Weird water

"It was a terrible dark elephant grey, of a loathsome texture." First sighting of the Loch Ness monster, 1933

For centuries, the power of water has been a source of fascination and so it is no surprise to find countless stories and legends about this vital element.

For most of us, the oceans are as much of a mystery today as they were to the ancient sailors who told stories of sea gods and monsters to explain storms and shipwrecks. Even now, we are still excited by reported sighting of the Loch Ness monster. Perhaps one of the most enduring legends is that the city of Atlantis whose ruins are believed to lie in the ocean's depths since being engulfed by waves in ancient times. There is no proof that Atlantis ever existed, yet searches for it continue.

From swirling whirlpools to the hot, bubbling waters of geysers, people have always been intrigued by weird and wonderful watery phenomena. But water is also claimed to have great healing power. Many ill people visit the holy spring at Lourdes in France, where the water is believed to heal the incurable.

Frozen waters

"The decks broke up, the great beams snapping with a noise like gunfire." Ernest Shackletion, Antarctica, 1914

The freezing waters around Antarctica can be treacherous. In summer, the seas are dotted with large chunks of floating ice and, in winter, the water's surface freezes into one continuous sheet of ice.

Here, one of the most incredible real-life adventures took place. In 1914, Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton was sailing through the Weddell Sea, a large gulf that cuts inot mainland Antarctica. Without warning, huge sheets of ice crushed his ship, samashing its beams like matchsticks. The 28-strong crew were forced to abandon ship and set up camp on the drifting ice, but gale-force winds soon ripped their tents to shreds. Existing on penguin meat and seaweed, food supplies soon became scarce and Shackleton was forced to lead his crew on an extraordinary trek over frozen seas to Eleplant Island, a tiny land mass about 1,000 km (620 miles) below South America. Leaving some men there, he continued with five others to South Georgia Island where, after a jounery of almost 2,880 km (1,800 miles), he finally reached a whaling station. The station's commander who had seen them off two years before, now no longer recognised them as they looked so wild. All 28 crew were rescued.