There can be no greater display of natural power on this earth than the sea. Covering 71 percent of our planet’s surface, we still know less about the ocean’s bottom than we do about the moon. On a cruise, it is easy to see many of the ocean’s natural phenomena, from the Aurora Borealis to two seas colliding at the Alaskan Gulf, the Great Barrier Reef to huge waves off Hawaii. However, there are far more unbelievable sights to see than just these oh-so-mainstream spectacles while on a cruise. Here are three other examples you probably didn’t know about.
The Beacon of Maracaibo
Were you to head to the Caribbean, you’d be able to take in what is named ‘Relámpago del Catatumbo’ in Spanish. This thunderstorm of legend iiwill strike awe into even the toughest explorer. However, the local Venezuelan villagers of Lake Maracaibo are so used to the daily light show of thunder and lightning illuminating the night sky that they pay it little attention and even laugh at the few tourists who venture to gaze in wonder and take photos. Visible an incredible 250 miles away, the Beacon of Maracaibo is a sight to see as lightning hits the water almost three hundred times per hour, for up to ten hours, on average.
The Blue Holes
Not so far away is a site definitely on the bucket list for hard-core scuba divers on a cruise. The huge, submerged sinkhole 70km off Belize will literally take your breath away at over four hundred feet deep and 1043 wide. A UNESCO world heritage site, the great yawning chasm opens ominously while under the surface, interesting fish and even small sharks bring divers from all over the world who have heard about this legendary crater.
The Boiling River
Although not an ocean cruise, if you took a trip to the Amazon River, you’d already have gone further than most intrepid explorers before. However, hidden away in the depths of the rainforest is the mysterious boiling river- the world’s largest thermal body of water, despite being far from any volcanic locations. Four miles long and locally called ‘Shanay-timpishka’, meaning ‘boiled in the heat of the sun’, this deadly waterway is heated to up to 196F, cooking any living thing in its path. Don’t get too close!