Scientists Have Been Chasing These Mysterious Flashes Deep Beneath the Ocean for Decades, and Still Can’t Explain Them

Ancient Polynesian navigators used mysterious underwater flashes called te lapa to find land, but scientists still cannot explain the phenomenon. © ShutterstockWhen cultural anthropologist Marianne George met Kaveia in 1993, she became one of the few outsiders to witness te lapa. Scientific Investigations Have Ruled Out Several ExplanationsGeorge continued returning to Taumako in an effort to identify the source of te lapa. Traditional navigators closely observed wave patterns, particularly where swells collided after striking islands. In his 2016 study published in Structure and Dynamics, he wrote: “There is currently no definitive explanation of the origin of te lapa.”