[josh] on this episode of expedition x...
My team journeys to a remote tropical paradise.
Get ready for the most beautiful waters, ever.
[josh] but, locals say, the island's blue holes,
Hide a mysterious, aquatic beast.
I don't swim in the blue hole, 'cause they live in the blue hole.
[josh] a strange hybrid creature, that's not only aggressive...
[sammy] and out of the clear blue sky, boom!
And tear my finger right open.
[josh] ...It's downright deadly.
I had family friends that went diving in the blue hole.
[water splashing]
[charlene] and, they never came back.
[josh] phil and jess brave the dangers of the deep.
[phil over comm]
[josh] and possibly expose a decade's old military secret.
Due to the secret nature of the work there, they didn't talk about it.
[josh] it's a mission to reveal...
[jessica] oh, I got something, phil.
[josh] the beast of andros island.
[josh] my name, is josh gates.
In my travels, I've experienced strange things
That defy logic and made me question everything.
Oh, my god.
[josh] now, I've put together a team
To investigate the stranger side of the unknown.
Let's go.
[josh] phil torres, is a scientist, who hunts for rational explanations.
[phil over comm]
[josh] jessica chobot's paranormal research has made her a true believer.
If you're here with us, knock again.
[josh] together, we're searching for answers...
[phil] what is happening here, jess?
[josh] ...To the world's mos extraordinary mysteries.
This is expedition x.
Jess, phil, I have to say, I feel bad
About some of the really challenging places that I sent you.
No, you don't.
I feel kind of bad.
Uh, and for this next investigation, you're actually gonna be going to
The bahamas!
-Oh, that's great! -No!
-Pack your bags! -Come on!
Yes, I'm gonna be on the beach.
I'm gonna get tropical drinks with the little umbrellas. This is gonna be perfect.
Yeah, you're not exactly there to work on your tan.
Uh, it may actually be your most dangerous investigation, ever.
How do you feel about shark infested waters?
Are we going to look for a shark?
You're half right.
[josh] situated in warm atlantic waters, near the caribbean sea,
Andros is the largest of the 700 islands that make up the bahamas.
Not exactly a beach resort hot spot.
This mostly undeveloped, hidden paradise is dotted
With unusual geologic formations known as blue holes.
They formed during the ice age,
As glacial run-off carved caves into the limestone,
That later collapsed and flooded as sea levels rose.
There are over 200 of these sunken caverns,
Located both inland and off shore.
Famed oceanographer and one of my personal heroes, jacques cousteau,
Was instrumental in demonstrating that many of the inland blue holes
Are connected by an underground labyrinth
To the blue holes in the ocean.
Few of these blue holes have ever been fully explore
They're deemed too dangerous
Not only because they can b several hundred feet deep,
But because some locals believe that inside the blue holes,
Hides a mysterious and deadly creature.
A legendary sea beast.
With a head resembling a shark's
And the long, powerful arms of an octopus.
They call it, the lusca.
Disappearances of swimmers, divers and fishermen
Are often blamed on the lusc
But, details of its origin
Are like the depths of a blue hole, murky.
1896, a badly decomposed six ton carcas
Washes up on a beach in florida, northwest of andros.
And over the next century, scientists debate whether it could be a giant octopus
Squid or whale. Whatever it is, it fuels the sea monster legend.
Many locals believe that modern sightings of an octopus shark hybrid
Are somehow tied to an abandoned military facility on the island.
Others say, the lusca is a relative of the giant squid,
Which was once thought to be pure fiction,
Until carcasses were documented in the mid 1800's.
The first live specimen wasn't captured on film until 2005.
So, is it possible that the lusca could be more
Than just a terrifying, local legend?
And now, with the number of reported creature encounters on the rise,
Swimmers, divers, fishermen and investigators best bewar of the blue holes.
Okay, who is ready to go look for a lusca?
-[josh] phil? -Come on. What are we talking about here?
-The head of a shark and the body of an octopus? -[josh] yes!
A sharktopus, phil. A sharktopus.
This sounds like something out of a comic book.
I mean, it does sound a little farfetched.
But, locals there, they've been claiming
That they see something they can't explain
From the bottom of these blue holes, for generations.
They don't know what it is. So, the question to me is,
What is it?
