Marine Experts Find Deep “Scary” Surprise Off The South Carolina Coast

Marine scientists have discovered quite a scary and large surprise right off the South Carolina coast. The world's largest deep-sea coral reef extends right down to Florida. It ranges in distance from about Charleston to Miami. The somewhat scary surprise is that it’s brimming with new mysterious species. The reef is roughly 158 miles long, in perspective, it's around the size of Vermont. The reef has been nicknamed “The Million Mounds” since it’s mostly made up of stony coral. Million Mounds Reef has an average temperature of 39 degrees according to NOAA.

The 6.4 million acres-discovery is between 656 feet and 3,280 feet deep. At that depth, there's zero sunlight. Can you imagine how you would feel in a space THAT dark? No, thank you!! The newly uncovered region has the "most extensive" ecosystem of Desmophyllum pertusum ever found within U.S. waters, the study authors said, with mounds estimated to be thousands of years old.

"Many [deep-sea corals] live for hundreds of years, with some colonies living over 4,000 years," NOAA says, with the latest discovery revealing nearly 84,000 individual coral mound peak features.

Reportedly instead of the bright coral many of us think of when we think of reefs, this stretch is mostly pure white. Meanwhile, the team speculates there might be even larger deep-sea coral reefs hidden along the routes elsewhere around the globe. Those reefs could give us a glimpse at scary looking creatures never seen before! Welp that's the last time I dive in the water off South Carolina Coast! Haha. See you never, ever again after reading about this one!

Check out the full story here to really get the inside scoop!

For a lot of us, it doesn’t get better than spending our summer vacation at the beach. Unfortunately, South Carolina has 2 of the most expensive beach towns in the nation. While there are a lot of coastal cities to choose from, these destinations can be pretty pricey. But it really all depends on where you go. A new report reveals where the most affordable towns with an ocean view are.

So which South Carolina towns are among the most expensive in the country? Let's have a look! Here are the top 10 most expensive beach towns in the country.

Solana Beach, California is north of San Diego. It's a super safe town, and the beach is long with great water temperatures. The average rental home costs $4,372 a week.

Key West is not only a great beach town, it has plenty of history and attractions. Boat racing takes over the town in the summer. Plus, you can get into the Earnest Hemmingway look-a-like contest that happens each year! Average cost of a week rental? $4,547

Sure Laguna Beach on MTV was a great show. Sure, your rental home may sink into the water. But it is a cool beach town. It will cost you on average $4,564 to get a home for the week. Not bad. Hope insurance is included! 

This Maui town is the home of a big golf tournament. The weather is beautiful year round. The beaches are sheer white. If you want to rent a home it will run you $4,946 for the week. 

What a great local town for us in the Carolina's to visit. Great golfing, shops, restaurants and of course the beaches. The down side? It will cost you $5,576 to rent a spot there for the week.

I know this beach town well. I spent many summers in Folly Beach. Love the whole vibe of the island. What I really didn't know is that my wife is spending nearly $5,943 for us to vacation there. We split the house with friends but holy hell! 

Another Cali beach town is on the list. Like Laguna Beach, if you can weather the fires, the land slides and the celebrity bs then Malibu is there for you! Average home cost for a weekly rental? $6,150

Wanna go to Diddy's "White Party?" Wanna see celeb's all over the place? Then head to East Hampton, located on Long Island. Bring your wallet though, a weekly rental is $6,178. 

Another over the top Long Island beach town. Even more celebrities show up and hang. There's a PGA golf event held yearly. Rent a home for the week in Southhampton for an average of $6,391! 

Party it up with John Legend. Hang on the beach, or spend thousands at dinner! This town, the most expensive beach town in the nation has an average cost of $6,454 a week!