UFO observed - Port Phillip Bay Australia

[ManInBlack]

Have been trying to track down more footage of this sighting. This is what we know:

- The sighting occurred on the 11th of July in 2021.
- The object appeared to be black in colour.
- The object was seen moving slowly across the bay.
- Weather on the day is listed below.

- Location:







SOURCE: https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/@10300648/historic?month=7&year=2021


VIDEO SOURCES (comes with commentary):


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx9dorE6OuE



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rtUHTbO9mo

 

[Mendel]

The witnesses saw it, so it's an actual faraway object. It's moving left, staying fairly level.

Since it's far away, the speed probably apoears slower than it actually is. I would also expect it to be far enough away for the noise of a helicopter to not be audible over the surf.

It could also be a big balloon, except those don't fly in high winds. 26 km/h is dangerously high wind.

What makes you think it's a UFO and not a helicopter?

 

[Duke]

Have been trying to track down more footage of this sighting. This is what we know:

- The sighting occurred on the 11th of July in 2021.
- The object appeared to be black in colour.
- The object was seen moving slowly across the bay.
- Weather on the day is listed below.

- Location:







SOURCE: https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/@10300648/historic?month=7&year=2021


VIDEO SOURCES (comes with commentary):


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx9dorE6OuE



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rtUHTbO9mo

Odd in the first video you can hear those taking the video clearly say "it's not moving....it's hovering in one spot" when the object is obviously moving right to left.

 

[ManInBlack]

The witnesses saw it, so it's an actual faraway object. It's moving left, staying fairly level.

Since it's far away, the speed probably apoears slower than it actually is. I would also expect it to be far enough away for the noise of a helicopter to not be audible over the surf.

It could also be a big balloon, except those don't fly in high winds. 26 km/h is dangerously high wind.

What makes you think it's a UFO and not a helicopter?

It's not my claim, it's theirs @Mendel . Here to debunk it though.

I live in a high aviation traffic area and I can hear helicopters fly overs in high winds. I'm not sure it is a helicopter, I don't have a premium subscription to flightradar24 to check.

I thought it could be the police helicopter below...



SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Police_Air_Wing

...But it wasn't operating in the area on that day (source: https://www.helis.com/database/cn/54263/ )

 

[jackfrostvc]

That's a bit non specific re location. The bay is a large area.
I live on the coast of the bay ie St Kilda.
Be nice to know exactly where this happened

 

[ManInBlack]

That's a bit non specific re location. The bay is a large area.
I live on the coast of the bay ie St Kilda.
Be nice to know exactly where this happened

Agreed.

Below is the locations of all the Bouy's in the bay:

https://cdn.revolutionise.com.au/cups/mtyc/files/xoyael8irrijzn3a.pdf

I don't have an easy way of checking these, any suggestions?

The geotag in the video indicates it was filmed from Mornington (see below):





The background landscape is distinct. Also it is obvious that their position changes when videoing the object. Note the background landscape changes...

 

[Mendel]

I live in a high aviation traffic area and I can hear helicopters fly overs in high winds.

Yes, but those helicopters would be much closer.

The background landscape is distinct. Also it is obvious that their position changes when videoing the object. Note the background landscape changes...

I don't believe the observers are moving? The camera is panning (turning) left as it follows the object, but the waves in the foreground lack sideways motion, so the camera operator is not moving sideways. Do you see the camera moving towards the object?

 

[jackfrostvc]

Just noticed their video says Mornington.

My guess is bird or drone. I noticed in their prior video they are at another Victorian holiday spot in Wilsons Prom. Where there video includes what looks like drone shots. This doesn't prove anything of course. Could be a bird as they postulate themselves in the video

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

You know what I think it is? I think it's a dot. This is trivial.

 

[Ann K]

You know what I think it is? I think it's a dot. This is trivial.

Moreover, it's a dot moving at approximately the speed of the wind.

 

[JMartJr]

26 km/h is dangerously high wind.

Regardless of the wind forecast, there is not high wind where they are standing -- waves pretty calm, no white-caps or anything, and the microphones are not picking up much wind noise (you can hear the gentle surf breaking.)

26 kph (around 16 mph) is a Moderate Breeze on the Beaufort Scale, described as "Raises dust and loose paper; small branches moved. Small waves, fairly frequent whitecaps." 19 kph (11 mph) is at the upper limit of Light Breeze, "Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; wind vane moved by wind. Small wavelets on sea." That range is higher than hot air balloons would fly in, but I can't think of a reason to rule out this being a YAEMPB, Yet Another Escaped Mylar Party Balloon, or some larger but unmanned balloon.