Like, they're seeing something.
What I do know about these blue holes,
Is that they're incredibly dangerous to explore.
They're deep. They're really dark. Super technical dives.
So, if you are in or around them,
And you're thinking about the lusca,
And you see something you can't identify,
Your mind might play tricks on you.
So, a case of misidentification.
But what would that be?
I don't know. I mean, imagine seeing an octopus swimming by you in profile,
If it's body is all together, it could look, almost like a shark too.
The folks on the island, they know their sea life.
They know the difference between a shark and an octopus
And they're saying, specifically,
That they're seeing something they can't explain.
[josh] so, to get to the bottom of this, I'm sending
Both of you to andros island in the bahamas.
First, to meet with an eye witness, who not only claims
That he saw a lusca, but that he survived an attack.
And phil, you're going to learn all about these blue holes
Because you're going to dive in and get to the bottom of what the lusca really is.
And could it be the thing responsible for swimmers and divers disappearing?
You up for this?
-Oh, yeah. -Absolutely.
See, I knew you guys couldn't turn down a free trip to the bahamas
And a terrifying mystery.
Can I still drink some tropical drinks?
-After-- yes, if you survive. -Okay. Goals.
Good luck.
[josh] from new york, the te flies three and a half hour south, to nassau,
The capital of the bahamas.
Then, it's another three hou by boat to andros island.
There it is!
There's andros.
Get ready for the most beautiful waters, ever.
-I mean, this is gorgeous, right here. -[phil] yeah.
Oh and look at that shipwreck.
[jessica] I know. What's that all about?
[phil] you know what they're selling out.
-[jessica] lusca! -[both chuckle]
[jessica] we dock and head to meet the witness josh tol us about.
Sammy rahming is the owner of a local watering hole.
Hi, how you guys doing?
[jessica] looks like I'm abo to get that drink.
[sammy] welcome to sammy's, man.
I'll take a beer, please.
[jessica] yeah.
[sammy] the bahamian way.
-Like it. -Nice.
[phil] so, we are here because
We're really interested in this mystery of the lusca.
Let me tell you, I got the mark to show.
-You've got a mark? -What do you mean, mark to--
[sammy] the mark to show. On my hand, right here.
See that? That's the stitch right there.
-[jessica] oh, yeah. Yeah. -[phil] that scar right there?
[sammy] I have, like, may be ten stitches in there.
Let me tell you my story.
I was in a blue hole.
I got big fishing line, big hook like that.
I hook it on and I threw it in.
And I was holding a spool.
And out of the clear, blue sky, boom!
I mean, that's just pulled through my hand. "pow."
And tear my finger right open.
If I had to hang on to that line hard enough,
It would have yucked me right in the blue hole, with me.
So, it came up from the bottom and then snagged you and then, like, went back down?
[sammy] it snagged the line from the bottom.
-[jessica] oh. -[sammy] and I said, "holy [bleep], what's that?"
So, all of a sudden, I saw this big riffer.
[sammy] and I come back on top of the water,
And they swim right around, but I didn't get to see exactly what
The face of this thing.
But, I saw the backside of it.
And it looked almost like a octopus and this thing was like, humungous.
So, then what makes you think it's a lusca?
And not necessarily, just an octopus or a squid.
There's no big squid like that around here.
This thing was huge.
When I say huge, I talking about, his tentacles, was about six feet.
[josh] an octopus with six foot appendages
Would be considered huge around here.
The largest species in the bahamas are the caribbean reef octop
And the common octopus.
Whose arms typically don't grow past two or three feet long.
[jessica] have you gone back there and tried fishing again? Try to bring it out?
Never, never. Cause I know what I see at that blue hole.
That's why me, I don't swim in the blue hole.
Cause they live in the blue hole.
Do you have anybody else that you know that has stories?
I mean, this whole island, actually had an encounter with this thing.
[jessica] sammy offers to spread the word that we're looking for the lusca
[sammy] a lot of crazy stuff around here.
-Y'know? -Yeah.
You guys got to go and experience it for yourself.
[jessica] we follow sammy's directions towards the remot blue hole,
Where he was nearly reeled I by the creature.
In order to get to the botto of what's in this blue hole
We need to get to the botto of the blue hole, itself.
