From the person that sent it in:
My son took this photo of me at the Rock and Spindle on the coast east of St Andrews. Right in the centre of the image is a person standing in the water in wellingtons facing to the right and wearing an anorack with the hood up. It WAS a chilly day. We were definitely alone at the time and it really spooked us when we looked through the pictures once home and saw this.
What do you think? Vote and comment now!
Ghostly photographs from Hauntings 
March 16, 2009 at 6:22 pm |
At the base of the spindle is an indentation within the rock – which is subsequently reflected on the water’s surface.
March 16, 2009 at 6:29 pm |
Well blow me… now I look at it from a slightly different perspective, I can see the cave or fissure. Makes for a damn good “ghost” though!
March 19, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Your comment illustrates why we see ghosts in the first place. Humans’ brains are hard wired to see faces and humanoid shapes where they are not. In clouds, tree branches, what have you. And not surprisingly, the brain is very easy to fool.
March 27, 2009 at 4:51 pm
The reflection in the water of the rock formation doesn’t quite match, especially the dark shape to the right of the image. But there’s only one way to find out if it is the rocks that make the shape. Go back too the spot where you took the picture and look with your own eyes.
September 10, 2009 at 8:51 pm |
Great catch, Seymour!
March 16, 2009 at 6:29 pm |
Um…I don’t see anything.
March 16, 2009 at 6:54 pm |
Sorry, I can’t see anything. The picture and story I sent was better than some of these, but it never made the cut. These pictures are getting worse! I’ve checked the site daily and I’m very dissapointed with the quality of the material. I’m certain there have to be some better ones out there. Saying that, I think that ‘Photoshop’ has a lot to answer for. If there was a great picture, it would be torn apart instantly, as it couldn’t pssibly be real….. could it??? Anyway, I’m curious if Richard’s real intention is to actually discredit any material posted. Maybe he’s trying to prove a point? There are no ghosts and anyone who thinks there are is mental??? Discuss…
March 17, 2009 at 10:23 am |
“There are no ghosts and anyone who thinks there are is mental???”
This maybe the truest thing said on here! 😉
Perhaps ‘mental’ is a little harsh, I think it is easy to be fooled, not by anyone or any particular environment but more by our trust in the technology and our analysis of the picture.
Our senses aren’t as perfect as everyone makes them out to be more importantly neither is photography. Notice how the nature of the ‘ghost’ changes according to the age of the photograph, older pictures taken on film tend to be clear apparitions caused by double exposure, Polaroid pictures create strange colour leakage, and digital photography welcomed the age of the orb and ‘ghost clouds’. Across all media is our old favourite pareidolia. Millions of pictures are taken every day it is only natural that some of them will result in strange camera effects that look like ghosts. If you are not accustomed to looking at the material objectively then it’s easy to jump to conclusions.
Even the most convincing of photographs posted on here are not sufficient evidence for ghosts. ‘Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence’.
I suggest all those who think they have seen a ghost read Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan before declaring it to the world!
March 20, 2009 at 7:58 pm |
You are right. There are plenty more compeling photos out on the net.
I think the pics that made the ‘cut’ were the ones the author could fit in his agenda
March 27, 2009 at 4:18 pm |
now, stop spitting ur dummy out! youve clearly got too much time on ur hands!
March 16, 2009 at 7:06 pm |
It’s just the color of the rocks and the dark shadow forming something that looks like a figure.
Not a ghost.
March 16, 2009 at 8:13 pm |
I can’t see anything but jpeg artifacts.
March 16, 2009 at 9:47 pm |
Yup once my eyes could focus on the discolored rock formation and the reflection its clear. No ghost. Natural explanation.
March 17, 2009 at 12:04 am |
It was quite clear the image was part of the rock and reflected in the water. I didn’t notice the “ghost” at first, I was (ashamed to say) acting like a 5 year old and sniggering at the amusing shape of the rock…. like none of you were!
March 17, 2009 at 9:02 am |
That is a pretty funny rock haha
March 17, 2009 at 6:14 am |
come on that’s definitely a cave and its reflection…
March 20, 2009 at 7:22 pm |
You are right- acertou na mosca
February 26, 2012 at 3:13 am |
It is most definitively
March 17, 2009 at 8:26 am |
카메라가 이상해서 그런거같다 2602
March 17, 2009 at 9:02 am |
It looks pretty good from a distance and does appear to be a guy fishing..but as has been said before, when you look at the rock behind you can see an indent or cave that creates the darker parts of the body and head and the seaweed and reflection make the legs.
March 17, 2009 at 9:02 am |
Excellent example of pariedolia.
