Son Doong Cave, Vietnam

This has to be one of the most astonishing things I have come across. Son Doong Cave was originally discovered in 1991 and later explored in 2009. It was only recently that I learned about this majestic place on Earth. I hope to travel to see this utterly amazing hidden World.

The videos speak for themselves and I encourage you to watch them all...and if you have not yet seen them, then be prepared to be awed!

(as described on Youtube)
Discovery Son Doong cave Vietnam

Son Doong cave (Vietnamese: Hang Son Doong) may be the world's largest cave, located in Quang Binh province, Vietnam. It is found by a local man named Ho Khanh in 1991 and was recently discovered in 2009 by British cavers, led by Howard Limbert. The name "Son Doong" cave means "mountain river cave", It was created 2-5 million years ago by river water eroding away the limestone underneath the mountain where the limestone was weak. The ceiling collapsed creating huge skylights..
.
Son Doong cave is more than 200 meters wide, 150 meters high, and approx 9 kilometers long, with caverns big enough to fit an entire city street inside them, twice as large as Deer Cave in Malaysia (currently considered the world's largest with 90 meters wide, 100 meters high and 2 kilometers long). Son Doong cave was classified as the largest cave in the world by BCRA (British Cave Research Association) and selected as one of the most beautiful in the globe by the BBC news.

Son Doong cave is hidden in rugged Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province near the border with Laos. The cave is part of a network of 150 or so caves, many still not surveyed, in the Annamite Mountains. It is very difficult to travel. During the first expedition, the team explored two and a half miles of Son Doong cave before a 200-foot wall of muddy calcite stopped them. They named it the Great Wall of Vietnam. Above it they could make out an open space and traces of light, but they had no idea what lay on the other side. 

A year later, they have returned—seven hard-core British cavers, a few scientists, and a crew of porters - to climb the wall, if they can, measure the passage, and push on, if possible, all the way to the end of the cave.

Very Informative Documentary...
(as described on Youtube)

Veteran photographer and National Geographic grantee Carsten Peter is also an accomplished climber, diver and caver who has photographed some of the world's most extreme environments. Here he shares stories and images from a cave system in Vietnam that may be the world's largest.



 Drone footage...





 2017 expedition...





Did you know of the Son Doong Cave? 

 Do you believe its the largest in the World or are there more that have yet to be discovered?

Let me know in the comments!

Whales Swallows Alaskian Kayaker?

 Whale Eats Kayaking Dentist?

The first thing I noticed about this image with my skeptical mind; the contact of the whale's jaw with the bottom of this canoe would have lifted the small boat up out the water. Also the mans reaction would have been a startled one. I for one would have shown sheer panic, although this man continues to paddle, lol. I call Fake!

So I decided to investigate by searching www... and this is what I have found...

Once again a combination of two images most likely manipulated with Photoshop or the like. The images captured by photographer, Tim Shobe. Both photos, in fact were taken by the Alaska based photographer and can be seen on his website.

Image #1 The Feeding Whale

Image #2 The Kayaker...

In my newsfeed...

July 29, 2017

"Alaska... one in a billion photo. The photo was
 taken  at the entrance to Katlian Bay at the end
of the road in Sitka , Alaska . The whale is coming up to scoop up a mouthful of herring. The kayaker is a local Sitka Dentist. He apparently didnt sustain any injuries from the terrifying experience. The whales mouth is fully open with the bottom half under the boat. Look at the picture again - He is in the whales MOUTH! by Mark Tennant."

Here are other captions posted over the years since the original in 2010.

As quoted...

"This is an actual picture from Alaska!!!!!!!"

"He is in the whales MOUTH!"

"Incredible picture taken in Sitka"

"Hi all. I couldn’t resist sending this one along. The photo was taken at the entrance to Katlian Bay at the end of the road in Sitka. The whale is coming up to scoop up a mouthful of herring (the small fish seen at the surface around the kayak). The kayaker is a local Sitka Dentist. I haven’t talked to him yet, but haven’t heard of any injuries out of the experience".

Enjoy, Steve

==================

"Yep, that is me in the picture. Yep that is a whale that was just around the corner from the ferry terminal. "Paddle really fast" is the only thing I could think of at the time.. Also thinking that I don't look like a herring, don't smell like a herring but with the same herring instinct of "get the hell out of the way of that big mouth!!" Still living to tell yet another story.. "

Rich K
"Sitka’s very own Dr. Richard Kraft during one of his routine oral examinations:"

So upon my research I came across this...

The Story

A letter from Mr. Shobe to hoaxslayer

"Thank you for your interest in my whale/kayaker image that has inadvertently made it’s way through cyberspace with the help of forwarded emails and sites such as yours. I have heard good things about it and I have actually received ‘hate mail’ by those that don't know any better, but in an effort to put things into a positive and truthful light, please allow me to forward you the email that I sent to someone else recently requesting the same info from me.

Here’s the scope for the record:

Being bored one night and looking through my images, I came across some photos of whales that I took and then one of my friend Richard from here in Sitka while he was in his kayak. These two images were from two completely different times and locations...(roughly 3 months apart). I came up with the idea to create a manipulated image with the help of Photoshop to use as a small piece of entertainment for a few of my friends on my email list. The whale image of mine that I used for this piece was one of many captured during a day in which I blessed to have witness several humpback whales bubblenetting and lunge feeding. I will not give the exact location, but it was in March and near Sitka."

I also read that the photographer/prankster actually was contacted to have this spectacular photograph in all its glory to be sent to National Geographic!

Wow it's crazy how these FAKE images can circulate, like a rolling stone that gathers moss. It goes to show that one can not always believe their own eyes, ay?

Elephant Rock, Real or Fake?

 This Elephant shaped rock formation is circulating Facebook via a few different "Beautiful Planet" or "Nature Photos" pages.

This amazing tourist attraction, which is located near the Three Sisters rock formation at Tongaporutu, south of Mokau, just off State Highway 3 in the country's North Island WAS very real.

Sadly the elephant lost it's trunk during a series of earthquakes between the end of November and beginning of December, 2016, including a 7.8 earthquake which struck 60km south of Kaikoura on  the country's South Island on November 14.

Before and After

Here's is another elephant rock formation:

The Hopewell Rocks is located along the 

Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, home of the highest tides in the world. 

It offers a unique natural experience of 

both high and low tides.






However, The location of this image that I came across while doing my research cannot be found so I am left to believe it's photo-shopped.