11 Insane Facts About The Ocean That Will Make You Say "WTF"

That's why the ocean's so big — it's full of secrets.

1. You may know that the ocean covers more than 70% of the world's surface...

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2. ...but did you know that only 5% of the ocean floor has been explored? FIVE PERCENT, PEOPLE!

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3. We actually know more about the topography of Mars than our own ocean floors...which is cray.

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4. For real, only THREE people have explored the deepest part of our ocean, the Challenger Deep, located in the Mariana Trench.

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5. One of those three people was James Cameron, who in 2012 reached the record-setting depth of 35,756 feet!

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6. The pressure you would feel on your head at the bottom of the Mariana Trench equals about 100 ELEPHANTS!

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7. Speaking of elephants, the ocean is filled with a ton of incredible creatures — like the octopus! These crazy critters are masters of disguise and can change their color and texture.

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8. Some beaches glow a magical neon blue once night falls thanks to bioluminescent phytoplankton.

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Ocean movement = proton movement through the phytoplankton = electrical pulses = chemical reaction = BLUE LIGHT!

9. The world's largest waterfall is actually under the ocean! More specifically, it's under the Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland.

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The waterfall is created when cold water from the Nordic Seas and warm water from the Irminger Sea meet. The cold water sinks and then falls over a huge drop of nearly two miles!

10. Our oceans hold around 20 million tons of gold — that's about $771 TRILLION!

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The metal is contained in the H20 itself — at a concentration of parts per trillion — so the tally doesn't even account for actual treasure buried in the depths.

11. Speaking of, there are plenty of valuable shipwrecks under the ocean. The San Jose shipwreck contains up to $17 billion worth of treasure!

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Basically the ocean is a magnificent, magical, mysterious place, and we are learning more about it every day!

Help protect our ocean and uncover its mysteries with a job in the U.S. Coast Guard.