Islands are stunning slices of land surrounded by endless oceans, the very picture of a dream vacation. Yet, these paradises aren’t immune to odd occurrences or lingering enigmas. Below you’ll find the top 10 puzzling island mysteries that still leave experts scratching their heads.
Why These Top 10 Puzzling Island Mysteries Matter
10 Metal Objects in Potatoes—Prince Edward Island
In 2016 police were summoned to look into a bizarre case of potato tampering on Prince Edward Island after a family uncovered a sewing needle lodged in a bowl of peeled, cooked spuds.
This incident followed a spate of similar tampering in 2014, when several metal items—including needles—were found inside potatoes harvested from the island. At that time, the federal government pledged $1.5 million for metal‑detection equipment, and the provincial government added $500,000 to train extra staff to inspect potatoes for foreign objects.
Farms hit by the strange occurrences reported losses exceeding $1 million. To this day, no one has been charged, and the mystery of who would deliberately embed metal objects in potatoes remains unsolved.
9 Spinalonga
Spinalonga, an uninhabited island in the Gulf of Elounda, earned fame as one of Europe’s last active leper colonies before its final resident left in 1962. Today, tourists flock to its historic fortress and shallow‑water beaches.
In 2018, unidentified thieves arrived by boat under cover of night, broke into the guards’ safe using power tools, and made off with roughly €50,000. The island lacks electricity, meaning no alarm system, and the security guards depart at 6:30 am each day, leaving a window for the bold heist.
To date, the culprits have never been identified, and the case remains an open question for investigators.
8 Bali
The PI Bedugul Taman Rekreasi Hotel and Resort, now popularly known as the Ghost Palace Hotel, was erected in the 1990s but was deserted before ever opening its doors. It now sits dark and lonely along a mountain ridge, fueling countless theories about its fate.
One local story tells of a greedy developer who fell into corrupt business practices, ran out of cash, and declared bankruptcy, supposedly cursing the hotel. A spookier version claims the hotel once operated, but every worker and guest vanished one night, leaving only restless spirits to wander its hallways. Some suggest the hauntings could be linked to laborers who perished while constructing the building.
Regardless of the true cause, the reasons behind the resort’s abandonment remain a mystery that continues to puzzle visitors.
7 Tenerife
On Tenerife’s landscape lies Barranco de Badajoz, a ravine famed for Guanche mummy discoveries and significant archaeological research. Yet, the site is equally renowned for eerie reports of paranormal activity.
Visitors claim that at certain points, time seems to freeze after dark, with watches stopping altogether. Others have spotted unexplained lights darting across the gorge, and some swear they saw tall, white‑clad angelic figures.
The most repeated tale involves a girl who entered the ravine seeking fruit, only to vanish without a trace. After exhaustive searches yielded nothing, she reappeared two decades later, appearing unchanged and insisting she’d been gone merely a few hours, baffling locals who noted that twenty years had passed.
These accounts have elevated Barranco de Badajoz to a creep‑factor comparable to the Bridgewater Triangle in Massachusetts. Whether the ravine truly offers a window into other realms or simply fuels spooky folklore remains hotly debated.
6 Magnetic Island
In 2013, beachgoers at Picnic Bay on Magnetic Island were startled by a monster‑like silhouette surfacing in the water. Local resident David Herron captured a photo, noting its striking resemblance to the legendary Loch Ness monster, and christened it “Lost Nessie.”
The sighting remains unexplained as of 2020, though many argue the most plausible explanation is the wreckage of a dragon boat that sank a week earlier during a race. Despite calls for witnesses to come forward, no alternative explanation has been confirmed.
Some enthusiasts cling to the notion that Nessie simply migrated to warmer waters, seeking refuge from Scotland’s chilly seas.
