A husband-wife research team has announced that an underwater, three-tiered stone platform lying under 10 feet of water just off northern Andros Island in the Bahamas may be the ruins of an ancient breakwater forming a harbor.

A husband-wife research team affiliated with the Virginia-Beach, VA-based Association for Research & Enlightenment (A.R.E.) has announced that an underwater, three-tiered stone platform lying under 10 feet of water just off northern Andros Island in the Bahamas may be the ruins of an ancient breakwater forming a harbor. At the annual A.R.E. Ancient Mysteries Conference, Drs. Greg and Lora Little, who found the underwater structure in March 2003, presented this conclusion in a video documentary and a just-released book on their research. The Littles, based in Memphis, TN, produce a monthly archaeologically-related newsletter for the A.R.E. entitled "Ancient Mysteries".

The Littles began a series of research expeditions in February in the Bahamian island of Andros in an attempt to solve several 35-year-old mysteries. In the late 1960's, numerous underwater formations were spotted by pilots flying over western Andros and writers have speculated that these could be ruins from Atlantis. The Littles managed to find all of the formations during extensive aerial surveys and then visited them by boat. All of the mysterious underwater formations had natural explanations.

But during their March trip to Andros, Dino Keller, an experienced diver and former dive operator, told them about an unusual stone structure he had viewed one time from a boat just after Hurricane Andrew passed the island in 1992. They eventually found the unusual formation about 500 yards offshore. It is a gigantic, flat-stone platform made by thick, mostly rectangular blocks of stone. It is comprised of three flat tiers, which increase in height as they move toward the sea. The blocks on the front edges of each of the three tiers are about 25- by 30-feet. The formation is about 150-feet wide and 450 yards long and encloses a deep-water lagoon and harbor at North Andros.

In June 2003, the Littles visited Andros again while filming a documentary for a series on "The Learning Channel". They found a large, flat area to the north of the platform under 10 to 12 feet of water. While most of the bottom of the seabed was covered with sand, in several places they photographed what appear to be paving stones carefully fitted and joined together. "The area looks like a quay," Greg stated. "Quays are paved staging areas typically associated with breakwaters constructed at ancient Mediterranean harbors. The ancient harbors of the Mediterranean were primarily built from beachrock, which was cut from nearby formations and then transported on water to the breakwater. These large blocks were then carefully lowered onto the breakwater forming multiple tiers."

In their book, "The A.R.E.'s Search for Atlantis" (Eagle Wing Books, Inc.), the Littles speculate that the harbor could have been used as long as 8,000-9,000 years ago. "But even before that time," Greg added, "the Andros platform could have been used as a massive foundation for buildings. It would have had a commanding view of the entrance into the Tongue of the Ocean, a two-mile deep trench running the entire length of the island. It is an astonishing find and it's going to take some time to thoroughly explore the structure and the surrounding area."

For downloadable print media pictures of the underwater formation, visit: http://edgarcayce.org/am/androsbiminiupda.html

Contact: Joan Grasser

1-800-333-4499

215 67 Street Virginia Beach, VA 23451

E-mail: ancientmysteries@edgarcayce.org

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