Andros Photo Update

On March 13 we returned to Andros to complete our investigation. To view the story and photos of the discovery of the underwater Andros Anomaly, click here. The April 21 Press Release detailing the finds of the most recent expedition can be found here. Edgar Cayce readings placed Atlantis as lying between the Gulf of Mexico to the Straits of Gibraltar. In addition, his readings indicating that a temple of Poseidia was "near" Bimini lead us to conclude that Atlantis, in whatever form it existed as a civilization, may well have had its center city in the area of the Caribbean and the Gulf. Both Cayce and Plato made it clear that Atlantis was an island empire that stretched across the Atlantic. Thus, it seems the islands of the Caribbean area hold promise in the Search for Atlantis.

The investigations near Bimini have proven to be difficult and controversial. In addition, officials and many others believe that the major motive underlying the ongoing search for Atlantis, especially around Bimini, is gold. This has complicated efforts to gain the cooperation of many others—including scientists who would normally be interested in archaeological discoveries in that region. One of the major interests in the Cayce readings held by one of us (Greg Little) is the type of readings that were clearly wrong. These incorrect readings tend to consistently fall into two broad categories. The first type is when an individual was seeking some form of confirmation that he or she was related to some famous person. Similar to such readings were a few that were clearly influenced by the biases held by a stong and influential person present at a reading. Cayce, in fact, mentioned several times how such readings could be influenced by the motives of those present. The second type of incorrect reading seems to be related to the seeking of quick riches. I have usually termed this the seeking of "unearned riches," but in reply most people simply see it as greed. Whatever the motives, the perception that Atlantis-seekers are after the gold of Bimini, as mentioned in Cayce readings, has caused misunderstandings and ongoing problems.

The mysteries of Andros Island emerged at the same time as those of Bimini. Andros is a vast, unexplored island. The western side is especially shrowded in mystery. Enigmatic formations can be seen under the water from the air. Many of these were discovered in 1968-1977, but until this investigation no one, as far as we can discern, has ever been able to go to them first-hand and investigate them. The southernmost part of Andros is in Cuba-controlled airspace, so finding pilots who will go there is difficult. There are dozens of perfect circles under the shallow waters of western Andros. Getting to them by boat is a major undertaking and is costly—assuming someone can be found who will risk taking the trip. We were fortunate to acquire the services of Kevin Green, a 15-year veteran of sponge collecting on Andros. His family is one of only two that continue to collect and export sponges (primarily to Greece). Kevin is shown on the main page of Ancient Mysteries.

Kevin was familiar with most of the circular formations that have captured the imaginations of so many ancient mystery writers. He was also familiar with the "Andros Temple" discovered in 1968 and immediately hailed as an Atlantean Temple. In the mid-1970s a series of explorations led by David Zink came to the conclusion that the structure was a spone pen.

One curious enigma of Andros has long been seen by air and sea-based craft. In fact, both nautical charts and pilot maps show these. They are "streaks of white" appearing in the water. From the air, they look like milk. In fact, if you go to one of these on water, it does look like milk. The phenomenon is created by massive swarms of dying plankton—releasing calcium into the water.

Above photo: White streaks seen from the air off western Andros. Copyright © 2003 by G. Little. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

From the air, Andros is otherworldy. Water varies in color from yellow, to white, to clear, to deep blue. Perfect circular mangroves and other circular formations dot the island. About 150 Blue Holes are also found on and around the island. At least one of these has petroglyphs (rock carvings) at the 30 foot level. The carvings had to be made when water levels were lower. Our book and video will show these.

Above photo: Aerial photo off western Andros. Copyright © 2003 by L. Little. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Most writers have characterized western Andros as silty and sandy. In fact, the western coast has starkly contrasting characteristics. Extreme southwest Andros has very little sand. The shallow water off the coast extends for over 10 miles into the Gulf. The water is generally crystal clear. Under some conditions it turns to what looks like milk in seconds. The bottom is solid limestone covered with one to no more than two or three inches of sand. The water is generally from one foot to four feet in depth.

Further north, closer to the center of the island, the west coast and the seabed are literally covered with broken shells. The shells are ground down by the tidal flows. These extend down to an unknown depth. We dug down several feet into them on both the coast and the seabed. It is an amazing sight.

Still further north the environment completely changes. The seabed and the coast is covered with what locals call mud. It is pure white and dense with the consistency of putty. It is extremely sticky and works like "slow" quicksand. In one foot of water I sunk up to my waist in it never finding the bottom. It was difficult to get out of it. The location of one of the circles we investigated was in this area. The water was less than a foot deep and we had to carefully and quickly push the boat for about a mile through this muck.

One of the most interesting experiences we had on the trip was unexpected. We visited the land owned by a 94-year old Bahamanian, Samuel Roll. Mr. Roll took us on a rambling, two hour trip up a high limestone outcrop. He cited Biblical scripture during the entire trip and spoke of racial harmony and the oneness of all people. He treated us as long-lost friends. At the top was what clearly appeared to be the ruins of an ancient structure. One side of the remaining foundation was aligned within two degrees of magnetic East-West. Large piles of what looked like ancient building blocks were everywhere. Mr. Roll told us he had recognized us. He is a deeply spiritual man who is a fundamentalist Christian. But he believes in reincarnation. He told us we had been at this site long ago when a meeting was held there of all the world's leaders. He calls the site a temple. Additional details about this amazing encounter will be included in our book and at the October Atlantis Rising Conference at Virginia Beach.