142 Terrifying Pics To Show Why The Fear Of Deep Water Is Real, As Shared On This Online Group

Thalassophobia is a persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water such as the ocean or sea. What makes this phobia different than aquaphobia — the fear of water in general — is the fact that it centers on vastness, darkness, and depth. People who have this condition are not terrified of getting wet, but rather the might and mystique behind the waves.

While thalassophobia is not recognized as a distinct disorder by the DSM-5, the diagnostic manual of mental disorders used by psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, it’s still relatively common. And the subreddit of the same name is a vivid example of that. Created in June 2013, it unites 969,000 thalassophobes, sharing triggers and discussing symptoms.

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So, in an attempt to shed some light on this community, we at Bored Panda decided to put together a list of their most popular posts.

#1 Is To Me Or Are Black Tiled Pools Terrifying

Image credits: Desperate_Squirrel20

#2 Words Fail Me

Image credits: nigeldanson

Online groups that get this big often suffer from huge streams of content that flood them with questionable pictures and videos, diminishing the overall experience of browsing them, but this subreddit manages to stay clean.

Part of it can be attributed to the clear rules that promote being nice and courteous, and allow no jokes, memes, or cartoons, no reposts, and no gore.

Of course, having an active moderator team that make sure members adhere to these rules helps tremendously as well.

#3 This Seaweed Through Clear Water

Image credits: appealing_orange

#4 Grand Turks 700 Ft Drop

Image credits: NarcosdaMouraria

#5 An Entire Street Submerged In The Deep

Image credits: stefansfdsdfw

Specific phobias tend to fall into these five categories:

  • Animal type;
  • Blood-injection type;
  • Natural-environment type;
  • Situational type;
  • Other.

Thalassophobia is usually considered to belong to the natural-environment type. These fears are experienced more frequently, with some studies also suggesting that water-related phobias are more common among women.

#6 The Image That Started It All

Image credits: wmszeligaSfghr4567

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#7 Kayaking With The Giants!

Image credits: ilovenyc

#8 Because All My Friends Say This Photo Of Me Freediving Gives Them The Willies

Image credits: marinemik

#9 British Underwater Photographer Of The Year Winner 2022

Image credits: heresyourhardware

Thalassophobia shares symptoms with other specific phobias, such as claustrophobia, and includes:

  • Sudden onset of anxiety or fear;
  • Shaking and trembling;
  • Sweating;
  • Dry mouth;
  • Increased heart rate or heart palpitations;
  • Difficulty breathing, including hyperventilating;
  • Chest pain;
  • Fear of losing control.

#10 When You Fear Of Flying And Your Fear Of Water Meet Each Other

Image credits: philbilly86

#11 Underwater Waterfall

Image credits: bnasty1998

#12 Beach Weather Is Upon Us!

Image credits: parentsttr

#13 The Deadliest Stream In The World – It Looks Normal, But Underneath It Is Full Of Caves Of Powerful Fast Moving Water That Will Drag You Down. 100% Fatality Rate

Image credits: ecarion104

The causes of specific phobias, including thalassophobia, are not entirely understood, and often differ from case to case. But according to a common explanation, it’s usually a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Research shows that certain genes are associated with certain specific phobias, but as of yet no studies have looked at the genetics behind thalassophobia in particular. However, following the Darwinian theory of evolution, there should still be at least some.

#14 Swimming Next To A Ship In The Open Ocean, Miles From Land

Image credits: OatsAndWhey

#15 “The Big One”

Image credits: drazznoro

#16 A Diver Riding A Giant Underwater Worm (Pyrosoma Atlanticum)

Image credits: Ok-Interaction-4693

#17 A Howling Abyss

Image credits: Equis4

Think of it like this: our ancestors also came across deep bodies of water, and those who were cautious of the dangers they possessed may have avoided them, living longer to pass down their genes. This theory is supported by research that indicates that specific phobias are moderately heritable.

Although the exact percentage can vary, it has been found, for example, that for animal phobias, heritability is around 45%.

#18 Depth: Infinite Ft

Image credits: abagelinmynavel

#19 “Uhhhh, There’s More Than Just Kelp And Angelfish Down Here, Over”

Image credits: 1myuutsu4

#20 Guadalupe Island, The Most Terrifying Place On This Planet

Image credits: NMDA_GABA

#21 Storm Coming Soon

Image credits: B-L-O-C-K-S

Thalassophobia could also be caused by traumatic events, such as a childhood near-drowning experience, witnessing a shark attack, never learning to swim, or even being told scary stories of the ocean.

By associating a specific situation, such as being in deep water, with a panic response, over time a phobia of that situation can develop.

