60 Interesting Ocean Facts That'll Either Terrify You or Amaze You

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60 Interesting Ocean Facts That'll Either Terrify You or Amaze You originally appeared on Parade.
The ocean makes up the majority of the Earth's surface, so it makes sense that 95% of our seas are still unknown to us—there's just so much to explore. And we know even less about the deepest parts, with Scientific American reporting that we've only seen 0.001% of the sea floor. The animals that we have discovered down deep can look pretty crazy, so it's totally understandable that, for many, the ocean feels a little terrifying or scary. After all, we don't fully know what's lurking in the depths. But what we do know about the sea is worth diving into (pun intended). For every seemingly scary tidbit, there are just as many interesting ocean facts that will amaze you and make you appreciate the sea that much more.You probably know a fair bit about whales or sharks (especially if you're a Shark Week viewer), but there's so much more to these animals, and the ocean in general, than what we may have learned as kids in school or as adults on the Discovery Channel.It may seem like a vast unknown, but these 60 fascinating and fun facts about the ocean can help demystify this body of water that helps keep us all alive.Related: These Viral Shark Attack Drinks are Back for an Extremely Limited Time and Fans are Losing It
60 Best Facts About the Ocean
1. Half the oxygen produced on Earth comes from the ocean, courtesy of things like plankton and algae.2. Around an estimated 3 million boats have sunk in the ocean and never been found.3. Sharks and humans share close proximity in ocean waters 97% of the time, but swimmers and surfers often never even notice them.4. Your odds of being attacked by a shark are very low—1 in 11.5 million.5. The highest point on earth (Mount Everest at 5.5 miles) is still not as tall as the deepest part of the ocean (6.8 miles).6. The deepest scuba dive was 1,090 feet, and the diver trained for 10 years to get that far.7. Parrotfish poop makes up to an estimated 70% of the sand on Hawaiian and Caribbean beaches, created by the fish eating coral and excreting it.8. The "Midnight Zone" is the section of the ocean that is perpetually dark and cold because light cannot reach more than half a mile below the surface.9. The sea floor is covered in "marine snow," which is made up of decaying animal and plant matter as well as poop.10. Some of the deep-sea creatures are so strange and otherworldly-looking, they seem almost alien—like bigfin squid that have 20-foot-long tentacles or barreleye fish that have see-through heads.Related:
Interesting Facts About Creatures in the Ocean
11. Greenland sharks, which inhabit cold northern waters, can live for over 500 years.12. Blue whales can live for nearly 100 years.13. Some shark species can lose and re-grow up to 30,000 teeth in their lifetimes.14. The Basking shark's mouth is big enough to fit a human, but instead, they eat zooplankton and don't have a throat large enough to actually swallow a person.15. Sheepshead fish have teeth that look just like a human's.16. Sharks keep their eyes open and continue swimming even while sleeping.17. Giant Sperm whales float vertically in the ocean while sleeping.18. The fastest shark is the Mako, which can swim in bursts of 46 miles per hour.19. Giant Trevally fish can leap out of the water to catch and eat seabirds.20. Thresher sharks have long tails that they use to whip or slap their prey to stun them. These tail fins can grow to be up to 10 feet long.21. Pufferfish create elaborate sculptures out of sand and shells as part of their mating ritual.22. Deep-sea Goblin sharks can extend their jaws out in front of their bodies to snatch prey at a distance.23. Shark skin is made up of sharp, tooth-like scales called denticles that feel like sandpaper.24. Great White sharks can jump as high as 10 feet out of the water when they're hunting.25. Great White sharks refuse to eat in captivity, and no aquariums have successfully been able to keep one alive.26. The now-extinct Megalodon shark could grow to 80 feet, which is four times the size of a Great White.Related:
Ocean Pollution Facts
27. The most commonly found ocean trash items are cigarette butts.28. It's estimated that 33 billion pounds of plastic end up in the ocean every year.29. There's trash even in the deepest parts of the ocean, 6.8 miles below the surface.30. There's a floating patch of trash in the Pacific Ocean twice the size of Texas.31. The "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" is estimated to contain 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic.32. Sharks have been known to eat garbage they find in the water, including tires, a chicken coop, anchors and even an unexploded bomb.33. Sea floor devastation caused by deep ocean fishing nets can be seen from space.
Related:
Pacific Ocean Facts
34. The Pacific Ocean gets its name from the Portuguese word for "peaceful."35. The deepest part of the ocean is the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. It has a depth of 6.8 miles.36. The Mariana Trench is 1,580 miles long and about 43 miles wide.37. The "Ring of Fire" in the Pacific Ocean contains 75% of Earth's active volcanoes.38. Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to fly around the globe.39. The Pacific Ocean gets an inch smaller every year due to shifting tectonic plates.Related:
Atlantic Ocean Facts
40. The Atlantic Ocean was named after the Greek god Atlas, holder of the sky.41. Every year, the Atlantic Ocean grows by about 1.6 inches as the Earth's crust shifts.42. The Atlantic Ocean is 5.2 miles deep at its lowest point.43. The Titanic wreck site is in the Atlantic Ocean, about 2.4 miles below the surface.44. There's a shipwreck worth a billion dollars in the Atlantic Ocean. In the early 1900s, the RMS Republic sank while reportedly carrying thousands of gold coins. It now rests some 250 feet below the surface.45. The ancient Roman city of Baia sank in the 16th century and is now located up to 42 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.46. In 2013, pieces from the 1969 Apollo moon rocket were recovered three miles below the surface in the Atlantic Ocean.Related:
Scary Facts About the Ocean
47. Cookiecutter sharks attach and feed on live animals. The sharks use their serrated teeth to take circular chunks of skin off whales, fish and more.48. Deep-sea pressure is strong enough to instantly collapse a human's lungs, killing them immediately.49. Each year, hundreds of people are buried at sea. It's at their own request—rather than choosing to be buried in a cemetery on land—but it does mean there are probably many coffins biodegrading in the sea.50. Many planes, boats and even people have reportedly mysteriously vanished in the Bermuda Triangle, which sits in the Atlantic Ocean near Miami.51. A 2019 study found that the ocean contains around 200,000 types of viruses, 90% of which were new to science.
Related: 52. The most dangerous ocean animal is the Australian box jellyfish, whose poison can cause paralysis, heart attacks and death in humans within minutes of being stung.53. Deep-sea "gigantism" is the phenomenon where marine species grow larger in the cold, dark depths than their shallow water counterparts. Think: Colossal squids 14 times bigger than usual, sponges the size of minivans and more.54. Killer whales play with their food—sometimes tossing the prey in the air—even while it's still alive—and catching it repeatedly.55. Some Killer whales will attack sharks just to eat their livers, and then they leave the rest of the body behind.56. Sea spiders larger than dinner plates can be found on the ocean floor.57. Bull sharks can survive in both salt water and fresh water, and they've been spotted in rivers and lakes.58. Some oceanic sinkholes (caused by eroding rock) are so deep that scientists can't reach the bottom of them. And it's believed there may even be a network of underwater tunnels connecting some of the sinkholes.59. Underwater hydrothermal vents can heat the surrounding water to over 700 degrees Fahrenheit.60. There are tons of mysterious ocean sounds that scientists can't always explain. Some of the creepy noises from the deep that have baffled experts include weird bloops, whines, scratching sounds and more.Up Next:60 Interesting Ocean Facts That'll Either Terrify You or Amaze You first appeared on Parade on Jul 20, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.