For more than a century, Sandy Island was a mysterious fixture on maps, atlases, and even Google Earth. Charted as early as 1774 and reported by whalers and explorers throughout the 19th century, this supposed island in the Coral Sea, northwest of New Caledonia, was believed to be as large as Manhattan. Yet, in 2012, a team of scientists sailed to its coordinates and found nothing but deep blue ocean—a revelation that officially “undiscovered” one of the world’s most persistent cartographic myths.
A Cartographic Mystery Spanning Centuries
Sandy Island’s story began with early explorers and whalers, such as the crew of the ship Velocity, who reported its existence in the late 1800s. It was subsequently included in British Admiralty charts and major atlases, with some sources describing it as 15 miles long and 3 miles wide. The island’s presence persisted through the transition from paper maps to digital databases, even appearing as a black polygon on Google Earth well into the 21st century.
The 2012 “Undiscovery” Expedition
The legend of Sandy Island unraveled in November 2012, when a team of Australian geologists from the University of Sydney set sail aboard the research vessel Southern Surveyor. Their mission: to study plate tectonics, but curiosity led them to the coordinates of the infamous island. As they approached, the team expected to see land on the horizon. Instead, they found only open water. Depth-sounding equipment confirmed the ocean floor was over 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) deep—far too deep for any island to exist.
The scientists double-checked satellite images, GPS data, and historical records. Everything matched—except for the missing island. The team’s findings were quickly reported, and Sandy Island was removed from Google Maps and other databases within days.
How Did Sandy Island End Up on Maps?
The persistence of Sandy Island was likely due to a combination of human error and natural phenomena. In the 19th century, cartographers often relied on secondhand reports from sailors and explorers, making mistakes inevitable4. One leading theory suggests that the original sightings may have been of a massive pumice raft—a floating mass of volcanic rock that can stretch for miles and appear island-like from a distance. The Coral Sea sits along a “pumice raft superhighway,” making such a misidentification plausible.
As maps were digitized, the error became entrenched in widely used databases, including those maintained by the U.S. military and referenced by Google Earth. This digital propagation ensured Sandy Island’s phantom status persisted into the modern era.
Fun Facts and Trivia
- Sandy Island appeared on maps for over 200 years, despite never existing as land.
- It was believed to be larger than Manhattan, measuring up to 15 miles long.
- The island was officially “undiscovered” in 2012, when scientists found only deep ocean at its coordinates.
- A likely explanation for the original sightings is a giant pumice raft, not actual land.
- After its debunking, Sandy Island was swiftly removed from digital maps, but traces of its outline lingered in some satellite views.
- The story has inspired comparisons to TV mysteries like “Lost” and fueled conspiracy theories about mapmaking and secret islands.
Conclusion
Sandy Island’s tale is a fascinating reminder of how myths and mistakes can persist in our collective knowledge, even in the age of satellites and digital cartography. Its “undiscovery” is a testament to the importance of scientific verification and the enduring allure of the unknown. Today, Sandy Island stands as one of history’s most famous phantom islands—a cartographic ghost that fooled the world for centuries.
