In the afternoon of 31 October 1983 repair team Marin County, California, worked on the site of the N1 highway, just where it passes over the shore of the ocean. Right under them stretched sandy beaches Stinson beach, followed by the vast Pacific ocean. Shortly before two o'clock the head of the brigade stopped for a smoke, and looked at the sea - something not very clear and large floated on the surface toward the coast. He immediately called a friend, Matt Ratto, took the glass and looked down.

Directly below the most interesting object for viewing was bather-nudist. But through the glass of the instrument Rato, who took the binoculars from a friend, I saw a gigantic, dark color, animal, half a kilometer from the previous target. He had never seen, thin, thirty meters in length, with three vertical humps! Those autumn days of Ratto observed for the first time... a sea serpent. He clearly saw the animal stuck his head out of the water and looked around. Then changed direction, turning sharply, head again went under the water, and the creature leaned into the sea. Another witness, the driver of the truck Steve biora, to the eye determined the speed of its motion is 65-70 km per hour. Biore, saw only two hump, the creature seemed like a long eel. All five workers in that day saw one and the same being, and their descriptions coincided in detail in terms of size, color and habits. Another witness, Marilyn Martin, probably not wanting stained his reputation, refused to testify in public. But his daughter told me that he clearly saw the beast and described him as chetyrehosnuju creature - the largest ever seen before.

And another witness saw a snake in the day - to 19-year-old Roland Kerry. Later he told reporters that a week ago I saw this creature, and told her friend, but she laughed him to laugh But now he's all well spotted and will not give to laugh at themselves!

Three days after the incident in Stinson beach group of people saw this monster 600 kilometres further South, near the Costa Mesa. Young Hutchinson, 19-year-old servest, told that it was up out of the water near the mouth of the river Santa Ana, just three meters from it. First Hutchinson refrained from talking about it, believing that he would be crazy. But, after reading in the Newspapers about the case in Marin County, give up: "It was just the same as it was described working - long black eel".

During our century mysterious create constantly appeared to the people along the entire Pacific coast, but no one could tell about what animal is it. Scientists are inclined to the version, that the case of 1983 is resurfaced, the remains of a whale, shining in the sunlight. Others considered that this herd of porpoises, stretched out in a chain. Ratto and Hutchinson rejected these assumptions they both knew that represent whales, and were firmly convinced that what they saw, not whales!

Of course, it's quite possible that these two, and others too, has faced some already known phenomenon, but failed to recognize it. It is not excluded that the case on October 31 was the draw of all saints Day or mass hallucination. Or in the transmission of news media have decorated their testimony, and in fact it was about a Ghost...

On the other hand, witnesses from Stinson beach, Costa Mesa really could see unknown to science sea inhabitant, even representative of the ancient, extinct fauna, as mentioned by one biologist. It could be any being distant era, the existence of which is science and not suspects.

The monster is by definition something that I can't fit in the usual framework of well-known; too strange, too huge, ridiculous, terrible, evil, too dangerous to be real. At the dawn of history people have concocted tale fantastic monsters - a huge and secret beings, are very rare. They have captured the imagination of poets, seafarers, workers Church and just ordinary people, attracted charlatans and asylum light of fame and gain. And these creatures constantly eluded hunters, hiding in the most secret corners of the planet, in the seas and oceans, rivers and lakes, forests and mountains.

Huge unexplored depths of the seas has always been inhabited by many known and unknown animals. Who not only drew cartographers on their portulano - prickly and winged, horned and toothy, with tentacles and without. Some of them, like a giant octopus, moved from legends and myths straight on page Zoological textbooks. Others, in particular, giant sea snake (not clear, reptiles is it anyway?), waiting for more, it seems that their hour.

Still it is believed that deep mainland rivers and lakes remain generally accepted habitat huge freshwater monsters, for example, the monster of Loch ness or mysterious Ogopogo, Shana, Moraga - many of them are named after the lake, where, presumably, are inhabited.

Most researchers ocean limit their activity relatively narrow continental shelf around the continents. This shelf is 7 percent of all underwater areas and does not give the slightest hint of topographical diversity of deep-water regions of the continental slopes, deep canyons, Faults, desert abyssal plains. These plateaus, lying at the depth of 3 thousand meters, up almost half of the surface of the globe. Sometimes they are interrupted by clefts and valleys. One of the most interesting - deep canyon Mindanao attributable to a depth of 9 thousand meters. Right in the middle of a three-kilometer depth plateau rises the world's largest srednogorci ridge - 3,5 thousand meters high. He reaches 50 thousand kilometers under the surface of the three major oceans.