March 17, 2009 at 11:11 am |
It’s a little cave/indent in the rock being reflected into the water – that was clear in the close up, but I’ll admit it did look human-shaped in the full size image. An excellent example of natural matter creating an illusion of the supernatural.
March 17, 2009 at 3:11 pm |
Oh, really cool picture, it is just shadows and light/ perception but still a cool picture for all that.
March 17, 2009 at 3:23 pm |
It doesnt even look like a human.
March 17, 2009 at 7:52 pm |
For about 3 minutes, I couldn’t actually see the ‘man’ but all i saw was a nice scenic picture with a guy in a blue hoody with a rucksack but after a long look, I now see the ‘man’. I do believe in ghosts but I have to say that this seems just like coincidential trickery – or pariedolia – so…
March 17, 2009 at 10:44 pm |
I’m not being funny – but i can’t see anything around the cave – or reflected on the sea. BUT…you certainly were not alone! – if you look at the blown up picture, take a glance across the bay(on the righthand side, almost at the edge of the blown up pic, &approx half way up) there is a man with a green jacket and light blue trousers, who looks like they have their back either facin the camera or walkin away – is this what you are refering to? if so, i don’t think it’s a ghost – rather a guy doing the same as yourselves – sightseeing.
March 18, 2009 at 2:58 pm |
Paraeidolia
March 18, 2009 at 3:47 pm |
I really can’t see ANYTHING on this photo. This is ridiculous!
March 18, 2009 at 10:30 pm |
It’s the shape of the cliff and it’s reflection in the water-it does look like a figure though.
March 19, 2009 at 7:37 am |
what the fuck???
that is a hole..
not the ghost..
moron…
March 20, 2009 at 3:53 pm |
hey, on the rocks looks like an cave there, but when you look and don’t pay attencion it looks a person
March 20, 2009 at 4:22 pm |
yeah,seems like it are just rocks lol
March 20, 2009 at 4:32 pm |
This image “ghost” is a small cave. Is the shadow of it reflecting in the water.
March 20, 2009 at 5:00 pm |
jEssa foto me parece bem verdadeira, ali não há jogos de luz ou fumaça. Acredito que se trata realmente de um fantasma.
March 20, 2009 at 5:07 pm |
Olá… I dont speak enlish , so … a rocha tem uma “saliencia” que se reflete na água dando o formato de uma pessoa… its fake
The rock makes a “saliencia” that reflectin on the water, become a person, so its fake
March 20, 2009 at 5:20 pm |
Photoshop make ghosts…
March 20, 2009 at 5:21 pm |
Eu acredito que seja um fantasma mesmo… pois conseguimos enxergar a continuação da paisagem através dele! Das imagens pelo site mostradas foi a que mais me chamou atenção!
March 20, 2009 at 5:23 pm |
O suposto fantasma nao passa de uma caverna
March 20, 2009 at 5:26 pm |
Im from Brazil, plix translate..
Nesta imagem pudi perceber uma outra imagem escondida, um homem deitado na chão com a cabeça decaptada, ele esta na parte inferior da direita
March 20, 2009 at 5:29 pm |
optical illusion… it seems a person fishing or something like that, but you can conturn the hills, it´s only the hill, the stones.
This is a beautiful pic with a beautiful optical illusion.
March 20, 2009 at 5:37 pm |
Acho que essa imgem é a mais ridicula tendo ainda uma rocha com formato de penis kkkkk
March 20, 2009 at 5:40 pm |
Eu não consigo ver absolutamente nada de errado na foto!
Alguém poderia explicar?
March 20, 2009 at 5:48 pm |
Of optical illusion, what is the entrance of the cave reflecting in the water
March 20, 2009 at 5:52 pm |
all i can see is a huge cock made of rock. talking of phalocentrism…
March 20, 2009 at 5:54 pm |
não tem porra nenhuma!
March 20, 2009 at 5:58 pm |
é só um buraco na pedra… você pode até ver pelo brilho do movimento da água…
its only a hole in the rock… you can see this in the water light movement…
March 20, 2009 at 6:02 pm |
Não tenho dúvidas sobre a imortalidade da alma. Se a alma é anterior ao corpo de carne e osso e sobrevive a este, por que não pode aparecer a nós através da fotografia, da imagem do computador, da televisão, do rádio, do telefone, do fax e de outros mecanismos??? A transcomunicação instrumental é muito difundida na europa e tem grandes etudiosos empenhados em provar a sua veracidade. Parabéns pelo estudo! Desejo-lhe muito sucesso! Vera
March 20, 2009 at 6:05 pm |
이건 그냥 동굴입니다. 그냥 이서 보면.
