VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — St. Augustine Lighthouse Archeologist Chuck Meide has confirmed that the "mystery object" buried on Daytona Beach Shores is a shipwreck.
The wreckage can be seen poking out from underneath the sand. It was first seen after Hurricane Ian and was revealed again after Hurricane Nicole. With the wood planks partially uncovered, the Weather Channel and New York Times reported that a "mysterious object" had emerged in Daytona.
“The shipwreck is most likely a cargo-carrying sailing vessel from the 1800s. It would have likely sailed within sight of the coast and used lighthouses for navigation, though it was probably big enough to cross the Atlantic as well,” Meide said. “It was re-buried by the time we got to it, so we didn’t see it at full exposure. We are not sure of its overall size but reports of witnesses said the wreckage was between 80 to 100 feet long.”
Archaeologists are studying the parts of the ship that are protruding above the sand.
“Here in Florida, we often have storms that reveal cultural material either offshore or right on the beach. In these cases, our collective human story is brought to the forefront,” Secretary of State Cord Byrd said.