All we know about the life of this underwater world, is the result of recent research using the latest achievement of engineering. Using sonar, scientists have created detailed maps podanych regions of the planet. But examined only a small part of this world, and it is not, what other forms of life can meet the pioneers of the depths among underwater canyons and valleys. In recent decades have a lot of "new" inhabitants of water - creatures that eluded man for thousands of years.

One of the most incredible stories (except, of course, classic" and all the known history of Alacant) associated with the giant squid. For thousands of years he was a legend, and then another decade he was in obscurity until he was finally recognized as a specific Zoological object. But the octopus giant, so to speak till "poluprecnik".

While both of these representative cephalopods (Cephalopoda) are characterized by long muscular limbs with suction cups and developed eyes, biologists provide a clear distinction between normal squid and octopus. The first ten of the limbs, two of them - particularly long, it's tentacles. Squid is an active predator, concise, streamlined body which created to persecute the victims.

Octopus more rounded, they eight limbs, they are more sluggish, rarely leave their underwater asylum. But for centuries the images of two giant cephalopods are so messed up and so are often confused, that sometimes it is difficult to understand who you are talking about. Often the characters of ancient folklore and myths entrench these beings and even the characteristics of cetaceans.

The first who described giant cephalopods, was Homer, who lived in the VIII century BC. In his "Odyssey" he describes a horrible cadvise Scylla, which - despite the odd appearance: six sobachy goals in six necks of the teeth in three rows, and twelve feet rather always common octopus in the mythical setting. As it cephalopods, she is waiting for the sacrifice of hiding in a cave. However teeth Scylla in three rows are more like suckers squid, rather than the mouth of octopus.

Medusa, another monster from Greek mythology, too, can be a giant cephalopods molluscum. Her tangled hair out of the serpent is clearly limbs that and squid, and octopus growing right out of your head. Eyes of Medusa turn people into stone, reminiscent of the great evil, almost human eyes giant squid or a huge octopus. After one of the dramatic meetings of the diver with Sprut poor guy told me that was almost completely hypnotized - so made a strong impression on him that look, "which summed up all the hatred and the threat". Only a sudden movement of the animal output of a diver to move and actually saved him.

In the era preceding the middle ages, giant cephalopods appeared again, in connection with Keith "island-monsters" - is so enormous that inexperienced sailors had confused him with the land, and only landed on her with horror was convinced that the earth moving under them. Scandinavian adult Kraken is first mentioned in a manuscript of about 1000 years, and continues to live in the Nordic sagas for centuries.

One of the most expressive legend tells of the Bishop, stumbled on the island, until they have never seen, and ordered his oarsmen rowing to him. He landed on it and served a prayer on the occasion of opening of the new earth. When he left, saw with amazement that the island had disappeared!

Centuries later, in 1852, the other Scandinavian priest has published a book about sea monsters. In his "Natural history Norway" Eric Ludvigsen Sweden, Bishop Bergstudied, describes the Kraken as "a large, flat and with a lot of hands or branches". Moving back beings in circumference was half English miles and was like, at first sight, into separate Islands, and his hands reached sizes of masts average size of the ship. Sweden further reports that the monster was able to sink big ships - property attributed to long giant squid.

At the beginning of the last century giant cephalopods demanded academic victims - at least figuratively. French naturalist Pierre Denis de Montfort, attracted by rumors about sea monsters, conducted a thorough analysis of messages, as well as food residues removed from the stomachs of blue whales. In 1802, he released his "the Natural history of molluscs", but this work only slowed further research is not pushing. Denis de Montfort was accused of unfair selection of material, in pursuit of sensation and intentional publication of provocative illustrations. The scientific world was subjected to ostracism and turned away from the researcher, who had finished his Days in poverty in a roadside ditch.

Nevertheless, life went on. In mid century Danish zoologist Johan Iapetus Stenstrup offered readers an essay about the Kraken, after gathering all the accumulated information and testimonies and pictures. In 1842 he made a report at the meeting of the Scandinavian society of naturalists. By the time the reputation of Stenstrup as a scientist was pretty spoiled. He denied the fact that the man and the mammoth lived in one age he was waiting for the same inglorious end, as and de Montfort. But he was more fortunate. By this time began to appear scientific evidence. Stenstrup managed to get the head and beak of a giant squid, vapourising on the coast of Denmark in 1853. Four years later, he published a scientific description of the species. So the creature was named.