So, we've brought along our scuba gear.
-[jessica] you carry the tank and stuff? -[phil] yeah.
[jessica] come on, pack mule. [chuckles]
[phil] sammy says it's abou a half a mile off the road, down a rocky path.
Not that there's actually much of a path.
-[phil] whoa! See that peeling bark? -[jessica] what?
-[jessica] yeah. -[phil] this is poisoned wood.
This is basically like, bahamas' poison ivy.
[jessica] oh, [bleep]
[phil] it's all over this forest.
This is a hike, all right. Umm...
[jessica] luckily, I'm well practiced in the art of machete.
How about I hop across and you can pass me that stuff over?
-[phil] that works. -[jessica] does that work?
[bleep]
-[phil] get this. -[jessica] got it.
-[phil grunts] -[jessica sighs]
[phil] whoa!
[jessica] this is amazing.
[phil] reaching depths of several hundred feet,
Most blue holes connect to the ocean
Via an underground labyrint of tunnels.
But, some are cut off from the sea.
And have become isolated, unique ecosystems.
I brought the comms, so that we can keep track of you.
-[phil] okay. -But I also brought the rov.
Honestly, the more eyes, the better down there.
-[jessica] yep, I agree. -[phil] all right.
[phil] I doubt that an isolated sinkhole
Would have enough food to sustain something large.
-[jessica] comms are set. Be on the ready. -[phil] oh, yes.
[phil] if there really is a massive creature here, octopus or otherwise,
I'm thinking, it would have to travel to and from the ocean
Through an underwater tunnel
So, I'm looking not just for signs of whatever marine animal
Sammy encountered in this blue hole,
But also a tunnel it could have used to get here.
[phil over comm]
Yeah, I got ya.
[phil over comm]
[phil] as freshwater from ra collects on the surface,
Denser salt waters trap belo
In the murky middle layer, where fresh and saltwater mi
A toxic gas called hydrogen sulfide can build u
From all the decaying plant matter.
To a diver, hydrogen sulfid can cause skin irritation,
Dizziness, nausea and with long enough exposure,
Even delirium and death.
I wonder if hydrogen sulfide-induced delirium could explain
Some of the monster reports from divers.
You seeing any fish or anything like that in there?
[phil over comm]
[phil] the cubera snapper is a mostly marine species.
And likely wouldn't be foun here, if this blue hole wasn't connected to the ocea
[static from comm]
[static]
-[beep] -repeat that.
Phil, can you hear me? Copy.
Are you okay?
[phil over comm]
[jessica] phil, quick walkie check.
[jessica over comm] can you hear me at all?
[phil over comm]
You found a cave?
[jessica over comm] okay, be careful.
Can you access it?
[static]
[phil over comm]
How far back does it go?
[phil over comm]
You want to grab the rov and see how far back that cave goes?
[phil over comm]
[jessica] who knows how dee or narrow this blue hole get
Or whether the lusca sammy s might be hiding in the cave phil found.
But, the rov can safely go where phil can't.
[jessica over comm] I see the cave.
I'm at the entrance.
[phil] it's a narrow cave, but an octopus can fit into some very narrow place
Because it has no bones.
The only rigid part of its body is the beak,
Which is made of chitin. The same hard substance as an insect's shell.
As long as an octopus' beak can fit through a crack,
The rest of its highly malleable body can maneuver through as well.
That means, even an unusuall large octopus can squeeze into this tight cave.
Feel like I'm constantly fighting against a current.
I keep thinking I'm getting hung up on some of these rocks,
But then, I look and there's-- I'm actually fine, I'm just getting pulled around.
[jessica] look at that.
I mean, how could I not go through here?
[jessica] I think I can fit it in there.
Oh, [bleep] I'm going to get that rov stuck.
[clicks tongue] ugh!
[jessica] okay, come on. Where are we?
There we go. We're out.
[jessica over comm] that's as far as I can go.
Any further and we'll lose the rov.
I'm bringing it back up.
[phil over comm]
[jessica over comm] the rov's up.
[phil] whoo!
That thing was so deep in there, jess.
Easily, something could fit through there.
It's feasible. It's feasible for a lusca to be in here.
Or at least come here, use it as a feeding ground, hang out for a while
And then ditch out and go somewhere else.
