An Introduction to Lost Treasures

Pristine, relaxing tropical getaways band across the Equator between Tropic of Capricorn and Cancer like a beam of sunlight fusing two halves of Earth together. Favorable weather, warm temperatures, beautiful scenery, and white sand beaches are just a few reasons people really enjoy spending vacation time in these areas. Lush landscapes, heavenly horizons, and surreal sunsets aren't the only treasures Earth's tropics have to offer though. Much more is hidden from plain view, nestled beneath an ocean crest among seas of coral and exotic marine life, lost to time for hundreds and even thousands of years. For as long as people have visited and lived in tropical areas the ocean finds ways to reclaim precious treasures once safely tucked in the pockets of man.

Trading operations have long depended on fair tides for transporting goods. Sailing vessels made port in places previously unfathomable to reach by land, playing crucial roles in expanding empires gaining new territory while helping to move resources around the planet. Livelihood of entire nations and their citizens depended on prosperity of shipping fleets hundreds of years ago just as in the modern world, with a lucrative promise to readily obtain more resources and sustain large populations. Ocean trading routes connecting distant civilizations brought many benefits by expanding horizons, increasing knowledge, and advancing technologies. For this increased convenience however, there is a price.

The sea is a beast in its own right, with promises of new found wealth from distant lands, secretly stowing misery, misfortune, and servitude to false hope. Facing the oceans meant not only overcoming severe weather such as typhoons, hurricanes, and endless miles of unpredictable waters, but it also entail dealing with a threat of unexpected guests prepared at arms to take the ship, its goods, and dispatch the crew as quick as the blink of a pirate's eye. 

Weather and atmospheric conditions continuously play important roles crossing open waters by ship. Frightening patterns develop, such as rogue waves, williwaws, and microbursts threatening both severe damage or vessel capsizing in a moment's notice. When conditions are just right, a pleasant sail becomes a life-threatening event, not to mention water looks the same in every direction! Long days aboard a rocking ship passing in and out of stormy seas are sure to get the best of any mariner.

As history points out repeatedly, a number of vessels succumbed to the deep blue's calling, meeting an end in free fall to the ocean floor. Then, at the bottom of the sea, they face the ocean's ultimate grasp, trapped over time in sediment and bits of coral, creating new homes to future generations of marine life. Unfavorable weather plays a predominant role in the tales of many ships lost at sea, working synonymously with the deep blue calling. The added dynamic further complicates navigation by masking reefs, rocky outcrops, and sand banks in swishing swirling ocean swells, and subjecting ships to stormy situations too dangerous for even the most weathered of captains. Perhaps legends of the Kraken are in part metaphorical descriptions of threatening weather on the ocean, to grasp the largest of ships and snap it in two, eating the ship and crew.