He dove 50m to inspect a 'strange rock' and found a Roman shipwreck from 2,200 years ago
Giacomo De Mola was expecting a natural rock formation as he dove into the sea.
Deep-sea exploration usually requires heavy scuba gear, months of planning, and weeks of searching the ocean bed. But when Giacomo De Mola spotted a weird reading on his depth monitor off the western coast of Sicily, Italy, he didn't need any of that. With a single breath, the Italian freediver plunged 50 meters into the murky water to investigate what he first thought was a "strange rock." It wasn't until he got closer to it that he realized that he might've discovered something special, as reported by CBC News (@CBCNews) on August 10, 2026, in a video that has garnered over 333,000 views since.
The hunt for a 'strange rock'
Descending almost 50 meters into the murky Mediterranean off Western Sicily, De Mola set out to investigate an unusual blocky contour on his radar. Although locals had tipped off his team, he initially assumed it was an unusual rock formation. But as he drifted within a meter of the seafloor, distinct geometric shapes suggested otherwise. "No, no, it's definitely not a rock," he later remarked.
Uncovering an ancient mystery
Soon, De Mola recognized that the shapes were a vast field of intact clay vessels known as amphorae. These large ceramic containers were crucial for the Romans in transporting goods such as olive oil, fish sauce, and even wine. Based on the shape of the jars, archaeologists believe they may have been used to carry wine. They were part of a massive Roman merchant vessel thought to date back over 20 centuries.
Measuring roughly the length of two buses, the vessel was remarkably well-preserved on the seabed, with its original anchor still attached. "It’s hard to explain what it feels like to think that we’re among the first humans, after nearly 20 centuries, to see that place again," De Mola said.
Confirming the major discovery
Recognizing what they had just discovered, De Mola and his diving companions immediately informed Sicily's underwater archaeology department. That is because they knew registering and recording these artifacts would require special equipment. Soon, the government deployed teams to survey the coordinates, secure the site, and verify the wreck's scale. Later, Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli even described this as "one of the most significant underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years." Indeed, that could be the case, as this shipwreck could help identify old trade routes, as well as how business was conducted 2,000 years ago.
This is a massive feat
Well, apart from the fact that a freediver discovered this vessel, there's a lot more that makes it even more impressive. According to NOAA, there might be as many as 3,000 shipwrecks in America's national marine sanctuary waters, but only a fraction of them have been discovered yet. In fact, the scientists, oceanographers, and divers have only managed to discover 400 sites thus far. This goes to show how huge a moment this is for De Mola and his crew. At the same time, it is also motivation for divers like him to find more such wrecks in the future.
The ocean is a treasure chest
The story was also shared by ABC News on Facebook, and people were, of course, amazed at the discovery. Theresa Summer wrote, "The ocean has so many hidden treasures and secrets and just incredible history. Like a special deposit box, sadly, these days it has become a trash dump in some areas." Meanwhile, Kayla Herrick joked, "'Just off the coast' for 2k years…some people need to open their eyeballs more, sheesh."
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