But despite this, these data continued to be believed. And then there appeared a sensational, but quite real testimony. 30 November 1861 French gunboat "Electon" knocked on the squid giant near the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands). The commander Lieutenant Frederick-Maria Buje decided to catch it. Some of his comrades shot at the beast, but missed. After a long struggle, it still managed to strike and tightening around the neck rope. However, when they tried to put a body on the deck, he fell, and fell into the water all but the tip of the tail. When "Electon came in Tenerife, Buje showed a fragment of the tail of the French court and made an official statement in the Navy.

A month later a message about this incident was presented to the French Academy of Sciences. Most skeptics it has not made a proper impression, however, in the 70-ies of the last century off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador events occurred, by which the existence of giant squid have already been questioned. For unknown reasons, a huge number of these creatures began to die and to cover their bodies coast of the Islands. Many of them were the prey of hungry dogs and fish, but science has gathered its harvest.

One of the largest squid ever recognized by science, was the monster that appears near the banks Timbl-the hotel is connected to Newfoundland, in 1878. 2 November Stephen Sparring and his two companions were fishing and suddenly noticed a short distance from the shores of the huge Razorenov the subject. Believing that this chip of some of the wreck, they approached and found moving in the mud, not had time to go deep before forming shelled mollusk with glassy eyes. Three men got helpless creature hook and pulled ashore and hung on the tree, that it should not slithered back into the sea. This remarkable instance had a length of about 6 meters and 10-meter-long tentacles. Eyes were 9 inches in diameter, suckers - 8 centimeters. Fishermen has chopped his dog food, but before that squid was thoroughly examined by the local priest Moses Garvey, who wrote about this discovery in a Boston newspaper.

The oceans from time to time show to the world of monsters, similar to the beasts of Timbl-the hotel is connected. 9-cm track from the suckers found in the body of the whale seems to indicate the existence of an octopus more than 30-meter length. But it's not very strong evidence, as the footprint can grow together with Keith...

At the beginning of the XIX century another mysterious sea monster - sea snakes - was at its finest hour. Between 6 and 23 August 1817 hundreds more deserving respect witnesses saw a huge sea monster, definiowanie near port in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Because by the time of scepticism were gone, the scientific world reacted to the message with great interest.

14 August monster revealed himself if their reputation was beyond suspicion, scientific potential is clearly low. Sailors, priests, ordinary travelers often lacked the skills of scientific observations, could not determine the values and character, of what they see. Therefore, despite centuries came from all over the world the message that no scholar seriously interested in sea monster.

But the situation changed drastically in 1905, when two respected naturalist, members of the Zoological society of London finally saw a huge, not known to science sea monster.

7 December naturalists ECB Mid-Waldo and Michael J.. Nicoll cruise on the yacht Prince Crawford "Valhalla" along the banks of the Brazilian state of Paraiba. Suddenly Mid-Waldo noticed wide, about two feet long, fin cut the water a hundred yards from the ship. Looking closely, he could see the impressive size of the body under the water surface. Just as he pulled the binoculars, over the water there was a huge head and neck. Only the visible part of the neck was about two and a half meters in length and the width of the average human fatness. The head was of adequate size and looked like a turtle, and my eyes too, and head and neck top were dark brown, and the bottom has been white.

Testimony of Nikola was similar to the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wald with one caveat: in his opinion, it was a mammal, not a reptile, though, as he claimed, he "cannot guarantee the accuracy".

Both of these messages were slightly different from many others, but they are less than others have challenged scientists. Yet Foreign-Waldo and Nicholl were rare exception to the rule. Surrounded by myths monster has always brought so much ridicule those who saw and described that many of last forever could disown their statements, completely denying all they saw. Now even impossible to count the number of observations has not brought any results for one reason that the witnesses were "for too long basking in the sun" or "exaggerated then".

As steam vessels widescale group of 20-30 people, among whom were magistrate of the Gloucester London Nash. The same day several boats set off to chase the monster, and after noon ship's carpenter Matthew Gaffney spotted "strange sea creature, like a reptile". He saw only a part of it, with a length of about 10 meters, carefully aimed the gun and fired. Gaffney thought that was horrible, but the animal did not seem showed concern. It is quite turned sharply to the boat, and who was in it feared being thrown into the attack. But instead sank into the water like a stone has passed under the boat and floated on the other side, continuing to play without paying for people slightest attention. Later Gaffney told that the beast with smooth skin and dark color, with a white throat and belly. It was really huge - about 12 meters in length, and the head of the size taken a ten-liter barrel. Moving vertically, like a caterpillar, it developed a speed of 35 to 50 kilometers per hour.