Which could also explain multiple sightings.
I definitely think this particular cave system connects to the ocean.
-Oh, yeah. It has to. -[jessica] absolutely. Yeah.
[jessica] while we were investigating the inland blue hole,
Where sammy had his frightening encounter,
I got a message from another local.
So, I think us being on the island, looking for the lusca's making the rounds.
One of the locals, this lady named, charlene, she reached out to me.
I figured we could go meet up with her where she works.
In a weird twist,
Guess what the restaurant where she works at is called.
Uh, what?
Lucky lusca.
Oh, interesting choice.
[jessica] whoop.
[phil] there's the lucky lusca.
[jessica] charlene whyms was born and raised on andros.
In addition to running the restaurant, she is also a police officer.
From a little girl, always hear my mom speaking of the lusca.
I thought it was just odd. It was something that they were making up
When they didn't want us to go to the holes.
But, I had family friends that went out on a boat.
These were actual divers.
And they went diving in the blue hole in the ocea
And, they never came back.
So what's the theory behind what happened to them?
Well, up today, we have no story.
They had divers come in to go and look for them.
They dove all of those blue holes and they found absolutely nothing.
Could it not have been, well, a shark or something?
Well, they found no tide, no swim gears.
-Zero-- -which made me believe that there is a lusca.
I would think, even with a shark, you would still have tanks and other equipment
Left over, even if it was torn up.
So, I guess, if they completely disappeared, the idea is that
-The lusca-- took them into one of the caves. -The lusca, yes.
-And tunnels. -Entered caves and carried them away.
-[phil] and that's where it's hiding. -Yes.
So, where's the location of the blue hole?
The location of the blue hole is about two miles off of small hope bay.
[jessica] charlene gives us the location
And suggests where we can grab a boat to take us to the offshore blue hole
Where the divers disappeare without a trace.
I'm wondering if this blue hole could be the marine lai of the lusca.
And somehow connected to the inland blue hole
Where sammy has his run in with the beast.
So much of this, I initially just thought was stories to keep kids from drowning
-In the blue holes. -Mmm-hmm. Yeah.
-They're dangerous, I get it. -Yeah.
But, now we're hearing about people dying,
-From a supposed lusca. -I know...
-Charlene's story was kind of tough to hear. -Yeah.
Definitely.
[phil] the list of known ocean predators here,
That have the ability to kil and consume a human is pretty short.
And most of the names on that list, end in shark.
I've dived in the bahamas before,
And know that these waters are home to tiger sharks,
Bull sharks, and the occasional great white.
If we're going to investigat deadly diver attacks,
We're gonna need some experienced back up.
-Hey, josh. -Hey.
Hey, team. Looks like you're enjoying the bahamas. Look at that, it's paradise.
Phil, did you do a dive in a blue hole?
-Oh, yes. -Mmm-hmm.
It's dark and murky. It's like a totally different world.
[josh over phone] it really is, but the big question is
Did you see a lusca?
[jessica over phone] no lusc yet.
But phil did see saltwater fish in the inland hole.
And a cave that probably connects with the ocean blue holes.
[phil over phone] yeah, so there's a big blue hole out here
Where some divers disappeare
So, we're gonna go dive.
[phil over phone] but, we'l need some support.
People don't call the bahamas the shark capital of the world for nothing.
You're definitely right to be cautious, phil.
As I'm sure you know, there are more than 40 different shark species there,
Including some serious apex predators.
I'm gonna let phil do the diving.
-Thanks, jess. -[chuckles] you're welcome.
Well, you are in luck. I've been diving down there a lot.
Uh, and I have a contact. A shark week buddy of mine.
Uh, and if you want to dive in the bahamas,
This is the guy. So, I'm gon connect you with him.
And, uh, be careful down there, okay?
You got it.
-Bye, josh. -[phil over phone] see you, josh.
Bye-bye.
[jessica] we grab the rest of our gear and connect wit
Josh's dive contact, khrys carroll,
A bahamian marine scientist who specializes in the ocea life here.
-This is jessica. -Nice to meet you.
-[jessica] including shark,
Octopus, and I'm hoping, something in between.
Have you ever heard of anything called the lusca?
I have heard stories.
