The idea of an underwater waterfall is a bit mind bending, we know. And technically, what you are seeing is not falling water at all. Off the southwestern tip of Mauritius, sand and silt drift over the edge of an undersea shelf, and from the air the streaming sediment looks exactly like a river plunging into the deep. Once the view opens up beneath you, the technicalities stop mattering.
Mauritius is a small island nation about 1,200 miles off Africa’s southeast coast, just east of Madagascar, ringed by coral reefs and lagoons in every shade of turquoise. Photographer Frederick C Millett and Trip Advisor have captured some of the best views of the island and that incredible chasm in the sea, and we first spotted the phenomenon via Places To See in Your Lifetime.
What Creates the Underwater Waterfall Illusion
The science is simple and the effect is anything but. Mauritius sits on a shallow oceanic shelf, and just off the Le Morne peninsula that shelf comes to a sudden end. Coastal currents continuously push sand and silt across the bright flats until the sediment reaches the drop, where it spills down the slope toward far deeper water offshore. Seen from above, the darker plume of sinking sand reads as a waterfall, complete with a churning rim where the illusion begins.
The trick only works because of contrast. The lagoon is pale and luminous, the drop beyond it is a deep inky blue, and the sediment traces the pull of gravity in slow motion. It is one of Earth’s great aerial illusions, an image that looks impossible while being completely real, and it has earned a permanent spot on our list of natural wonders.
Le Morne Brabant, a Peak With a Story
The illusion unfolds beside Le Morne Brabant, a basaltic mountain that rises 1,824 feet straight from the water at the island’s southwestern corner. The peak was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, honored as a refuge where escaped slaves, known as maroons, built communities in its caves and on its summit through the 18th and early 19th centuries. The mountain gives the seascape its drama, and the history gives it weight.
How to See It for Yourself
There is no seeing this one from the beach. Helicopter and seaplane tours depart from points around the island and circle Le Morne for the full effect, and even Google Earth reveals the illusion clearly if a flight is not in the cards. Time to book some flights. For more places that hardly seem real, browse our picks for the most beautiful places on Earth and the rest of our travel section.
1 Comment
Pingback: The Most Luxurious Holiday Destinations to Visit This Summer | Moss and Fog