Video of Georgia’s River Monster, the Altamaha-ha?
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on October 31st, 2012
Lyle Blackburn did some investigation of the river monster known as the Altamaha-ha, or “Altie” for short in August of this year.
Myself and my research partner, Cindy Lee, pose with Altie
I came across this video on youtube that is purported to be of this river monster.
At Fort King George in Darien, GA. I did not know that their was a mysterious sea creature here named the Altamaha Ha or Altie. Not sure if this is a manatee because what I saw was dark.Uploaded by tdparmel on Jun 13, 2010
What do the Cryptomundians think?
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
I like this video – it’s not fake, it definitely shows something out of place, and the guy narrating it seems almost bored, as if he’s seen it a dozen times before…
Very interesting.
LOL…. is this a joke?
how the frick on earth can someone sit there with a straight face and say that is a lake monster?
And you wonder why most ppl don’t believe in any of this stuff….
Interesting video, looks like something alive. But I don’t see anything that would make me rule out any of a number of known animals.
Otter or beaver.
Hard to say what this is. Darien is relatively close to the ocean and this appears to be an inlet. My vote is manatee.
One of the better lake monster videos, although it’s a river not a lake. And it has relatively easy access to the ocean, roughly six or seven miles away. So there could be some unusual species. My guess is a very large catfish, based on the “hump like a whale” comment and the thrashing motion.
Oh, and dconstrukt, most of us on this site couldn’t care what “most ppl” believe, because “most ppl” are utter fricken morons.
Manatee. They head up the Intracoastal near Darien during the summer, including one particular manatee nicknamed Chessie that swam to Maryland and beyond every year. Don’t see a dolphin’s fin but definitely see a manatee’s fluke with that last splash. I’d be as excited to see a live manatee as I would a sea monster. They’re awesome.
I definitely like the video! We see so many fakes that it is a nice change of pace to see a genuine real video!
I am not sure what creature is in the video. I know it is not some inanimate object. It is a living breathing creature. But what creature is it? That remains unknown. I am not sure it is some kind of river monster. We have not ruled out known creatures.
I think I did see a manatee fluke near the end of the video. So my guess in manatee.
mandors:
“Oh, and dconstrukt, most of us on this site couldn’t care what “most ppl” believe, because “most ppl” are utter fricken morons.”
I might not go quite so far as your last six words. I’d only say that in their opinions on zoological subjects, “most ppl” asymptotically approach your last three words. In other words, the best way to figure out what to think, if one doesn’t want to, well, read and stuff, is to find out what “most ppl” think, and go the other way. Zoology may be more that way than any other subject, perhaps even slightly more so than politics.
Almost none of the actual evidence for cryptids is discussed, in any way departing from “infantile,” in the media at all. There are exceptions, but they are few.
No wonder the guy sounds bored. It bored the bejeezus outta ME.
Nope Bullshark I just got a great shot of the dorsal fin if ayone wants a look its at the splaching right at the end of the video ay 1:11.
It’s either a beaver, a muskrat or even a large fish. That is definitely no sea serpent or river monster. I see things like this all the time, when I go fishing. All kinds of animals live in the water and sometimes they splash on the surface of the water.
A porpoise is also a possibility, though you’d think a dorsal fin would be visible.
python
Its nice to see some interest in a cryptid that lives near my hometown. Having fished on this river and others nearby, I have seen many alligators and several dolphins in a similar setting, and this does not resemble those animals.
I know manatees are supposed to come up these rivers, but I have never seen one, so I can’t really compare. I do think that there could be hint of a rounded fluke at one point. The video reminds of the Monsterquest episode with a manatee that had a mutilated tail fluke. The movements of the animal seems similar in the two videos (from what I recall of the episode).
When I first heard descriptions of the altamaha-ha, I envisioned a basilosaurus or other prehistoric whale, which could move similar to modern manatees.
Beaver or otter.
LOL…. mandor… the fact you think this is a lake monster lowers your IQ by about 80% in my book, and its pretty sad… are you that blind? or naive?
if you said its some fish? cool…. ya… it could be.
an otter? could be.
but you’re saying this is a lake monster.
Something thats not supposed to be there.
something thats not supposed to exist.
okay…
PROVE IT.
you need some hard core proof to validate your claim.
If you went to court with this as your evidence, you’d get laughed out of court.
and lose.
So if you think that video shows a lake monster… i’ve got a bridge in NYC to sell you.
@dconstrukt: It has been my experience that people who mention “IQ” seldom have ones above 90.
If you read my post, and your ability to do so is highly in question, you’ll find I suggested that the image was a large catfish. So, it seems that you are not only impaired, but illiterate as well.
Your knowledge of the law is also scant. In any civil case, the standard is “the preponderance of the evidence.” That translated for you, means only 51% or more need prove your case. Probably satisfied here, which is why chasing ambulances is so profitable in this country.
mandors:
Being much more charitable than you (although believe me I get it), I’m simply going to point out that dekonstrukted has simply announced his intentions (1) not to show comprehension for whatever reason and (2) not to be taken seriously here.
Pretty cool video that’s for sure. However as already stated the animal in the video is probably a common critter. I have seen big flat head catfish act very much like this and then of course there is the Manatee possibility or an Otter. It didn’t seem to fit a Manatee’s actions but what the hell do I know. I definitely saw either a dorsal fin of pectoral fin near the end of the clip so I am going to stay with fish on this one. Hell it could be a porpoise (yes I know porpoises are not fish) but I do not think it was a “monster” or “creature”.
One has but to compare it to video of a manatee and one sees a very close resemblance to the creature in this video:
Alligator Gar…
In the end, only one of two things can be done with a piece of evidence like this:
1. Follow-up research to find what this is purported to be;
2. Shelving, based on a number of very possible alternative mundane explanations.
When numerous 2. have been postulated, and there’s no significant reason, really, to rule out any of them….well, looks like 2. If I’m a researcher, 2. is what it would be, unless I already had so much evidence of the cryptid in hand that I’d long decided to follow up anyway.
grass carp.
It may be a manatee but at 1:08 it looked like a dorsal fin and not a fluke. Notice the way it moves.Its quite different from the way the manatee’s fluke skimmed through the water.
I’m not saying its a lake monster though the possibility still remains. It is most likely to be a fish of some sort. I doubt that it is a dolphin because there are by far no dolphins in the Altamaha river. Still, there’s a small chance that it is the Altamaha-ha.
Well, they had “experts” that I assume are marine biologists that looked at the same video we did. These “experts” couldn’t agree.
The “experts” did not mention beaver, snake, fish, or other simple candidates, but did mention seal or manatee.
I don’t think any here on this site are marine biologists so I would defer to the opinions of the “experts” on the video…only they do not agree.
This is a marine animal, and since no one can confirm the identity of the animal it is a mystery, so this video is a cryptozoological subject as cryptozoology is the study of unknown animals and at this point this animal is unknown.
It is refreshing to look at an actual animal when most videos we look at are obvious hoaxes…no one is claiming this is a man in a suit swimming around.
This could be a known creature but there is the possibility that it could be a rare or otherwise unknown animal to this area which would be interesting to see.
Keep an open mind and not form opinions that cannot be confirmed. This may not be a “monster” but it is not an 6 foot 300 lb otter either. Lets hope we someday find out.
I would try to lure it to shore or the surface
ModernShanahan: What is your method of choice? A “will work for monsters” sign?
@Goodfoot: I don’t know. If someone is desperate enough, they can try various of things. Throw dead fishes, threw a live dog, buy a turkey, swim in and swim out, scuba dive in there…. Just saying!
Eh. A known animal, clearly.