Divers afraid to go in the water, cause chances of them being eaten,
Or snatched by this mysterious creature.
[jessica] do you think it's actually half shark, half octopus?
Or do you think it's something that's actually based off of a real animal?
With the sharktopus part of it,
I think, that's a bit, for me, farfetched.
What it could be is, a hammerhead shark eating a very large octopus
And some people may have seen that and they see the, the tentacles
In the shark's mouth and the shark is swimming away.
Somebody may have seen that and been like, "what is that?"
That's what I chunk it up to be.
[phil] sharks are known to prey on octopuses,
So it makes perfect sense that people reporting a creature
With the head of a shark and flailing cephalopod appendages
Could have actually witnesse natural predation in action
Should we gear up and get ready?
[khrys] yes, let's do it. Let's get in.
Okay.
[jessica] sure, it's an interesting theory, from another scientist.
But, with so many lusca sightings,
They can't all simply be seeing a shark eating its lunch.
We close in on the coordinat charlene gave us for the blue hole
Where the divers were last seen.
And as we take our first loo at the submerged blue hole,
I'm suddenly extra glad that we brought reinforcements.
[jessica] holy... [bleep]
[phil] oh, boy. Right there.
[jessica] holy... [bleep]
Oh, boy. Right there.
[phil] diving with sharks is serious business.
There's safety in numbers. So, marine scientist, khrys carroll and I,
Along with our cameraman and safety diver are going down, as a group.
Having extra eyes under wate reduces the risk
Of a sneak attack from these ambush predators
[jessica] how's that feel? Good?
[phil] it's good.
[phil] the plan is to stay alert
And respectful of these amazing creatures.
Test, test, test. Phil, do you copy?
[phil over comm]
Don't get eaten.
[phil over comm]
Oh, my gosh.
[shudders]
[phil] in 2011, the bahamas declared its entire marine habitat, a shark sanctuary.
Aside from the potentially deadly tiger and bull sharks
This water is teeming with hammerheads, oceanic whiteti and caribbean reef sharks.
Which are pretty much surrounding me, right now.
Though unprovoked attacks on swimmers and divers are rare, they do happen.
[phil over comm]
[jessica over comm] copy tha
Keep your eye on those shark
And keep your eyes open for any caves where a monster could live.
Or tunnels where it could be using to travel inland.
[phil] a recent study found that more than half of americans
Are absolutely terrified of sharks,
Though most people would never actually encounter one.
Even in areas where sharks are more common,
I think it's possible fear can alter perception
To the point that some migh believe they've seen a monster.
Perhaps, witnesses are leani into lusca legend
When they see either a larger than average octopu
Or as khrys suspects, a shark eating an octopus.
[phil over comm]
[phil] so, I'll be searchin the blue hole where the divers disappeared
For signs of an oversized predator.
[phil over comm]
[jessica over comm] how big is it?
Is it lusca big?
[phil over comm]
[phil] octopuses are master at marine hide and seek.
They have cells called chromatophores in their skin
That allow them to adjust their color
And papillae that change their texture.
All to better match their environment.
[phil over comm]
[jessica] if a lusca can camouflage itself,
Maybe that's how it's manage to remain so elusive over the years.
And, if it also has the intelligence of an octopus,
Combined with the power of a shark, that is one formidable beast
But, you don't have to be a biologist to know that sharks and octopuses
Are very different animals.
It gets me wondering how such a hybrid could come to exist.
Do you see any caves or channels that lead to any of the inland blue holes?
[jessica over comm] where a lusca could live or hide?
[phil over comm]
Okay, you stay there, send khrys up,
I'll have him sit next to me and help me guide the rov around and we'll figure out
How to tackle this thing.
[phil over comm]
All right. Copy.
[phil] while we're waiting for the rov to arrive,
The crew and I stay on the lookout
For the return of any sharks
Most sharks are crepuscular hunters.
Meaning they seek prey at dawn and dusk.
And with sunset quickly approaching,
I'd rather not be down here when the dinner bell rings.
[jessica] rov in the water really quick.
Rov's in.
[jessica] so, towards the front, straight down.
-[khrys] oh, that's a phil. -[jessica] that's a phil.
Follow them into the crevice, into the crack.
