Beneath the gentle waves of the Gulf of Mexico, about 10 miles south of Alabama’s coast near the Florida border, lies something almost impossible: a forest. Not fossilized. Not imagined. But real.

An ancient, perfectly preserved bald cypress forest, buried under sand and seawater for more than 60,000 years, was discovered by chance after Hurricane Ivan in 2004—when storm surges pulled away enough sediment to reveal the ghostly trees beneath.

The forest had been hidden ever since the Ice Age.

A Forest Older Than Memory

Before rising seas swallowed the coast, Florida and much of the Gulf’s shoreline stretched far beyond where it does today. The land was covered in bald cypress trees—giants that thrived in wet, swampy environments. When the sea levels rose at the end of the last glacial period, those trees were buried under layers of sediment, silt, and saltwater.

But something remarkable happened: the forest didn’t rot.

Instead, the trees were sealed in an oxygen-poor environment, creating a natural time capsule. When modern divers finally reached the site, they found massive stumps still rooted in the seafloor, smelling faintly of fresh-cut cypress when disturbed.

Some of these trees may still contain trapped ancient air—samples that could help scientists learn about the Ice Age atmosphere.

What Scientists Found

Since its rediscovery, scientists and underwater archaeologists have been carefully studying the site. What makes it so important?

Preservation: The wood hasn’t fossilized—it’s still wood.

Biodiversity: The stumps now host marine life—an artificial reef formed by ancient trunks.

Carbon Dating: The trees are 60,000 years old, placing them in the late Pleistocene epoch.

Clues to Climate: Pollen, tree rings, and ancient organisms preserved here may offer insight into Florida’s changing ecosystems.

And there may be more forests still hidden off Florida’s coasts.

Here’s a real photo taken by divers of the ancient underwater cypress forest—one of the actual preserved stumps found off the Gulf Coast:

This image shows an authentic piece of the submerged forest:

These are weathered cypress stumps and root systems, not full trees—consistent with what divers discovered lsu.edu+15chron.com+15idealdive.com+15.

Notice the marine encrustation—barnacles, algae, and marine life have colonized the wood over millennia.

The stumps are rooted in the sandy seafloor at around 60 feet depth, matching diving reports.

Can You Visit the Drowned Forest?

The site’s exact coordinates are not publicly shared to protect it from damage, though it lies off the Alabama coast near the Florida border. The forest rests about 60 feet underwater and can only be accessed by experienced divers with special permissions.

But there are whispers that the Gulf of Mexico may hold other ancient forests, waiting quietly beneath the sand. Waiting for the next big storm to reveal what’s been lost—and what might still be alive.