What Is It??

[Daniel A]

On the Coral right now off the coast of Guatemala.  We passed by this item in open water.  It appears to be some type of buoy, but it's in the middle of the Pacific.  Does anybody know what it is?  Coral passed it very close.  You can see the ten second video here.

 

[fishywood]

Marine Tracker has Coral Princess about 80-90 miles off the coast of El Salvador as I type this. In what is presumed to be a well-plotted-out navigational channel based on the other ships preceding and following on the same path. I can't begin to know whether or not there are channel markers in the area--but certainly the ship is close enough to territorial waters to allow for the possibility. 

 

...though I will assume that there are no sections of the Pacific less than 200 miles in width off the coast of Central America, thus guessing your locating the ship "in the middle of the Pacific" to be poetic license 

[Daniel A]

56 minutes ago, fishywood said:

...though I will assume that there are no sections of the Pacific less than 200 miles in width off the coast of Central America, thus guessing your locating the ship "in the middle of the Pacific" to be poetic license 

Yes, it meant no land in sight in any direction.  Captain stated that at noon today we were 40 miles off the coasts of Guatemala and El Salvador.  Clearly beyond a 12 mile limit marker.

Edited April 11, 2019 by Daniel A

[jwattle]

Weather buoy?

[land lover]

Dunce hat on a dolphin😉....were looking for sure....

[Thrak]

Poor Beldar. Must have fallen overboard. 

 

Edited April 13, 2019 by Thrak

[jlp20]

• Educated guess, tree/palm trunk. One end water logged, the other weathered and wave worn to point.

[Cruiserkenn]

4 hours ago, Thrak said:

Poor Beldar. Must have fallen overboard. 

 

Too much fun!  Thanks!

[Daniel A]

8 hours ago, jlp20 said:

• Educated guess, tree/palm trunk. One end water logged, the other weathered and wave worn to point.

I think there is something to that explanation.  Although, the Beldar explanation has merit too.

[rhblake]

Could it be a tsunami warning buoy?

Edited April 13, 2019 by rhblake

[Alaskanb]

There is a plastic trash gyre in that area. I watched a green plastic chair float by. Scary!

[nukesubsailor]

To borrow a phrase my math prof often used-------"It is intuitively obvious to the most casual observer that" it is the dorsal fin of a really great big very white shark on his way to its summer feeding area. 🦈😀

[pghsteelerfan]

3 hours ago, rhblake said:

Could it be a tsunami warning buoy?

That's what I was thinking too. 

 

EDITED:  Don't think it's a tsunami buoy.  I just looked them up and they don't look anything like what's in the video.  Attaching a link to the National Data Buoy Center where you can click on each buoy location, which then brings up a picture.  https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

Edited April 13, 2019 by pghsteelerfan

[CynCyn]

I guess moving this topic effectively killed the discussion! I am so curious as to what this is that I wish it had remained in the Princess Board.  It was taken from a PRINCESS ship so I don’t see the problem.

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, CynCyn said:

I guess moving this topic effectively killed the discussion! I am so curious as to what this is that I wish it had remained in the Princess Board.  It was taken from a PRINCESS ship so I don’t see the problem.

I hadn't noticed that the thread got moved.  Good catch!  Maybe it will bring answers from a wider range of experienced cruisers.

[CynCyn]

4 hours ago, Daniel A said:

I hadn't noticed that the thread got moved.  Good catch!  Maybe it will bring answers from a wider range of experienced cruisers.

Let’s hope so! 

[caffeine_demon]

if you listen very carefully, 3 seconds in it says "so long, and thanks for all the fish!"

[ldubs]

Pretty sure the navigator said:

 

"Hey look, we are passing that 'thingy' again!"

[Krazy Kruizers]

Well I am certainly curious as to what it is.

 

Hope we find out.

[Daniel A]

23 hours ago, caffeine_demon said:

if you listen very carefully, 3 seconds in it says "so long, and thanks for all the fish!"

Someone told me if you play my video backwards at half speed it says " Paul is dead..."

[Heidi13]

No idea what it is, but know a couple of things it definitely isn't. Buoyage systems are different in N/America and Europe, but it doesn't match any of the approved type of buoys from either system.

 

Somebody also mentioned a partially submerged tree, which we refer to as a "Deadhead". Once they become water logged they sit almost vertical, but with minimal freeboard. As they get more waterlogged, they eventually sink. Have never seen a deadhead with that much freeboard and certainly never with pointed tops.

[ldubs]

Gosh, I was looking forward to reading what this might be, but still nothing. 

 

Something fell off of a ship? 

Aircraft part (flight 370)?

Dorsal fin?

Whale fluke? 

Part of a sinking weather balloon? 

Sail - hull is hidden by swell?

Whale spout or splash?

Giant squid? 

 

In other words, I have no earthly idea.  😀

[SantaFeFan]

4 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

No idea what it is, but know a couple of things it definitely isn't. Buoyage systems are different in N/America and Europe, but it doesn't match any of the approved type of buoys from either system.

 

Somebody also mentioned a partially submerged tree, which we refer to as a "Deadhead". Once they become water logged they sit almost vertical, but with minimal freeboard. As they get more waterlogged, they eventually sink. Have never seen a deadhead with that much freeboard and certainly never with pointed tops.

 

On another thread I asked chengkp75 what he thought it might be and his answer was: "No idea, without seeing it all around, but my guess is a fishing canoe that has lost buoyancy, and has an outboard motor holding the one end under water."

[MicCanberra]

I think it is Megalodon, obviously on holiday from the  leisurely way it is not attacking anything.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Darn

 

I was hoping that by now we all would know what it is.  Really curious since Chengkp75 doesn't know.