[phil over comm]
[phil] I wonder if this current is flowing into an inland blue hole.
Like the one where sammy was attacked by what he believed was a lusca.
What he encountered could have been a misidentified ocean animal
That found its way inland through this tunnel.
But, what is it?
[khrys] that's it. That's the crevice right there.
[phil over comm]
[jessica] if some kind of strong creature dragged divers in here,
Good chance they wouldn't be found.
I mean, it's like, pure darkness.
If we go down, then you're gonna see another opening,
But it's too small for us to go down with our gear on.
[jessica] let's drop down.
[phil over comm]
[jessica over comm] we are at 30.8 meters depth.
That looks pretty tight, actually. Let me see if I can get this rov in there.
-We might be losing this bad boy today. -[khrys] oh.
[khrys] oh, okay, I don't think we went down, this deep.
This is new.
Who knows what's down there?
[jessica] got plenty of line, right?
[khrys] we have tons.
[jessica] this is nice, cause I have a little bit of the um, side of the rock wall
In the view finder.
Which is helping me kind of get some bearings.
Ooh, I just got hit by something.
-[khrys] what do you think it was? -Ah, I don't know.
I mean, I can't tell if I landed on something,
Or if something grabbed the rov.
[khrys] how deep are we?
[jessica] we are at 50.4 meters.
Oh, see? Something's grabbing it.
Oh, my god, something grabbed it.
[jessica] oh, my god, something grabbed it.
I'm not even touching the controllers right now.
Yeah, something's dragging it.
I mean, something's definitely attacking the rov.
[jessica] or something's attacking the line and messing with it.
Look at this.
[khrys] that's a strong current.
[jessica] that's really weird.
[jessica over comm] phil, do you see any movement righ now, in that crevice?
Something's messing with the rov.
[phil over comm]
Look at the flow of the particles in the water.
Look how fast they're flowing.
Mmm-hmm and they all seem to be flowing, kind of down in that direction
And then they get caught in that little whirlpool area.
I think, we've reached a point where the current is at its strongest.
It's getting sucked around, like it's in a washing machine.
Would that mean that that's a channel that
Leads to one of the inland blue holes?
Very well.
[jessica] this hidden tunne
Could explain how the lusca has been attacking people
In both, the inland and offshore blue holes,
While also managing to stay so elusive.
Whatever's down there, it's going to destroy my robot.
Or worse.
Phil, do you copy?
[jessica over comm] I'm havi problems with the rov.
I've got to bring it back up, before I lose it.
[phil over comm]
[jessica] all right, we are at eight meters and rising.
[phil] whoo!
[jessica grunts] got it.
-Whoo. -[phil] okay, jess, what did you see?
Well, I mean we-- we got past where you guys had originally dove.
-Okay. -[jessica] and then it just started spinning everywhere.
Flipping, flopping, spinning around, I couldn't control it, at all.
At all. So, I don't know, may be something was yanking on it.
All right, there definitely were a few times where it felt like something had hit it.
-[phil] weird. -Yes.
[jessica] I mean, I was down to 50 meters.
-Wow. -And then, everything went to [bleep]
Was there a giant shark slash octopus in there?
[jessica] I mean, may be, it definitely got hit by something.
[phil] I know jess thinks a lusca hiding in the caver
Could have attacked the rov.
And possibly the divers that went missing.
But, I felt that strong current firsthand
And at high tide, that pull would be even stronger.
That makes me think the current could have possibly
Played a role in the divers' disappearance
Dragging and trapping them deep inside a rocky tunnel.
It could also be what dragged the rov.
[jessica] all right, let's pack it up.
[jessica] the current might explain what happened to the divers,
But it doesn't explain the generations of lusca sightings.
I think, we need to expand our search for clues.
I recall josh mentioned that some locals believed
The monster reports over the past few decades,
Are tied to a now, abandoned military facility on the island.
To find out if any work they were doing there
Could somehow be connected to the lusca,
I've tracked down a former high security clearance contractor who worked there
What was your job with the military base?
I was involved in the recove spec torpedoes
At the conclusion of attache
We understand there's a lot about your job you cannot talk about.
But, we're hoping to gain some insight into what type of military activity
Was happening here, on andros island.
Weapons testing, sea trials, war games, things of that nature.
