wished I had seen it! Never count anything out....even something supernatural. :)

[cruiseco]

 

The main difference is that the fish are all traveling in the same direction at approximately the same speed. My critters were sort of floating, drifting in different directions, almost like hummingbirds (which I doubt would be out at sea).

 

The air currents at sea level as a ship the size of a skyscraper goes past can be amazing. Kind of like passing a semi while driving a little car. When you start to pass you get a bunch of headwind, about halfway through the pass the suction can be pulling you forward, then when you get to the front it's against you again. And everything in-between.

 

I'd be more surprised if they truly were flying fish and all managed to be going in the same direction. I would expect them to be blown all over the place.

[emilysmom97]

Litebender: I found this online. Same thing as what you saw!

 

http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/046/S46283.html

[litebender]

The air currents at sea level as a ship the size of a skyscraper goes past can be amazing. Kind of like passing a semi while driving a little car. When you start to pass you get a bunch of headwind, about halfway through the pass the suction can be pulling you forward, then when you get to the front it's against you again. And everything in-between.

 

I'd be more surprised if they truly were flying fish and all managed to be going in the same direction. I would expect them to be blown all over the place.

 

 

I see your point about the turbulence created by the ship.

 

Consider that what I saw went on continuously for at least 15-20 minutes and was still going on when I got bored and went back inside. Would that many flying fish be launching themselves toward the ship over that expanse of water? I really don't know, but it seems unlikely.

 

I guess the difference is that the movement of the lighted objects gave the impression of willfull, directed flying as opposed to being blown about willy-nilly. But I did notice that the fish had white bellies that could indeed reflect the ship's light.

[cruiseco]

Whatever they were, the ship's illumination could very well have been reflecting off of them.

 

Actually, the less light coming off the ship the better. Bioluminescence is not reflected light. The little marine critters are making their own light -- think lightning bug/firefly -- so any light from another source (including reflected light) will make it less likely to be seen.

 

Remember the scene in Apollo 13 where Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) is recalling how he made it back to his aircraft carrier after an electrical failure on his plane? If his lights had not gone out he would not have seen the bioluminescent trail through the water that led him home.

[litebender]

Litebender: I found this online. Same thing as what you saw!

 

http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/046/S46283.html

 

Good research! This description is very close to what we saw. Our "friends" seemed to drift along pretty lazily, but occasionally would swoop upwards, usually 2 or 3 at a time and draw together.

 

Their movement did not seem otherworldly, but strange in that 1) they were glowing and 2) we could not perceive any wings or bodies. I vote for Tinkerbells:rolleyes:

[5326jan]

Good research! This description is very close to what we saw. Our "friends" seemed to drift along pretty lazily, but occasionally would swoop upwards, usually 2 or 3 at a time and draw together.

 

Their movement did not seem otherworldly, but strange in that 1) they were glowing and 2) we could not perceive any wings or bodies. I vote for Tinkerbells:rolleyes:

 

I think they might have been Mermaid eggs! :D

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

Good research! This description is very close to what we saw. Our "friends" seemed to drift along pretty lazily, but occasionally would swoop upwards, usually 2 or 3 at a time and draw together.

 

Their movement did not seem otherworldly, but strange in that 1) they were glowing and 2) we could not perceive any wings or bodies. I vote for Tinkerbells:rolleyes:

 

Wow! that must have been something to see! I vote for Tinkerbells too! :D