March 20, 2009 at 6:07 pm |
It is just the water reflecting that kind of cave in he rocks. Tipical optical ilusion, but for sure seems a ghost, but it is not.
March 20, 2009 at 6:07 pm |
Grande imaginação…
Uma caverna + seu reflexo na agua.
TOSCO!! FAKE!!
MP – RJ – Brasil
March 20, 2009 at 6:07 pm |
This is just a cave. Just look west
March 20, 2009 at 6:14 pm |
Meu Deus, será que estou cega? APA!!
March 20, 2009 at 6:24 pm |
hahahahaha…..This´s a fake…but that rock behind it seems a big penis…….hahahaha
March 20, 2009 at 6:27 pm |
Na maioria das vezes nossos olhos veem o que nossa mente quer ver!!!!
Então dê asas a sua imaginação, mas cuidado, as vezes somos surpreeendidos com casos não não explicáveis!@!!! Eu já fui!!!!!
March 20, 2009 at 6:53 pm |
Na mninha opinião é tudo falso, é coisa da imaginação das pessoas….. as fotos não dizem muito para mim.
March 20, 2009 at 7:33 pm |
Mas pelo visto gosta de olhá-las, mesmo sendo falsas.
March 20, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Ta mais pra ter fantasma dentro da caverna do que aí!!!
March 20, 2009 at 7:37 pm |
Was a person up there who said ‘sorry i don’t see anything’, the more excuse to see very well.I don’t think that is fake
Uma pessoa ali em cima disse Sorry, i don’t see anything, me desculpa mais da pra ver muito bem. Não acho que seja fake
March 20, 2009 at 7:37 pm |
You’re only a clown.
March 20, 2009 at 8:20 pm |
I DONT NOW!!!
March 20, 2009 at 9:00 pm |
If you look with more attention you will see that it is just a cave and its shadow on the water surface.
March 20, 2009 at 9:44 pm |
There is a very cool photo editing detector application recently profiled on Lifehacker: http://lifehacker.com/5169143/jpegsnoop-sniffs-out-signs-of-editing
For what it’s worth – According to the app this image has been edited.
March 28, 2009 at 11:37 am |
According to the site, a review of the program also quotes the following:
“In fairness however, the application doesn’t have the capacity to judge the difference between a photo being cropped and getting a contrast adjustment in Photoshop versus, say, being cropped and having Godzilla added in, but it is a strong indicator of whether any editing has occurred.”
The pic may have just been cropped, or had the horizon adjusted (many photographers do that), and not had any actual editing done to manipulate the image. The program you are using is not an absolute.
March 21, 2009 at 12:03 am |
Nessa imagem da pra perceber que é a pedra com a cor escura no meio o pedaço dela mais clara na parte de cima, e por fim o reflexo da pedra fazendo parecer a perna de um homem.
March 21, 2009 at 1:40 am |
Come oooooooooon!!!!!
March 21, 2009 at 6:27 am |
essa explica certamente o que acontece em quase todas as fotos….a imaginação humana faz o resto afff
March 21, 2009 at 12:08 pm |
Concordo com quem disse ser uma pequena entrada na pedra, como uma caverna sem passagem, e esta fenda se reflete na agua formando as suposta parte de baixo do corpo
March 22, 2009 at 2:21 pm |
Ue concordo com isso acima,.. uma caverna. Olhar ao mar também,.. as undulacões causada pelo vento.
There is a cave or cavern entyrance there. Shame that this guy is not describing the picture correctly from the begining. Natural light causing the effect.
March 22, 2009 at 8:25 pm |
just the rock formations ant their reflection on the water..
March 22, 2009 at 9:27 pm |
I have seen a picture of this ghost before taken from inside a cave looking out, he was standing with his boots in the sea and his anorak looked green. The photo I saw was taken over 20 years ago and my friends were so surprised that they had their camera checked out. Inside the cave they found a zip attached to a piece of green material. He was also on a second photo taken inside the cave but this time very blurry. This was in Scotland close to St Andrews.
March 22, 2009 at 11:14 pm |
Concerning the suggestion that this photo has been edited, can I say that it has – I took this photo and all I did was CROP the image to place the “ghost” right in the centre so you could all find it more easily. Nothing else.
March 23, 2009 at 2:36 pm |
É apenas um vão na rocha e seu reflexo na água. Não tem nada de fantasma nesta imagem!!!
March 23, 2009 at 5:58 pm |
Bah, rídicula essa!!!! O cara chegou a ficar na lateral da fotografia para a caverna aparecer melhor!!!!!!!!
March 23, 2009 at 6:22 pm |
the stone above the cavern looks like a giant DICK….
