Strange weather event (maybe) on Gulf of Mexico 20 years ago

About 20-25 years ago, back when you only bag cellphones and no cameras, a grow of fisherman on 2 20 foot open fisherman boat (which included me) witnessed a very strange event no of us could really explain. We were about 40 miles South of Biloxi Mississippi about 8 or 9 miles past the chandelier island tower on the outside or east side of the of the islands where you hit the old gas rigs. It was one of the days with no seas or what we refer to as “glass” . This basically means the Gulf of Mexico has no real wave action or seas and it like a pond or lake on a calm day. This is also necessarily means there is no or almost no wind. We don’t get many days like this so we took off to fish 40-50 miles offshore since it would be easy ride and with no waves you could see schools of fish from miles away. Unfortunately, it was in July so it also means it’s hot as hell, and often these turn out to be #ty fishing days. But great days to go way out in smaller boats.

Anyway we were chasing some speck schools, when I suddenly felt a very strong and cold gust of wind out of no where, 15 to 20 knot gust ( I can just tell as I used to fish 100 days or more a year on gulf and grew up in Ocean Springs. ) The gust was enough to get the attention of the other boat as well. There was not a cloud in the sky. Suddenly we both saw an area of disturbed water moving across the Gulf towards us from same direction of the wind gust. I can only describe it as a area that was rectangular maybe a few hundred yards wide and maybe 600-800 yards long were the water was being blasted by Strong wind. The water was basically 2-3 foot seas with tops being blown off the waves, (white caps) and moved across the glassy gulf about 10-15 mph.

We watched it for maybe 10-15 minutes. When was close you could feel the wind so it definitely wasn’t a mirage. It eventually moved out of sight. It literally looked like something a hovercraft or giant helicopter would do except the waves all were moving in same direction. We suspected it was just one of these weird weather phenomena but it just felt artificial as it was so clearly rectangular which just didn’t seem natural. Maybe some type of experimental craft, some freak weather phenomena ? Any one ever see anything like that or have an idea of what it may have been? It was about 2 pm. and the guys on the rigs and crew boat saw it too and they had no idea either. (They called us on mariner radio to warn us when it was headed our way. It was about 5-15 feet where were fishing with a few deeper holes and about 40-50 feet where rigs are located. (Its not deep) The “thing” traveled from the East to West on a slightly Southernly direction WSW

Again there was not a cloud in the sky, and seas were less than one foot, incredible visibility. it was like a pond on a calm day and it was hot as hell, which is why it was so easy to see this strange disturbance, and make out its rectangular pattern reply to: Jackfish28

Again there was not a cloud in the sky, and seas were less than one foot, incredible visibility. it was like a pond on a calm day and it was hot as hell, which is why it was so easy to see this strange disturbance, and make out its rectangular pattern reply to: Jackfish28

Again there was not a cloud in the sky, and seas were less than one foot, incredible visibility. it was like a pond on a calm day and it was hot as hell, which is why it was so easy to see this strange disturbance, and make out its rectangular pattern reply to: Jackfish28

Again there was not a cloud in the sky, and seas were less than one foot, incredible visibility. it was like a pond on a calm day and it was hot as hell, which is why it was so easy to see this strange disturbance, and make out its rectangular pattern reply to: Jackfish28

Again there was not a cloud in the sky, and seas were less than one foot, incredible visibility. it was like a pond on a calm day and it was hot as hell, which is why it was so easy to see this strange disturbance, and make out its rectangular pattern reply to: Jackfish28

Again there was not a cloud in the sky, and seas were less than one foot, incredible visibility. it was like a pond on a calm day and it was hot as hell, which is why it was so easy to see this strange disturbance, and make out its rectangular pattern reply to: Jackfish28

Again there was not a cloud in the sky, and seas were less than one foot, incredible visibility. it was like a pond on a calm day and it was hot as hell, which is why it was so easy to see this strange disturbance, and make out its rectangular pattern reply to: Jackfish28

"The sea was angry that day... like an old man, sending soup back at a deli..."

a reply to: Jackfish28

Cool.

Wonder what it was.

My only problem with your story is you say "" 20-25 years ago". Seems a bit vague for an event that remains as clear in your memory for such a long time. You can't recall a date within five years but other things you recall very clearly.

