Sorry, but that 'sea monster' on Google Maps is just a rock
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A ‘sea monster’ has been caught on Google Maps, speculates a Facebook video with over a million views. The clip, which originally appeared on conspiracy theory-loving YouTube channel Wowforreeel, combines spooky music with photos a visual abnormality that on-screen text posits could be a sea monster, like the mythical Kraken. The Facebook page for television network RT takes things further, disingenuously proposing the frigid find could be an underwater UFO. Of course, the object is neither. It’s just a rock.
Sail Rock is located at 63° 2'56.73"S 60°57'32.38"W — just north of mainland Antartica and southwest of Deception Island. Andrew David Thaler of Southern Fried Science uses a nautical chart to prove the 30-meter tall edifice is what’s seen in the conspiratorial Facebook video.
This isn’t the first time history the rock has been mistaken for something more lively. The name Sail Rock likely came from 19th century travelers who mistook the feature's tall body for the sail of a ship. But no, it is definitely a rock, which makes the lack of certainty in the headlines of news outlets all seem all the sillier.
Anyhow: sea monster or not, I encourage you to get lost among the many wonderful responses that surge of sci-fi mania has inspired on Facebook.
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