Mysterious 80-foot object made of wood emerges during low-tide on Daytona Beach, Florida

A large mysterious object surfaced on a Florida beach after erosion from two recent hurricanes and rough surf exposed it.

The unknown object, which is composed of wood and possibly some metal, and is about 80 feet long, first surfaced Thanksgiving week and was noticed by beachgoers and safety workers. 

Numerous theories have circulated on social media about the object – with some claiming it’s part of an ancient shipwreck, others it’s a piece of an old pier and some speculating it’s a chunk of spectator seating that dates back to when NASCAR would race at Daytona Beach.

‘It is a mystery,’ Tamra Malphurs, a spokeswoman for Volusia County Beach Safety, told the New York Times. ‘Many people think it is an old ship of some sort.’ 

The unknown object, which is composed of wood and possibly some metal, and is about 80 feet long, first surfaced Thanksgiving week and was noticed by beachgoers and safety workers ABOVE: Two hurricanes devastated parts of Florida this year

Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, which both walloped the Sunshine State, led to intense erosion at its famous beaches. 

‘This erosion is unprecedented at this point. We haven’t seen this kind of erosion in a very long time,’ Malphurs told WKMG Orlando. ‘I’ve been on the beach probably 25 years, and that’s the first time I’ve seen it exposed.’

State archaeologists will investigate the object at low tide tomorrow. 

‘Every now and then, something pops up, and usually, you can tell what it is. This one, you just can’t confirm,’ Malphurs told the Times. 

‘There could be some kind of metal there,’ she added. ‘We are not positive.’ 

Residents expressed a few ideas on social media about the object’s possible origins. 

‘Too straight and narrow for a boat [in my opinion]. I think it’s old dock or boardwalk,’ a commenter wrote beneath a news article from Click Orlando. 

‘I saw that a few days ago. It is probably an old ship that was shipwrecked. Very interesting,’ a Facebook commenter wrote. 

All sorts of strange objects have emerged on Florida beaches in the past. 

‘Every now and then, something pops up, and usually, you can tell what it is. This one, you just can’t confirm,’ Malphurs told the Times. ABOVE: Tourists slowly returned to Florida beaches like the one in Naples, above, after the recent hurricanes

In November of 2020, a shipwreck that could date to the 1800s was seen after Tropical Storm Eta eroded sane dunes in St. Augustine, Florida.

Experts at the time believe it was the remnants of a 317-ton U.S. merchant ship known as Caroline Eddy probably carrying a cargo of flour or hardware. 

‘Everything we’ve seen on it so far fits that hypothesis; wooden planking, wood timbers, iron fasteners,’ St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) Director Chuck Meide said in the statement at the time. ‘They look quite similar to other ships from the 1800s that we have seen.’ 

In August of 2021, a high school student named Nick Amelio found a 1715 Fleet gold coin south of Turtle Trail Beach. 

‘I thought my crew was pranking me because it was so crazy,’ he told TCPalm.com. ‘But it turned out to be legit.’ 

The Florida Department of State’s historical resources and archaeology bureaus receive written records of every artifact salvaged and the state has first dibs on up to 20% of each recovery.