Shifting sand recently began revealing its secrets in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., stunning both beachgoers and archaeologists alike. When visitors to the beach began noticing gigantic pieces of wood pushing up through the beach recently, they believed it was likely from Hurricane Nicole which made landfall last month. However, no one had any idea what archaeologists would soon find about the fragments they had found.

The wood was sticking out of the sand near Frank Rendon Park. Beach officials determined last month that the structure was at least 80 to 100 feet long. Officials and visitors began offering up multiple ideas as to what they had found. Originally, local news outlet WESH reported that some officials and beachgoers felt the debris could be the remains of a dock or pier damaged during the storm.

However, safety officials wondered if the discovery was due to the deterioration of the sand from the hurricane, which could have led to the exposure of the wooden beam. They also felt it might just as easily have washed ashore from the ocean, making its final resting spot on the beach. 

But when more than 20 feet of debris was located, that theory changed. An archeological team was then called out to determine what exactly had been discovered. Now they have learned that it likely came from a wooden ship dating back to at least the 1800s, with the team telling WESH, they think the ship itself is in good condition for its age.

Archaeologist Christopher McCarron measures the remains from part of an 80-foot-long ship found on the Daytona Shores Beach in Florida. AP Photo

Local resident Barry Chantler first noticed the wooden object at the end of November. It’s brilliant. I love history and something that’s not been discovered is almost like finding history for the first time, which I think it is,” he told WESH. The archaeological team said they haven’t located any reports of a shipwreck near that beach. But as they learn more about the ship, they hope to find additional information on where it came from and what it had been used for.

Chuck Meide, director of the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program:

It’s a wooden-hulled shipwreck. It was held together with wooden pegs and also with iron fasteners.”

Meide speculated, “If it was coming from the Caribbean it could have been fruit. It could have been lumber. If it was coming from the Gulf of Mexico, it could have been manufactured goods.” The Associated Press noted that currently there is no intention to pull the ship from the sand.

Not only because of a price tag that would be in the millions, but also simply that the ship is safe where it is, packed into the sand, Meide said. “We will let Mother Nature bury the wreck,” he said. “That will help preserve it. As long as that hull is in the dark and wet, it will last a very long time, hundreds of more years.” Watch the amazing discovery below.

Sources: Click Orlando｜WFLA｜WESH