Were you ever aware of any kind of experiments on animals?
Yes, there was some activit with marine life.
They have used dolphins and other animals,
And some techniques.
It wasn't part of what I did but I am aware of it.
Due to the secret nature of the work there,
There were a lot of things that
You would kind of see and b aware of, but you were supposed to just ignore it.
You didn't talk about it.
Did you ever see anything, I guess out of the ordinary, in the waters out here?
Y'know there was a lot of animals in the waters. So...
Particularly, a lot of shark
They always seemed to be attracted to that area
Ha, that's interesting.
So, I guess, given the compartmentalization
Of the top secret research that was happening there,
And you add on history of using, I don't know,
Dolphins and other marine life in research,
Do you think it's possible that some of that research
Was happening here, on this island?
Yeah, you can't rule it out
-[jessica] yeah. -[phil] perfect.
So, if we wanted to go and check out this facility,
Where would we have to go on the island, like what should we look for?
[jessica] dave gives us the approximate coordinates of the old military site.
A location that we agreed not to reveal.
[phil] well, thanks for the leads, dave.
Glad to help.
Well, that was some good intel.
Yeah, I... It's...
Here's the deal, do I think the military was experimenting
-And made some shark-octopus hybrid? -Sharktopus?
-No. -[jessica] mmm-hmm.
Do I think top secret activity around here
Could easily be playing a role in the lusca legend?
-Yeah. -Yeah.
[phil] I think we should try and find that abandoned base.
Perfect.
[jessica] we head back on our boat to explore the shoreline.
The plan is to look for evidence of any scientific research
That might have been conducted on marine life.
Things like lab equipment or animal holding tanks
Could be clues to what was happening there.
The question in my mind is, could they have been trying to harness the unique,
Innate abilities of both, sharks and octopuses
For some kind of military purpose?
All right, so what do you think we should be looking for,
Besides abandoned buildings?
[phil] they probably have some sort of access to the water.
Either a dock or some kind of gate that would open up to the water,
-Especially if they're doing research in the water. -[jessica] yeah.
-Can I see those really quick? -[phil] yeah.
I wanna just do a quick scan.
All right, I'm not seeing anything.
And one thing to keep in mind too is, this thing was abandoned
Decades ago, so it could be overgrown.
[jessica] ooh, what's that?
Check this out.
Wow, okay.
-[phil] looks fortified. -[jessica] yeah.
-[phil] looks very abandoned. -[jessica] access to the water.
Access to the water.
Jess, I'm thinking, this is it.
[jessica] I think you're right.
To find out if this was som kind of military testing facility,
We need a closer look.
[phil] check this out, jess.
-[phil] wow. -[jessica] ooh, this is cool.
[phil] it's way bigger than it looked from shore.
[jessica] yeah, I mean, it extends all the way down.
Well, I'm gonna go inside.
Okay, I'm gonna leave the rov here.
-[jessica] okay. -[phil] and yeah, see what we can find.
[jessica] ooh, this is creepy.
Look at all the old wires and insulation.
Got to say, this cement has held up pretty well
-Over time, from all the storms. -[jessica] mmm-hmm.
[phil] but, everything else, did not.
[jessica] I'm gonna go check over here.
[phil] seeing anything over there?
[jessica] I'm gonna go head back and check out the outside.
[phil] okay.
Oh, yeah. What's that?
[phil] concrete bar just sticking right out.
Gonna move under this quickly.
[branch snaps]
Oh!
[jessica] oh, I got something, phil.
Recruiting wild animals for military service
May seem like a science fiction plot.
But, surprisingly, it's happened.
Or, I should say, it's been attempted.
[josh] during world war ii, the american military
Experimented with strapping miniature explosives
To mexican free-tailed bats
In something known as project x-ray.
The idea was that a plane would drop special shells
Filled with millions of thes tiny bombers,
Which would then shelter in the eaves of homes and buildings,
Which is when they would detonate,
Igniting devastating inferno all across enemy territory.
Unfortunately, at the testing site in new mexico,
A few of these fully loaded bats escaped.
[josh] and roosted under a massive fuel tank.
Half of carlsbad army airfie and a general's car were destroyed.
The army wisely decided to explore other projects,
Leaving weaponized bat attacks to bruce wayne.
