Lake Ontario’s banks are thousands of years old, containing 400 cubic miles of unexplored waters. While this mission was thought to be valuable, it couldn’t possibly be done without a bit of help.
Introducing the ThunderFish! A small and truly adorable yellow submarine replica, the ThunderFish is similar to a drone. Unlike a drone, however, this technological masterpiece functions underwater. It also has a sonar-powered camera that can take high-resolution images of its surroundings.
Miles of Beach
Few people know that Lake Ontario is surrounded by 634 miles of shoreline. An additional 78 miles make up the shores that can be found on the lake’s many islands. Due to its depth, which is an average of 283 feet and 802 feet at its deepest, the lake remains unfrozen throughout the winter.
Lake Ontario is most known for connecting to the Niagara River, home of the infamous Niagra Falls. Nine other rivers flow into this Great Lake, including the Don River, Cataraqui River, Genesee River, Oswego River, Trent River, Black River, Humber River, Little Salmon River, and the Salmon River.
Nearby Cities
The shores of Lake Ontario border several big cities, as it divides two countries. Most notably, Toronto is on the Canadian side of the lake, and Rochester is on the United States side. Most of the borders are made up of wetlands, making it the ideal environment for a wide variety of animals and plants to live and prosper.
Unfortunately, deforestation and pollution have been detrimental to the population of many of these species. For this reason, the area surrounding Lake Ontario is now protected.
Guided From Land
While the ThunderFish may look like someone could fit inside, it isn’t designed for a human to ride. This means the exploration team was left on land while navigating it around the lake bed. To the surprise of many, the underwater drone fulfilled its purpose!
The ThunderFish sent many clear images to the team, but did it capture anything worth their time? It was time to learn if the rumors were true! The explorers may not have known what they were looking for, but it was pretty clear there was something down there. So what was in the photos?
The Results Are In
The team wasn’t able to determine what the pictures were showing them right away. They had to study them first, trying to make sense of the images. One thing was for sure, and they had stumbled upon something big!
Seemingly all at once, the picture came together for them, and they knew what they had found. What was hidden fathoms below the lake’s surface? An aircraft! And it wasn’t any ordinary old airplane. This plane was special.