37 years as a professional diver and I've never encountered anything strange in the oceans, lakes, rivers, or caves of the world. I do have a good UFO story, though. Back in the 50's, my dad witnessed a UFO on a crowded beach when he was a lifeguard. They had hundreds of witnesses. No one ever knew what it had been.
One day, in my 20's, when I was running on a jogging path around a lake, I emerged from a forested section to an opening in the trees where a large pier was built. I looked at the water when I spotted a large black object in the sky hovering low over the tree line at the tip of a finger lake. It looked like the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey lying flat like a domino on a table. I walked to the end of the pier and studied it. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I knew aircraft. Modeling was a huge hobby when my friends and I were young and we built every kind of airplane and helicopter. I was a skydiver at the time. Stealth fighters were known to the public. I was mystified!
Runners usually passed one another on that trail. There I was looking at a monolith in a clear blue sky and NO WITNESSES! No one was jogging or walking by. I watched it for about 10 minutes and it never moved! What was it? I decided there must be a logical explanation, but it was beyond me. I had to go tell my dad! I ran to my car and went to my dad's house. On the way in, I decided to grab the mail from the mailbox. I walked into the kitchen excited. "Dad, remember that UFO you saw? I just saw one." He looked at me skeptically. I started to tell him all about it. While talking, I poured myself something to drink and stood leaning against a chair. I opened his newspaper to see the headline. What did I see? My UFO!
Turns out that a Forbes' hot air balloon would be premiering at the local air show. It was shaped like the New York City skyline. Of course! It was far enough away that I couldn't see the relief of the faux buildings and skyscrapers. It just looked like a flat rectangular domino from my vantage point. The airport was several miles south of the lake. It must have been headed there for the weekend when I spotted it. Mystery solved! Good thing. No one would have believed it and it would have driven me crazy my entire life.