#22 There’s Something Particularly Terrifying About The Idea Of Water You Can’t Even Float In

Image credits: kuparinedfgdfgdf

#23 It’s A Nice Peaceful Day Until You Get A Glimpse Of What Lies Beneath

Image credits: Desperate_Squirrel20

#24 Deep Water Swell

Image credits: rock-o3000

#25 The Eye Of S(E)auron.

Image credits: cuebas

Phobias are chronic conditions that can worsen over the course of life and limit one’s relationships and activities. The good thing is that they are also highly treatable, although the process isn’t always pleasant.

But only about 10-25% of people with a specific phobia ultimately seek help. This is likely due to avoidance behaviors, since treating a specific phobia does often involve confronting the feared stimuli.

#26 Walked About 30 Minutes Out During Low Tide To Read This!

Image credits: ChaeusXCVI

#27 Orcas In The Waves

Image credits: Abesens

#28 Jacob’s Well In Texas

Image credits: ThaProtege

#29 Taken Off The Coast Of Southern California 2 Weeks Ago

Image credits: bram_stokers_acura

Exposure therapy is a popular and effective choice for treating specific phobias, including fear of the sea. During it, a person faces their feared stimuli in increasing levels of intensity.

For someone with thalassophobia, this might start with looking at photos of the sea on this subreddit, escalate to watching videos of the ocean or deep water, then visiting a big pool and taking a trip to the ocean. Through controlled exposure, the person learns that the feared stimulus itself is not dangerous, and they can begin to associate it with more positive outcomes.

#30 Taken From A Fishing Boat In Antartica

Image credits: guitamnandakumar

#31 Flip (Floating Instrument Platform), A Ship Flipping Vertically To Study The Behavior Of Sound Waves Underwater

Image credits: JulPfl

#32 This Is An Under-Ice Observation Tube In Mcmurdo Station, Antarctica

Image credits: vinyl_soda

#33 An Abandoned, Flooded Mineshaft

Image credits: KapnObesity

#34 Row Row Row Your Boat

Image credits: Erecktus

#35 Apparently This Is The Sunken Goddess Sculpture- That’s All I Know But Look At How Big It Is!

Image credits: Otherwise-Drama-8586

#36 This Grounded Ship Looking Like A Giant Meg

Image credits: roncastelino

#37 Anybody Who Wants To Take A Dip?

Image credits: Beta_Whisperer

#38 Going Through Old Pics, Thought I Would Drop This Here

Image credits: fancyzoidberg

#39 Found This Gem On Tumblr

Image credits: JesseKarma

#40 Holy Sh I Didn’t Know That’d Trigger Me

Image credits: trader_cameraman

#41 Could That Be The Megalodon’s Den?

Image credits: paulisnotmyname

#42 That Last Point Made Me Double Take

Image credits: sighdoihaveto

#43 Fresh Water Always Creeped Me Out More Than The Ocean. The General Low Visibility And Feeling “Enclosed” With Whatever Was In The Water Was Always Gnawing At The Back Of My Mind.

Image credits: STORMxQUEEN

#44 Black Lined Pools Are A Thing… And They’re Terrifying

Image credits: LestrangeLauren

#45 Would You Retrieve The Broom?

Image credits: alxzsites

#46 Who Knows What’s Down There…

Image credits: Detonator212

#47 This Would Scare Me Tf Out

Image credits: IndependentCautious2

#48 The Pacific Ocean

Image credits: TheCouncil0fRicks

#49 Within The Waves

Image credits: FifenC0ugar

#50 Whirlpools Are Actually Terrifying, You Guys

Image credits: eddrriley

#51 A Warning Sign For Scuba Divers Deep Underwater

Image credits: raewlaydkxn018

#52 That Is A Boat

Image credits: reddit.com

#53 Suddenly, Out Of The Shadows

Image credits: LiverOliver

#54 The Bottom Of An Iceberg

Image credits: FlippedChamp

#55 That’s Creepy

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#56 Brine Pools Are Just The Scariest Shit

Image credits: DedotadedWham

#57 You’re Off The Edge Of The Map Mate… Here There Be Monsters

Image credits: chocolatecows88

#58 The Depths Of A Yellowstone Hot Spring

Image credits: 21xVibezzzzz

#59 When You Can’t Find It But It’s Right Under The Boat

Image credits: ilovenyc

#60 Thought You Guys Might Like/Hate This Picture I Captured On My Drone

Image credits: adamshere

#61 Two Tiny Boats Floating Over An Underwater Cliff

Image credits: spiiiitfiiiire

#62 Who Knows Why People Do These Things

Image credits: Desperate_Squirrel20

#63 This Window In A Local Library That Goes Into A Creek

Image credits: dilaudaddy

#64 Literally A River, Under The Sea. Feeling Like Doubling Down On Your Thalassophobia?