March 23, 2009 at 6:39 pm |
Its a cave
March 23, 2009 at 7:00 pm |
It’s a porn picture.
March 23, 2009 at 8:22 pm |
QUOTE: Millie.
Totally agreed!
sut a shame…
March 23, 2009 at 9:19 pm |
Hoiddas Dhõhem Azhafthas Hardheem?
March 23, 2009 at 9:23 pm |
Pensem bem se fantasmas existissem alguém já teria visto, Existem 6 Bilhões de Pessoas na terra. Essas histórias de fantasmas são pura invenção de Trovadores e navegadores medievais!
March 23, 2009 at 9:32 pm |
no ghost…
March 24, 2009 at 6:26 pm |
I suggest all those who think they have seen a ghost read Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan before declaring it to the world!
there´s a good advice =P
Great book as many books he have for sure
March 24, 2009 at 6:32 pm |
I have analyzed this image also, its the shadow of how the rock behind is formed plus its reflection on the water. its very easy to matrix into image’s.
Regards
Dean
March 26, 2009 at 6:17 pm |
It’s an optical illusion. It’s a dark rock out-cropping behind the lighter rock tower coupled with the dark out-cropings’ reflection on the water that makes a pretty good outline of a human. It’s like a real life example of the pencil sketch of the two women: some people look at the sketch and see a beautiful young woman and others see an old hag. It all depends on the perspective by which you veiw the object.
Very interesting exercise
Ron
March 26, 2009 at 7:49 pm |
Looks suspicously like the famous Bluff Creek Yeti
March 27, 2009 at 6:46 am |
I agree with the naysayers. Just the indentation of the rock, shadows and reflection. No ghost.
March 27, 2009 at 7:10 am |
Brilliant example of the ability of the human brain to ‘see’ things that aren’t there, or in this case, misinterpret things (a fissure in the cliff and its reflection below in this case) that are.
People also often fail to ‘see’ objects that are there – hence the infamous picture of your friend with the lamp post sprouting from his head.
March 27, 2009 at 12:33 pm |
Look carefully below the legs and you can clearly see that this image is dissected by a very thin straight line. This image has been overlayed by another image to make the effect of a “standing shape”. The line runs vertically right down. Whoever did this did not merge or smudge the line enough to blend the two images properly and the mottling does not “fit” together properly, it overlaps.
Absolute hoax and whoever did it should own up right away.
March 27, 2009 at 4:45 pm |
Someone proved it not paranormal by just zooming in on it.
March 27, 2009 at 5:40 pm |
theres nothing there
March 27, 2009 at 7:14 pm |
i thought chavs were scary BEFORE lookin at this! i won’t be able to go outside for a long time now!
March 27, 2009 at 7:15 pm |
trick of light, rock texture and relection.
March 27, 2009 at 8:24 pm |
I can see what you are seeing, but I thinks its just a trick of the light.
March 27, 2009 at 9:09 pm |
It’s just rocks and a cave.
But can anyone else see a little girl there? She’s sort of turning and looking over her shoulder, with one arm across where the “ghost’s” legs are. She has a green and white top on and you can’t see her legs.
That’s what I thought the picture was supposed to show at first.
It’s probably just a reflection too. But it looks more like a ghost than the other one.
April 1, 2009 at 7:17 pm |
Yeah, I see her too but to me it seems she is wearing a crash helmet. Maybe she died in a motorbike accident.
March 27, 2009 at 11:22 pm |
I’m sorry, but I just CAN NOT see a figure at all! Where is it – help me please.
All I can see in that close up is a rock face, a cave, water around it, the caves reflection in the water, some beach and lots of sea weed.
Where do I look for the figure?
March 28, 2009 at 2:32 am |
I can’t believe this one. Sure if you use your imagination you can see a figure. However, any normal person would just see a rock and reflection!
March 28, 2009 at 2:28 pm |
Check this picture, http://www.gmodules.com/ig/proxy?max_age=604800&url=http://www.geograph.org.uk/photos/00/73/007348_8b395e24.jpg an alternative view to the same feature.
It clearly shows the rock has an indentation to it which with different lighting and the angle of the picture makes it appear to be a ghostly figure.
I’m sure some will argue that isn’t the same feature as one picture has more water than sand etc. The tide will have been coming in/out in the pictures…. there’s no ghost here.
March 28, 2009 at 4:53 pm |
There’s nothing there. Why submit this photo at all?
March 28, 2009 at 5:46 pm |
This pcture is just fakke. the upper part is shape of the rock and the lower one is the reflection………….this is nothing, just a imagination.