These and subsequent testimonies became the object of a thorough investigation, the special Committee of the Linnaean society of New England. Under the supervision of this society world judge Nash released the questionnaire of 25 points and gathered a significant number of readings from the horse's mouth. Most of the evidence coincided with the description Gaffney, they also included additional information. Other reports had new information about, for example, mnogomernoi back up to ten humps) and that it moves thanks to vertical curves. Head, wycofywania of water for 12-24 inches, was like a crocodile or a turtle.

Modern authorities agreed that Glocestershire monster can not be a snake is a reptile can't squirm vertically, and right to go under water. But Linnaean society then such information was not available. Believing in that sea snakes - reptile members of the society decided that she must lay eggs somewhere on the shore. After all, did the same message that the creature was out on the sand in the Harbor! This information is only poured oil on the fire. Eggs, however, is not revealed, but the two guys came across some metre creature that looked like a black snake with humps on his back. Linnaean society immediately made a statement: "This calf!"

The establishment has been studied and christened Scoliophis stianticus - Atlantics crooked serpent. She was many publications in scientific triadica.

In Europe, however, this finding was treated much more skeptical, after some time, the French zoologist Charles-Alexandre Le Sewer found that Scoliophis - not that other, as usual snake with curved because of illness or injury to the spine. Scientists have long mocked their U.S. counterparts, and all glocestershire events, thus, were discredited, thereby harming the history of the sea serpent in General.

Meanwhile like sea creature continued to meet the coasts of New ENglia and Canada, but it took many years before people started to treat such evidence again seriously.

Such "overlay" pushed serious people from exploring the mysterious sea animals. But then came the 1848, and with him were immediately testimonies of several British naval officers who violate the skepticism of European scholars.

on August 6, ship of its Majesty Daedalus" were near the Cape of Good Hope, the southern tip of Africa. Suddenly middy noticed something in the sea, quickly approached the sailboat. He immediately informed the officers. Seven crew members, including captain Peter McKay, well spotted what they called giant sea serpent. The visible part of the being has the length of more than 20 meters, but in diameter does not exceed 30 centimeters. Color was dark brown, yellowish-white throat with a certain similarity of a mane like a bunch of seaweed on the end. Moving with a speed of 18 to 20 kilometers per hour, it seems, did not twists - either vertical or horizontal, and did not even visible to the eye tremors. "It is always kept her head like a snake, in the meter from the surface, and never gone off course".

When Daedalus" returned to Plymouth and the message about this event appeared in the London "Time", the Admiralty, demanded a detailed report. McKay wrote an official report was published. There was a murmur. Because the description was typical, in the message believed. McKay and his officers had a reputation of honest people but the British, which for so long fed hoaxes, couldn "right" believe in the beast. Not finding any arguments against this evidence, the skeptics said to his usual arguments and some time broke scientific dispute.

Doubts raised themselves witnesses. Even had sailboats, messages about unknown or strange animals seen in the open sea, began to receive less and less. Ships no longer had to leave the beaten ocean ways, and in this, consider some cryptozoology, the reason that evidence has become smaller. Engine noise certainly warned animals of the approaching danger. According to the famous Norwegian Explorer Thor Heyerdahl, "we often Borozdin sea-enabled engines, knocking pistons, and the water foams at our sides; then we come back by the same Road and declare that around in the ocean can not see anything!" Therefore there is nothing surprising in the fact that in our days the sea serpent often see from the shore or from small boats, cruising along the coastline. Maybe that's why the California coast so attractive today for the monster. Here, in addition to undefined being seen in 1983 at Stinson beach, Costa Mesa, visited and other mysterious visitors...

First appearing between 1914 and 1919 years, the creation entered again into the foaming waters external Strait Santa Barbara between the Islands of San Clemente and Santa Catalina. For many years the members of the American club sport fishing "Tuna" often watched the monster and consistently reported this, thus increasing the glory of his club. Their descriptions were so similar that one of the reporters said: "It's like to write a gramophone record, and each witness will play it again and again". But, as noted journalist, of all people, he was asked by one, "and none of them knew, that I talk with the rest of the same thing the beast" Skeptics could only wonder how the club members in detail, the clock discussed the incredible story in their lives, while their description is not merged into a single whole version - but the question is still open.

