The discovery of a mysterious “large object” near the wreckage of the Titanic has finally been identified

An unexpected sonar “light indicator” was first discovered in 1998 near a shipwreck Titanic It was finally determined.

“We didn’t know what we were going to discover,” Veteran explorer PH Nargeolet, who first discovered the optical spot, said in a press release. “On the sonar, this could be a number of things including the possibility of another ship wreck. I have been looking for an opportunity to explore this large object that appeared on the sonar a long time ago.”

OceanGate Expeditions is sending crews on a submarine to document the decades-old condition of the Titanic. During one of this year’s trips, a team including Nargolet examined the anomaly near the legendary wreck.

As the video above shows, it wasn’t another shipwreck. Instead, the team discovered an unexpected volcanic formation at a depth of 2,900 meters (9,514 feet) that Nargolet said was “teeming with a lot of life.”

OceanGate calls it Nargeolet-Fanning Ridge, named after veteran diver and mission specialist Oisín Fanning.

“We are amazed at the diversity and density of sponges, bamboo corals, and other cold-water corals, squat lobsters, and fish that thrive at depths of 2,900 meters in the North Atlantic,” OceanGate Expeditions chief scientist Dr. Steve W. Ross. He said in a press release.

“The discovery of this previously unknown ecosystem also provides an opportunity to make a comparison with marine biology on and around the Titanic,” added Ross, who is also a research professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Marine Science Center.

The life found in these natural reefs may differ from what is now thriving on the nearby artificial reef that became Titanic.

Earlier this year, OceanGate released a version The first ever 8K footage From the Titanic, the wreck is shown to be deteriorating.

Besides bringing scientists to the depths, OceanGate offers places on its expeditions for the highly adventurous travelers. Seats as a “specialist on mission” for next year’s flights to the Titanic start at $250,000.

The company also has Make-A-Wish Foundation Points.