FWIW, Looks balloony to me.

 

[Mendel]

That range is higher than hot air balloons would fly in, but I can't think of a reason to rule out this being a YAEMPB, Yet Another Escaped Mylar Party Balloon, or some larger but unmanned balloon.

yeah, what I'd need to do is relate angular size (or size in pixels) and angular speed (or pixels/s) and see what wind speed I'd get for a party balloon, or a hot air-sized balloon, or a helicopter. (It just felt off for a party balloon.)

 

[Mendel]

You know what I think it is? I think it's a dot. This is trivial.

yeah, another LIZ sighting

 

[FatPhil]

Moreover, it's a dot moving at approximately the speed of the wind.

And I'm prepared to categorically rule out bird poop this time.

 

[ManInBlack]

yeah, another LIZ sighting

I agree, it shows that a mobile camera is not a reliable tool when it comes to filming UFOs. I have heard the argument that 'everyone has a cell phone'...to be fair they are useless if all the footage looks like this.

 

[LilWabbit]

The little kid suggesting it's a bird flapping its wings and moving seems far more clever than his dad seeing an object hovering and stationary. This also demonstrates that two observers at the exact same spot simultaneously viewing a LIZ object at a distance can see two very different things where each observer's imagination fills in the blanks.

The infrequently changing shape of the dot and the sinusoidal-seeming flight pattern suggests a bird. I'd wager a large seabird or an eagle alternating between gliding, soaring and flapping.

Article:

Black-Browed Albatross

The Black-browed Albatross is the most common albatross seen in southern Australian waters for most of the year, and is the only one of the mollymawks (another name for the smaller black-and-white albatrosses) with a yellow bill. The bill has a pink tip. The back, upper wings and tail are a slaty black. The underwing is white with broad black margins, especially the leading edge. The face is white, with a small black brow over a dark eye. The legs and feet are blue-grey to flesh-pink. This species is also called the Black-browed Mollymawk.

Source: https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Thalassarche-melanophris

Despite the below video being filmed in Yorkshire, UK, you can see the glide and flight pattern of the black-browed albatross:


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNNmAF5croQ

According to Wikipedia, "albatross have high glide ratios, around 22:1 to 23:1, meaning that for every metre they drop, they can travel forward 22 m (72 ft)."

Despite being medium-sized for an albatross, it's still a very large bird.

Article:

The black-browed albatross is a medium-sized albatross, at 80 to 95 cm (31–37 in) long with a 200 to 240 cm (79–94 in) wingspan and an average weight of 2.9 to 4.7 kg (6.4–10.4 lb).[3] It can have a natural lifespan of over 70 years. It has a dark grey saddle and upperwings that contrast with the white rump, and underparts.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-browed_albatross

 

[Mendel]

I agree, it shows that a mobile camera is not a reliable tool when it comes to filming UFOs. I have heard the argument that 'everyone has a cell phone'...to be fair they are useless if all the footage looks like this.

one big problem with smartphones is the autofocus. A traditional camera can be set to focus on ∞, but the autofocus that the smartphone defaults to often has problems focusing on a speck in the sky.

I hope that in the near future, the resolution of smartphone cameras along with image stabilisation can provide us with pictures that exceed the capabilities of the human eye, such that any UFO a person can see can be identified via the recording, but we're definitely not there yet.

It won't eliminate the "I reviewed the footage at home and found this fuzzy dot" UFO sightings, because every sensor has a LIZ.

 

[Ann K]

The little kid suggesting it's a bird flapping its wings and moving seems far more clever than his dad seeing an object hovering and stationary. This also demonstrates that two observers at the exact same spot simultaneously viewing a LIZ object at a distance can see two very different things where each observer's imagination fills in the blanks.

It may also be indicative of the keener eyesight of the youngster.

 

[derwoodii]

That's a bit non specific re location. The bay is a large area.
I live on the coast of the bay ie St Kilda.
Be nice to know exactly where this happened

The background landscape is distinct. Also it is obvious that their position changes when videoing the object. Note the background landscape changes...

I know this view and landscape well, in the 1st vidio is looking west over Port Phillip bay towards the You Yangs the small mountain range in back drop. The second vidio is much the same west direction but looking bit more south Bellarine peninsula over Saint Leonard's.





