[gatagato]

Planning an island vacation? A word to the wise: Don't visit Sandy Island, supposedly off Australia's northeast coast. It's simply not there.

When scientists went to explore Sandy Island, which appears on maps, they found nothing but the clear deep blue ocean

Scientists at the University of Sydney journeyed to the spot where the island is supposed to be according to many maps (including Google's). Between all the experts found at the coordinates was water, the BBC reports. "We wanted to check it out because the navigation charts on board the ship showed a water depth of 1,400 meters in that area—very deep," said one.

"How did it find its way onto the maps? We just don't know, but we plan to follow up and find out," he told AFP, adding that it's even on Google Earth. If it were real, Sandy Island would be in French waters (it lies between Australia and the French-governed New Caledonia), but official French maps don't show it. Cartographers do occasionally pop fake streets into their maps to fight copyright infringement, notes the BBC, but such gimmicks rarely occur on nautical charts. "The world is a constantly-changing place, and keeping on top of these changes is a never-ending endeavor," says a rep for Google Maps.

Link to Google Maps

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

The case that the island does not exist was first made by some amateur radio enthusiasts on a DX-pedition in April 2000 but the news was not widely circulated. A rediscovery of the issue was made in 2012 by Australian scientists aboard the RV Southern Surveyor who were in the area studying plate tectonics. During the voyage, they noticed a discrepancy between different maps and decided to sail to the supposed location to investigate. Instead of an island, they discovered the ocean there is 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) deep.

Original article

The phantom island: Scientists go on 25-day voyage to study island only to find it doesn't exist

Sandy Island In South Pacific 'Does Not Exist'

See also:
Argleton (England), the settlement that doesn't exist

[Darkest Angel]

Floated away

[Wolf]

Sandy Island must of washed away.

[kellyhound]

atlantis

[DiamondSmiles]

There go my vacation plans! Damn!

Nice presentation, as always, gata!

I know mapquest is famous for leaving out important things, like one important road or in the case of a woman with whom I used to work, telling her she had to go over a bridge to get to the next state.

She showed me directions and said she had trouble getting home.

I noticed where she was told to make a right turn was a one way the opposite way and they neglected to mention she had to cross a bridge at some point.

I use randmcnally.com or bingmaps.

[Faline]

[Bastet]

Went for a romantic vacation on a tropical island and ended up to the bottom of the ocean. How unforgettable that must be!

[marko34]