The crew of the yacht ‘Maiken,’ while traveling in the south Pacific near the Vava’u Islands in Tonga, was amazed to see a weird sight. Sailors were stunned when they witnessed the birth of an island; they saw an underwater volcano creating a desert in the middle of the ocean.
As they were sailing, they didn’t know that a few miles away a volcano was erupting under the surface and spewing out new land. But as they approached, they saw a black plume in the air, and soon they realized that the underwater volcano had erupted. After some time, they found themselves surrounded by a huge raft of floating pumice stone which was pushed up by the volcano.
Sailors were thrilled at the prospect of being the first and only individuals to see a new island being created. The sailors clicked a lot of pictures to document the phenomenon, which makes for a series of remarkable photos.
The event was equally exciting for scientists, but when they reached the site six months later, much of the island had disappeared under the waves.