Image credits: EdytheHuel

#65 Naval Mine Found In Diving Trip

Image credits: the_yesyes

#66 Digital Painting By My Son Illustrating Thalassophobia

Image credits: anonymouslovelyme

#67 Not Sure How Deep This Goes, But This Is Terrifying

Image credits: happyjitterbug

#68 This 200ft Deep Cenote I Swam In In Mexico

Image credits: MalcolmRice9

#69 Nice And Calm Until You See The Murky Depths

Image credits: Desperate_Squirrel20

#70 Could You Live Like This?

Image credits: sugarvenom697

#71 A Quick Guide On What Thalassophobia Actually Is, By Me

Image credits: ProfCupcake

#72 Asked An A. I. To Interpret Thalassophobia

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#73 Well From 7000 Bc Preserved By Rising Sea Levels, At Atlit-Yam, Cyprus

Image credits: breeghghjghj

#74 Seeing The Glacier Underwater Scares The S**t Out Of Me

Image credits: jaquavius-daddy

#75 Beneath The Lily Pads

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#76 Cleveland Ledge Lighthouse, Falmouth, Massachusetts

Image credits: pdido1

#77 I Don’t Want To Know Where Those Holes Lead To

Image credits: torividmar

#78 I Don’t Know If Ocean Whirlpools Are Fictional, But Damn

Image credits: ReflexPoint

#79 Gliese 1214 B Is A Planet Located 48 Light Years Away From The Sun. It Is Believed To Be 100% Ocean, Giving It The Nickname “The Waterworld”

Image credits: fsgeek91

#80 Here’s A Picture Of Me Sitting On A Tree Branch 120ft Deep In A Sinkhole

Image credits: AmazonDance

#81 I Can’t Stop Thinking About Whether It’s Deeper Than The Height Of The Cave Walls

Image credits: ConRadCoNaWay

#82 Thalassophobia Can Be Lifesaving!

Image credits: TheBestOpossum

#83 What Do You Think About Eating At This Restaurant In Norway?

Image credits: carrieann23

#84 Lighthouse In Portugal. This Is The Time Of The Year That The Waves Are Massive. Not On My Bucket List!!!

Image credits: Missabelle17

#85 Imagine You’re All Alone In The Fog, Get Stuck Fast And Hear The Siren

Image credits: Green_Weaver

#86 This Picture I Took From Below The Diving Pier In A Lake Looks Very Eerie

Image credits: nderestimatedPower

#87 Underwater Path. Magical Zakynthos Caves, Greece

Image credits: kinkykat977

#88 Where I Live There Is A Lake Created By A Meteor Which Is 115 Meters Deep. This Is A Photo Our Free Press Released Of It. Not A Fan

Image credits: Nottoobad777

#89 My Brother Sent Me This Picture Of Him At Work

Image credits: MessyGuy01

#90 Figurehead Of 500-Year-Old Wreck Is A Sea Monster Swallowing A Screaming Man

Image credits: larz0

#91 I’m Surprised This Wasn’t Posted Here Yet, Have Fun S**tting Yourself

Image credits: AdhesiveMadMan

#92 Hit An Eerie Patch Of Calm About 20 Miles From The Mainland. Just Flat And Deep In All Directions

Image credits: tomhazledine

#93 It’s So Weird Knowing The Hoover Dam Is This Deep. The White Line Is Where The Water Usually Is

Image credits: BigLeather6226

#94 Buoy Blues, By Me

Image credits: Erecktus

#95 A Photo Of A Diver Exploring The Underside Of An Iceberg In Antarctica By Jill Heinerth. Apparently, They Went Inside A Cave In This Giant Iceberg. I Couldn’t Imagine “Cave” Diving Inside An Iceberg That Floats In Nearly Black Water

Image credits: ggn_x

#96 Surfing In Thick Fog

Image credits: pessimist_and_proud

#97 An Average 1,700 Containers Are Lost Overboard Every Year. Most Of Them Don’t Sink, But Instead Hide Just Below The Surface, Held Up By Trapped Pockets Of Air. Without Radar, There’s Nothing You Can Do If You’re Going To Hit One At Night Except Pray It Doesn’t Sink You.