March 28, 2009 at 6:15 pm |
And I thought I had great imagination…!
March 28, 2009 at 7:10 pm |
I’m interested in all this sort of thing but this photograph is just ridiculous – there’s nothing bloody there! Can I suggest the photographer lay off the drugs and take a trip to Specsavers?
March 30, 2009 at 1:25 am |
Not a ghost… But a cool photo nonetheless…almost looks like a person in a hoodie looking out at the water…lol
March 30, 2009 at 4:49 am |
it is just the land scape… of that – how funny is that penis looking rock!
March 30, 2009 at 4:49 am |
it is just the landscape… of that – how funny is that penis looking rock!
March 30, 2009 at 1:34 pm |
Pareidolia explains this one easily.
March 31, 2009 at 12:19 pm |
Very cool photo, before blowing up I think you can clearly make out the man, slightly forward at the hips like he might be relieving himself in the sea.
Shame they’ve shown the blown up area as it’s so obviously just cave and reflection that it becomes difficult to fool your brain into making out the ‘man’
March 31, 2009 at 2:48 pm |
The shape of the “ghost” is really a huge black cow, which has come down for a drink!
March 31, 2009 at 3:18 pm |
The jury is out on this one for me… I could clearly see the figure but whether its an optical illusion, photo-shopped, or a real ghost – I just can not tell.
So far, Its the only pic on this site that I can’t explain away.
March 31, 2009 at 3:52 pm |
I had to be told there was a ghost here before I saw anything unusual in the hollow in the rock, but it didn’t convince before enlargement. With enlargement it’s plainly a hollow. Case closed; a typical ‘magic eye’ type illusion.
April 1, 2009 at 12:06 pm |
errrrrrrrr its a rock
April 1, 2009 at 1:19 pm |
um, its just the shape of the rocks…
April 1, 2009 at 7:05 pm |
It took me a while to see the indentation and reflection thing but when I did I couldn’t see anything else. It’s like that optical illusion where you see either an old witch or a young beauty.
April 3, 2009 at 12:24 am |
It looks like a figure but if you look close, it is just the shape of rocks and them meeting the sea.
April 6, 2009 at 8:12 am |
The cave’s mouth meeting its reflection on the seaside… makes a pretty good ghostly figure! Nothing scary about this photo, it’s just plain coincidence…
April 8, 2009 at 9:53 am |
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! ITS A wait no it isnt…
its a rock…
April 22, 2009 at 11:00 pm |
It’s a street light.
April 25, 2009 at 3:54 pm |
Simple illusion!
May 12, 2009 at 2:38 am |
Seriously, though… this is a great example of how people can trick THEMSELVES into thinking there’s a “ghost” when it’s a perfectly normal thing in the picture.
It’s a cave. It was always a cave. I’d be curious to know what was going on in the submitter’s head to make him see a ghost where there was a cave… Some recent loss maybe? Or perhaps just the superstitious type?
Anyway, it’s a cave. Maybe if you go into it, you’ll find a ghost.
October 8, 2009 at 8:18 pm |
omggg. That rock looks like a penis.
October 22, 2009 at 9:19 pm |
You just wanted to post the penis rock picture, admit it.
November 4, 2009 at 9:32 pm |
It IS a cave and the reflection of the cave on the water. Cool effect though!
November 28, 2009 at 1:00 am |
You know what thoes are scary.But I hav a rallashin to thaes
photos.My house is creepy but my parants don’t bealve meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
November 30, 2009 at 6:14 pm |
Maybe it’s a reflection of the erection of the huge “r”ock behind him!
September 11, 2010 at 4:21 am |
It’s like a yeti.
December 9, 2010 at 12:15 am |
Seymore Butts is right… it is just the cave and reflection.
It makes me sad to see so many non-ghost pics. Makes me wonder if they can even exist with all this fakery and excitable people making them up out of nothing
September 2, 2011 at 6:56 pm |
good effort had me going before i saw the comments!
September 28, 2011 at 9:01 pm |
I think that rock looks like a pecker.
October 17, 2011 at 7:54 am |
[…] https://scienceofghosts.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/ghost-on-beach/ […]
December 15, 2011 at 6:28 pm |
Never mind the ghostly apparition but look at the funny rock that looks like a man’s genitals.
June 21, 2012 at 3:51 am |
This is a big foot moving really fast. They walk fast!
January 17, 2013 at 6:23 am |
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April 8, 2013 at 6:15 pm |
All I see is a rock and a tunnel.
December 20, 2013 at 1:46 am |
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Continue the good work!
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August 20, 2016 at 4:20 pm |
it isnt human form ,the darkness is the cave in the rock and reflection in the water