[jessica] oh, I got something, phil.
-[phil] you got something? -Yeah.
[phil] all right, give me a sec.
[jessica] yeah, it's a sign that says,
"warning, no trespassing, government property."
-[jessica] check it out. -[phil] oh, yeah.
I guess, the only problem is--
Completely cleaned out?
-It's pretty cleaned out. -[jessica] yeah.
[jessica] if this waterfron research facility was studyi marine life,
It would make sense that par of the facility might actual be underwater.
This would also keep any secret experiments away from prying eyes.
But, not away from out rov.
I'm hoping we'll find some submerged signs
That this place, is connected to the lusca.
-[jessica] all right. -[phil] off it goes. See what we find out there.
[jessica] okay, going under.
[water splashing]
[phil] all right, seeing some coral.
[jessica] yeah. No, that's all empty, just sand.
Ooh, what's that?
-Yeah, there's definitely structures under the water. -[jessica] yeah?
[jessica] yeah, for sure. What is this?
[phil] oh, we got some posts in the water.
-[jessica] that looks like a dock post. -[phil] totally does.
Okay, so we've got [sighs] confirmation on structures,
But I'm not seeing anything that says they're doing any experiments, yet.
Yeah, I'm not seeing anything that indicates they would have made
Some kind of structure to keep something in.
Yeah.
-Oh. -Oh... [bleep]
-[jessica] that's a cage, right? -[phil] that's a cage.
That looks too big to be a crab pot.
Here's the thing though,
There's no way that, that cage is going to hold a huge lusca.
I'm not taking about a lusca, I'm just saying,
This is showing that they probably held
-Animals out there. -Animals. Yeah.
The octopuses, could be all sorts of things.
[jessica] there's another one.
[phil] there's another cage. Just a minute.
-There's a fish in it. -There's a fish inside it.
[jessica] I mean, it wouldn't surprise me
If the military was doing something with the marine life around here.
The problem is there's not really any good way for us to find out what.
Nobody's gonna talk.
[jessica] I mean, this is as good as it's going to get.
For me, it's really hard to say that what was happening
Here, decades ago, has to do with the legend of the lusca, today.
-Yeah. -[phil] there was a lot of secrecy, obviously.
Who knows what they had in these cages,
But I don't know if that relates to the blue holes.
I just feel like every little bit adds up.
It's just that it's not necessarily a clear picture.
[phil] see, the bottom line is
There's a lot of hidden secrets in the water out there.
Mmm-hmm.
It's just hard to know what exactly they were doing.
Yeah, I agree.
[josh] when my team returne from andros,
We reviewed the evidence to piece together
What's behind the legend of the lusca.
Phil and jess might have fou a possible explanation
For what happened to at leas some of those reported missi in the blue holes.
[phil over comm]
[josh] perhaps, they got trapped inside the tunnels
Connecting the inland and ocean caverns.
Jess' rov almost fell victim to this phenomenon.
The footage clearly shows the strength of the current
But, she remains convinced that there was something else down there.
[jessica] oh, my god. Something grabbed it.
[josh] and when we examined the footage, frame by frame
We did see something we can't identify.
Could that be a tentacle from a large sea beast
Getting handsy with an intruder in its lair
Or is it merely the arm of an octopus?
Or a stray piece of kelp?
Without more footage, we can't say for sure.
Between the former employee' testimony and what my team uncovered,
There are indications some kind of research involving marine life
Was happening at a now, abandoned military site.
-Oh. -Oh... [bleep]
[jessica] that's a cage, right?
[josh] is it possible that reports of an aggressive sea monster
Were intentionally fueled to keep the curious away
From what was really going on in these waters?
Something that remains classified.
Still, we can't discount the many witness reports over the years.
[josh] but it's also hard to reconcile the existence of a sharktopus.
So, until hard, physical evidence surfaces,
I'll lean toward a more plausible scientific theory
What it could be is, a hammerhead shark
Eating a very large octopus
And they see the, the tentacles in the shark's mouth.
[josh] for the people of andros island, however,
The lusca remains a creature both feared and fascinating
Very much alive in their legends.
And in their nightmares.
For more information on expedition x,
Head to discovery.Com/expeditionx.