Image credits: reddit.com

#98 Just Trying To Trigger Myself In Photoshop

Image credits: underlordd

#99 In The Dark Of The Ocean

Image credits: Homunculus_316

#100 This Photo From Time’s Top 100 Photos Of 2021

Image credits: SarcasticHumanBeing

#101 Ladder To Lower Cave System, Cascade Caverns

Image credits: paulfromatlanta

#102 I Still Don’t Understand Why I Find This Image Terrifying

Image credits: kankelberri

#103 This Photo I Took After The Recent Floods In Australia

Image credits: Randomness_Dotcom

#104 This Is Me In Gavdos, Greece On The Southernmost Point Of Europe. Across The See Is Libya And Nothing Else Between

Image credits: george44george

#105 My Wife Easing My Mil Closer To The Water After She Saw The Ocean For The First Time In 10 Years And It Made Her Feel “Dizzy”

Image credits: doofygoobz

#106 Cave Divers In An Underwater Cave Near The Yucatan Peninsula By Daniel Riordan-Araujo

Image credits: ggn_x

#107 “That Is Not Dead Which Can Eternal Lie” – Ussr, Circa 1970s. A Large Monument Of Lenin, Sunk In The Black Sea After The Dissolution Of The Soviet Union

Image credits: WillManhunter

#108 I Took A Photo Of The Caribbean Sea

Image credits: mappmond

#109 A Popular Tourist Destination: Long Island, Bahamas Sinkhole.

Image credits: pjvc_

#110 Have A Seat, Stay Awhile

Image credits: ThatDinosaurGuy4Real

#111 Hey Frank..did You Hear A Cracking Sound?

Image credits: Throwaway-donotjudge

#112 An A. I. Generated Image Using The Keyword Thalassophobia

Image credits: imnota_dog

#113 An Abandoned Observation Tower At Coral Island, Nassau, Bahamas

Image credits: FoboBoggins

#114 I Was Having So Much Fun I Forgot How Far From Our Airbnb Island I Wandered

Image credits: MrMalta

#115 Serbian Combat Diver

Image credits: Porodicnostablo

#116 Into The Mist

Image credits: WittiKitti53

#117 I Finally Found This Particular Image. Something About Pools Gets Me Too

Image credits: ggn_x

#118 These Steps From A Boardwalk Into The Atlantic Ocean

Image credits: DisgruntledFlamingo

#119 A Scuba Diver Proceeding Into An Underwater Cave

Image credits: Peachy-Persimmons

#120 The Stairs To My Nightmares

Image credits: TheGhostOfSamHouston

#121 Who Wants To Drive It Like This

Image credits: docatwar

#122 I Absolutely Hate This

Image credits: user4cid

#123 Automatically Made Me Think Of The Ningen

Image credits: _bexcalibur

#124 Bahahha *loses Consciousness*

Image credits: MaDudeek

#125 Waves Of Nazare, Portugal

Image credits: pjvc_

#126 “Oil Rocks” (“The Soviet Atlantis”) Is An Industrial Settlement Consisting Of Platforms Built On The Caspian Sea, 40 Km From The Nearest Coast Of Azerbaijan. The City Is Home To 2000 People Today

Image credits: lyvmsd

#127 That Drop Off Though

Image credits: dfaiola18

#128 Uss Olympia… This Photo Makes Me Really Uncomfortable

Image credits: jdrayrt5ged

#129 Last Freedive Trip – Does This Give Anyone The Chills?

Image credits: Morningbeers

#130 This Buoy Bobs On 20 Feet/6m Swells In The Bering Sea Waters Of Alaska – Photo By Corey Arnold

Image credits: imtlqueen

#131 This Would Be Seen From The Diver’s Pov

Image credits: Dolmetscher1987

#132 Cruise Ship Mts Oceanos Sinks Off The Coast Of South Africa, 4 August 1991

Image credits: J19zeta7_Jerry

#133 Creaks Are The Cries Of A Vessel Claimed By The Sea

Image credits: Preparation-Little

#134 This Image Posted By Reef On Instagram

Image credits: ard8

#135 The Arch Of The Blue Hole In Egypt Which Has Claimed The Lives Of An Estimated 130 People From 1997-2012

Image credits: pjvc_

#136 Dean’s Blue Hole

Image credits: pjvc_

#137 80.5000 S, 94.0000 W By Alex Konstad

Image credits: WhiteColaDrink

#138 This Massive Capsizing Ship (Mv Princess) Is Easily Obscured Under What Is Barely The Very Surface Of The Ocean Depths

Image credits: Alexhale

#139 Cool Image Of Just How Big Boats Are!

Image credits: AlexHill5

#140 Me Drifting In The Sea While A Storm Is Approaching Quickly

Image credits: redditbrowser31

#141 Lights ‘Cross Open Sea

Image credits: TribulAxe

#142 Taiwanese Athletes In Aida Diving Competition

Image credits: GRIEFER1126

Source: boredpanda.com

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