Gentle surf, gentle sand and palm trees bent over the turquoise waves ... Sea coasts are associated with people with a carefree vacation, and exotic beaches conjure pictures of paradise. Among 102 water spaces - parts of the oceans - there are those whose insidious depths pose a serious threat.

Severe weather conditions, unexplained disappearances, poisonous jellyfish and bloodthirsty predators. All these far from pleasant phenomena will become companions of those who want to reduce their close acquaintance with the most dangerous seas of the world.

Sargasso Sea

The pond with an area of ​​about 6.5 million km2, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, has a calm disposition, because it is located in a zone of high atmospheric pressure. In the era of the sailing fleet, full calm served a poor service - the lack of wind often became the reason for the loss of ships, forced for weeks, or even months, to stand idle without traffic. Gigantic brown algae plantations (Sargassum), which impeded the passage of floating equipment, were also traps for ships. But not only calm and underwater organisms caused trepidation among travelers.

The Sargasso Sea is located in the Bermuda Triangle. In 1880, under unspecified circumstances, the Atalanta training sailing ship disappeared. Since then, more than 150 ships and aircraft have suffered a tragic fate. Scientists attribute the disappearances to violent outbreaks of geomagnetic activity, causing the failure of navigation systems. Nevertheless, sailors today consider this region extremely dangerous.

Timor Sea

The shores of Indonesia, the island of Timor and the north of Australia are washed by the Timor (Orange) Sea with an area of ​​432 thousand km2. Its water area mostly lies on the territory of the continental Australian shelf, in the zone of split tectonic plates. This explains the insignificant depth of the reservoir, not exceeding the mark of 250 m (with the exception of 3,300-meter Timor Trench). Everything in the complex creates optimal conditions for the emergence of the strongest tropical typhoons here.

So, the cyclone “Tracy” that raged in 1974 did not leave stone unturned in the city of Darwin. In 2017, the Francis cyclone also caused destruction - wind gusts at its epicenter reached 120 km / h. Adverse conditions cause significant damage to refineries located in open water. When a hurricane approaches, work is suspended, and employees are immediately evacuated to the mainland.

Irminger Sea

It is rich in terrifying storms and the Irminger Sea (an area of ​​780 thousand km2). Located 3,000 m deep east of South Greenland, it is bounded by Cape Farvel, the underwater Reykjanes Range and Iceland. In the northern water area, warm and cold currents intersect, which does not contribute to the serene calm. It is believed that the Irminger Sea is the windiest strip of salt water on the planet and one of the most stormy places in the world.

Fierce hurricanes, powerful complex currents and intricate bottom topography make the Sea of ​​Irminger an object of in-depth study of oceanologists. Currently, scientists are focused on a unique phenomenon - a waterfall at the bottom of the Danish Strait. Its height is 4,000 m, which exceeds the highest waterfall on land Angel (979 m). In terms of power, an underwater waterfall that overthrows 56 million m3 of water per second outperformed its Niagara counterpart.

The Caribbean

For travelers, the Caribbean is associated with an earthly paradise. The area of ​​the Atlantic Ocean basin, bounded by Central, South America and the Antilles, attracts tourists with picturesque landscapes, fashionable resorts, breathtaking legends of pirates and endless beaches. But plunging into the gentle waves of turquoise color, do not forget about caution.

The marine biota of the Caribbean has about 600 species of representatives of the underwater flora. And although there are no predators causing panic, troubles in the form of severe skin irritation and burns can be delivered by poisonous physals. These large bubble-like creatures attract attention with an unusual overflow of colors. But it’s worth touching the miraculous creature, as it instantly injects capsules of toxin into the skin, in chemical composition resembling cobra venom.

South China Sea

No less dangerous are the inhabitants of the South China Sea - a large reservoir with an area of ​​3,537 thousand km2, located between the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia and the Indochina peninsula. The greatest threat is the jellyfish box (sea wasp) swimming close to the shore. The finest tentacles of these creatures, which are almost imperceptible in the water column, conceal the powerful poison neurotoxin.

In the winter months, the South China Sea falls into the power of reverse currents perpendicular to the shore, which even trained adult swimmers cannot fight. Hurricanes are also frequent here, causing waves 2–4 m high. In 2017, the typhoon “Damry” dealt a crushing blow to the resort Nha Trang. A wind speed of 110 km / h tore off the roofs and turned light constructions into chips.

The Dead Sea

The water level of the Dead Sea, whose shores are located on the territory of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, is 430 m below sea level (data for 2016). The concentration of the mineral salts of the reservoir is 300–350 g per liter of water, which is 8.7 times higher than, for example, the Mediterranean Sea. Such conditions are unacceptable for the existence of living organisms, but are remarkably suitable for wellness procedures.

However, rest on the Dead Sea can hardly be called serene. Staying in oily salt water for more than 20 minutes threatens burns of sensitive areas of the skin, and a careless swallow of a liquid rich in magnesium and calcium causes poisoning and disruption of the organs of the urinary and cardiovascular system.

An even more serious problem is the sudden dips of the coastal zone. It is impossible to predict the occurrence of extensive karst funnels formed by groundwater.

The most dangerous sea in the world

The most dangerous sea in the world is the Red Sea.whose warm waves wash the shores of Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Yemen. Fans of beach vacations enthusiastically talk about the gentle sand and clear blue shimmering clear water, and diving fans praise the fabulous world of coral reefs. But each medal has two sides.

The water of the Red Sea is teeming with diverse representatives of the fauna. For people, it is fraught with danger to encounter poisonous and predatory fish: warts, scorpions, lionfish, moray eels and gray reef sharks. Do not forget about sea snakes, whose body length reaches 1.2 m. Toxins produced by the glands of these creatures can paralyze the nervous system. 30-60 minutes after the bite, drowsiness, chills, and impaired coordination appear. Without medical assistance, motor paralysis develops.

The Inminger Sea, as well as the Sargasso, Timor, Caribbean, South China, Dead and Red Seas pose the greatest threat to humans. But as you know, dangers attract. Therefore, the above water expanses invariably attract curious travelers.