Plus that would put it in the mid to late '90s. We had cameras and camera phones in the 1990's. Maybe you didn't but other people had camera enabled phones.

Not calling you a liar but I would if I cared.

I get your point but you’re wrong about camera phones. Only thing we had in 1994 was bag phones. Brick phones in 1996. No camera phones available at all.

a reply to: 4891morfih

added... first camera cell phone was 2002

www.google.com...

a reply to: nicevillegrl

Okay.....but we had cameras.


Seems odd we didn't have camera phones 20 years ago...

We just didn’t have digital cameras even though... only standard ones and nobody hardly ever carried one... especially not fishing.

I know it seems odd believe me. I don’t consider myself “old” (right at 50) but I didn’t have the internet in high school or until last two years of college... and then it was dial up. I got my first truly mobile cell phone in 1998 and they had only been out in mainstream for 2 years then. And they were HEAVY. Def not camera ready. Thats the only reason I knew that. I was in my twenties then. A lot of weird anomalies on the GOM too. Im thinking it was a weather event. I feel like I’ve heard of something similar but I can’t recall the name of it...

a reply to: 4891morfih

Sounds like it could have been this (or one trying to form):

Fair weather waterspouts develop in calmer weather. They form only over open water, developing at the surface and actually climbing skyward towards the clouds.

I would imagine that what you experienced could have been one trying to form. Like a dust devil over water.

originally posted by: madmac5150
"The sea was angry that day... like an old man, sending soup back at a deli..."

Well I hope somebody was a marine biologist.

Seriously what a great story and yea straight lines rectangles and corners pretty much eliminate mother nature, hot no idea/

Reminds me off the story of the deep submersible mapping out the moving of a huge oil platform out to the north sea. The sub was checking for potential hazzards in a channel as they were checking the sea floor they find a pair if huge tank like tracks they were larger than any tracked vehicle we have by dozens of yards and those are land vehicles, the tracks followed the channel out to sea and turned in the opposite of where the rig was going,

a reply to: putnam6

I have seen many many strange things though my life, some of them may be of significance but will disclose in proper time. This was weird but if it wasn’t earth shattering and we just blew it off. I would have been 94-95. We used those disposable 35 mm cameras then.

It was not a water spout, I have seen dozens of them. They can come out at edge of a storm system but not I have some great pics of those.

a reply to: Jackfish28

Have no doubt the oceans and lakes of the world have plenty of stories of unidentified submerged objects. The military has supposedly tracked huge undersea objects moving at incredible depths and speeds, just as they have in our skies.

a reply to: putnam6

Reminds me off the story of the deep submersible mapping out the moving of a huge oil platform out to the north sea. The sub was checking for potential hazzards in a channel as they were checking the sea floor they find a pair if huge tank like tracks they were larger than any tracked vehicle we have by dozens of yards and those are land vehicles, the tracks followed the channel out to sea and turned in the opposite of where the rig was going,

Any link to this? I'd love to read about it. Sounds very interesting.

originally posted by: underwerks
a reply to: putnam6

Reminds me off the story of the deep submersible mapping out the moving of a huge oil platform out to the north sea. The sub was checking for potential hazzards in a channel as they were checking the sea floor they find a pair if huge tank like tracks they were larger than any tracked vehicle we have by dozens of yards and those are land vehicles, the tracks followed the channel out to sea and turned in the opposite of where the rig was going,

Any link to this? I'd love to read about it. Sounds very interesting.

I'll look through and see if I can find it again its been awhile,but I'd like to read it again too

originally posted by: underwerks
a reply to: putnam6

Reminds me off the story of the deep submersible mapping out the moving of a huge oil platform out to the north sea. The sub was checking for potential hazzards in a channel as they were checking the sea floor they find a pair if huge tank like tracks they were larger than any tracked vehicle we have by dozens of yards and those are land vehicles, the tracks followed the channel out to sea and turned in the opposite of where the rig was going,

Any link to this? I'd love to read about it. Sounds very interesting.

here's a similar story in the same area still looking for original...

alienexpanse.com.../the-norway-fjord-incident.1 593/