Until the mid 1960-ies each message was one common chere that were subjective oral message of those who claimed CTK saw the monster. And here in 1965 came another kind of evidence. French photographer Robert Le Serek said that he managed to make the first genuine pictures of a sea serpent. According to his story, the meeting was held near the coast of Queensland, Australia, December 12 196 year. He calmly was sailing with family and friend Henk de Jong on the Bay Stonehaven when my wife noticed a huge oblong object on the sandy bottom in less than a meter and eighty centimeters from the surface of the water. De Jong thought at first that it is a large sunken tree trunk, but then it became clear: this creature, it wriggled like a giant tadpole with a large head and converging on a cone snake body. Le Serek took a few pictures, then drove his motor-boat closer and started to remove the camera. Now it became apparent half meter laceration on his back and wide head resembling a snake.

At this point, the children of Le Sereka frightened. Adults took them ashore in the boat, and they continued surveillance. Poskol creature remained motionless, was seriously injured or even dead, they crept closer, he saw two eyes at the top of the head and evenly brown stripes running along the black body. Le Serek with a friend wondered how to get him to move, but was afraid that it can turn the boat. Nevertheless decided to dive to better all to see, with camera underwater camera and underwater gun.

Under water was darker than at the top, and at the distance of 6 meters anything could be seen. One thing was clear - it is a real giant - from 25 to 30 meters long and a meter jaws and inch and a half eyes, which when closed eyelids seemed pale green. Suddenly, when Le Serek began to shoot, a monster suddenly opened its mouth and slowly, with the threat, turned towards the people. Friends immediately surfaced. Quickly he climbed into the boat, they saw that the animal had disappeared. Wife Le Sereka saw it sailed to the open sea, making horizontal curves is typical of acne or reptiles, but not for a mammal.

In former times, naturalists tried to record all sea serpents in a single Zoological registry. Today almost all the researchers involved in Maritime mysteries, are convinced that these beings belong to different types. What is seen, for example, from yachts "Valhalla", just like sanclemente monster as acne on jellyfish. Not everyone agrees that the main issue is about reptiles. Most likely, it was not a reptile, just the term "sea serpent" is a tribute to the good tradition.

The Belgian scientist Bernard Heuvelmans amounted classification of various messages. Not every scientist and even not every cryptozoology would agree with his classification, but all without exception bow before his Titanic work. For ten years Heuvelmans has collected and analyzed 587 cases, which he attributed to the real, random and false observations sea serpent in any form. Throwing errors, hoaxes and lengthy descriptions, he identified the characteristics of nine distinct categories snake: long-necked, "sea horse", Morogoro, "with many fins", giant otters, giant eel, sea mammal, "the father is all-turtles" and "jeltobruh".

Some experts, including Heuvelmans, believe that it is at least several unidentified marine animals, and most likely a giant eel. Others speak in favour of segodina, primitive whale extinct creation, the remains of which were used for constructing the above mentioned "pseudozoea"big hoax of the XIX century. Others are inclined to conclude that this representative is still unknown kind of long-necked Northern sea leopards (seals living in the Antarctic).

One of the most popular and stable versions - sea snakes - long-necked variation of the surviving dinosaurs, the carcass of one of them caught a Japanese trawler. In fact, finding of Alacant proved that supposedly extinct animals can live up to"a days. But let the plesiosaurus looks a bit "or" (it was described as a snake swallowing a barrel), but he can't "behave the same", and this is confident the majority of experts. He was very small, neck were particularly mobility. Vertical curves were clearly not under force, and the speed was not that long-necked sea serpents...

Skeptics tend to a number of explanations for the phenomenon a sea serpent. Classic dates back all the way to 1803 and vividly to this day, though has undergone a temporary change. So, for example, takes into account the ability to minimize to the ring. Large land snakes are very suited to these descriptions, especially pythons... But even if they are large enough to become a sea snakes, they obviously had to adapt to the harsh Northern climate. And I squirm vertically them and did not do, as it successfully make our characters.

Another popular explanation - the oarfish, frightening appearance, similar to a snake inhabitant of the oceans, silver, with great fins, starting right from the head, and paddle-like pectoral fins. Although herring kings and reach a length of 10 meters, their habits (the inability to vertical curves and bright colour) makes them very different from sea serpents.

The list of candidates for the title of sea snake is very long and includes edge logs and seaweed.

The debate seems to be continuing both among Orthodox, requiring considerable physical evidence, and less aggressive opponents seeking at least a fragment of the study. "Many people construct their arguments on the basis of fragile random evidence - write Leblon, Seibert in their work, trying to protect the sea serpent, " "and narrow-minded Orthodox assert and insist that there can be more in the nature of large undiscovered animal and that sea snakes - hallucination, error or fetus beliefs". But scientists still recognize: " so we believe, not enough yet one body. It yet. And that's a fact".