5 Great Barrier Island
On 30 June 1999, the decomposing body of 51‑year‑old Colin Michael Goode was discovered in his home near Claris on Great Barrier Island. His right hand was missing, and his dog’s remains lay beside him. Goode had last been seen in April 1999 and was known as a cannabis grower who had previously been assaulted and robbed of money and cannabis in 1991.
Two rifles were found in the bedroom, yet forensic analysis quickly ruled out gunshot wounds. Extensive post‑mortem examinations failed to determine a cause of death, leaving the case cold and unsolved, with no suspects ever identified.
4 Hawaii
Hawaii’s idyllic image belies a darker side of unsolved mysteries, including the tragic case of 19‑year‑old dance instructor Diane Suzuki. On 6 July 1985, after finishing a class at the Rosalie Woodson Dance Academy in Halawa, she vanished while waiting for a friend to pick her up. Her car, keys, and purse remained exactly where she left them.
Her parents camped outside the academy, hoping she would return, and observed a man named Dewey Hamasaki, along with his father and sister, hauling a trunk into a vehicle. Dewey, who had a crush on Diane and worked as a photographer at the academy, was questioned, but no charges followed due to insufficient evidence.
Five and a half years later, clothing resembling Diane’s outfit was found on a pig farm owned by Dewey’s father. Despite this discovery and the testimony of about 100 witnesses, a grand jury declined to press charges. Diane’s remains have never been recovered, and her mother passed away in 1997 without ever learning her daughter’s fate.
3 Baffin Island
In 2017, a photograph taken by hunter Max Kalluk captured a colossal rock formation 90 km south of Arctic Bay on Baffin Island, astonishing viewers because it resembled a gigantic pair of trousers. The sea arch, estimated at over 50 m tall, is only reachable by boat during the summer months.
The local Nunavut community named the formation Qarlinngua, meaning “like pants” in Inuktitut. The striking appearance led many to suspect the image had been photoshopped, but four Canadian geologists confirmed its authenticity, noting they had never encountered such a formation in the Arctic.
After an information counsellor from the Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre verified the arch’s existence, some locals suggested it could be a sacred monument, and tourism companies began promoting it. Yet, it remains puzzling how such a massive structure stayed hidden for so long, especially since a tourism operator later claimed they had been guiding groups to the arch for three years.
2 The Hobbits — Flores Island
In 2003, scientists uncovered fossils of a diminutive hominin on Indonesia’s Flores Island. Standing less than four feet tall with brains one‑third the size of modern humans, these remains earned the nickname “the Hobbits.” Their discovery sparked fierce debate over whether they represented an unknown branch of early humans or modern humans afflicted by disease.
Despite their tiny stature, the Hobbits were adept hunters, traversed thousands of miles across the ocean to colonise Flores, and crafted stone tools. It is believed they may have encountered Homo sapiens as recently as 50 000 years ago, since modern humans are thought to have reached Australia around 65 000 years ago.
The origin and ultimate disappearance of these hobbit‑like people remain unresolved, leaving scientists to puzzle over where they fit into the human evolutionary tree and what led to their extinction.
1 Santa Cruz Island
Dr. Carey Q. Stanton, a lifelong bachelor, left New York City in 1957 to live on his family’s ranch on Santa Cruz Island. Known for his eccentric habits, he enforced a strict schedule for any visitors: dinner at 7:30 pm, coffee and cookies at 8:30 pm, and lights out by 9 pm.
Stanton passed away on 8 December 1987 and was interred in the island’s private cemetery. His will bequeathed the ranch to the Nature Conservancy, which now oversees activities on the island.
In April 1990, a metal box was uncovered in a shed on the ranch. Inside lay a heap of severely decomposed human remains—essentially ashes—alongside a set of false teeth from the 1950s, a clothing fastener from the 1940s, and a diamond‑studded ring predating World War II. DNA analysis identified the remains as belonging to an elderly woman who likely died shortly after the war.
Although Stanton was never suspected of wrongdoing, the presence of the woman’s remains in a sealed metal box on the ranch remains an enigma, and her identity has never been established.