The object my guess is kite surfer out a few miles the parachute sits up high & at distance you cant see the surfer

 

[Mendel]

To sum it up, we now have a list of things it could be:

• a UFO
• a helicopter
• a party balloon
• a bird
• a kite surfer

We can't really say with certainty which one it is, and we can't rule out one either.
However, four of these have precedent and are confirmed to exist, one does not.

 

[LilWabbit]

To sum it up, we now have a list of things it could be:

• a UFO
• a helicopter
• a party balloon
• a bird
• a kite surfer

We can't really say with certainty which one it is, and we can't rule out one either.
However, four of these have precedent and are confirmed to exist, one does not.

It's a UFO, an Unimpressively Flying Object.

 

[derwoodii]

yeah, another LIZ sighting

Um what the acronym LIZ mean ?

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

Low Information Zone

 

[Mendel]

Um what the acronym LIZ mean ?

I'm sorry, I should've explained. LIZ stands for "low information zone". It's the zone where you can tell something's there, but not what it is. Obviously this includes all of the "small moving dot" sightings.

For more, see https://www.metabunk.org/threads/ufo-acronyms-what-is-the-liz.11742/

 

[jackfrostvc]

Drone not an option?

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

MW

The physical region around you (or your camera) just beyond the distance where you can make out what something is. The LIZ is a curious thing in that it expands and contracts based on the lighting conditions, the size and shape of the object, the quality of your eyesight, the presence of optical aids like telescopes, and the resolution and zoom of your camera.

 

[Mendel]

Drone not an option?

Right, you mentioned you'd noticed drones around that area.
It feels to me like it's either too big or too slow for a consumer drone.

 

[JMartJr]

5

The object my guess is kite surfer out a few miles the parachute sits up high & at distance you cant see the surfer

Possible, but compare with this vid:

Source: https://youtu.be/QOsjW3sYyt8


Especially note the more distant third kite that comes into view at around 17 seconds which is far enough out to be a distant dot and resemble our "UFO.". Normally kite surfers are dipping their kite down into the "power zone" (directly down wind, low over the water) for speed and power, then turning up to jump or otherwise mess around. Or they may fly a "figure eight" to increase the apparent wind speed over the kite for more "oomph."

It is certainly possible to just set the kite at a more-or-less steady angle, fairly high over the water, and just go on a long slow straight reach across the bay, if the purpose is just to get from one side to another and not work too hard or have much fun. So it could well be that. But I'd be more convinced if it did some maneuvers of the sort kite surfers do to build speed or jump and play about.

Edited: Once embedded here, the time stamp was visible...

 

[AmberRobot]

The object my guess is kite surfer out a few miles the parachute sits up high & at distance you cant see the surfer

Basically, UFO photos *have to be* in the low information zone, because nobody would show this photo above and claim it's a UFO. Yes, "everybody has a cell phone" but there appears to be a very good reason why nobody is showing close-up, well focused, highly detailed cell phone images of UFOs.

 

[jackfrostvc]

I still cannot see where this scenery is visible from Mornington.

Have looked at a couple of videos from vantage points at Mornington, cant see anything resembling this.

Maybe I missed something here. I guess maybe they they are themselves in the middle of the bay perhaps?

It does seem like the you yangs in the distance though as someone said

https://poi-australia.com.au/points...on-rockwell-rd-turntable-dr-little-river-vic/

 

[ManInBlack]

To sum it up, we now have a list of things it could be:

• a UFO
• a helicopter
• a party balloon
• a bird
• a kite surfer

We can't really say with certainty which one it is, and we can't rule out one either.
However, four of these have precedent and are confirmed to exist, one does not.

I'd cross out the party ballon (it was windy) but I'd agree with the rest.

 

[derwoodii]

I still cannot see where this scenery is visible from Mornington.

Have looked at a couple of videos from vantage points at Mornington, cant see anything resembling this.

Maybe I missed something here. I guess maybe they they are themselves in the middle of the bay perhaps?

It does seem like the you yangs in the distance though as someone said

https://poi-australia.com.au/points...on-rockwell-rd-turntable-dr-little-river-vic/

The distance You yangs can bee seen from Mornington side about 50+ click over Port Phillip bay, but not always need clear dry air as sit right on edge of horizon
They also lend them self to mirage effect like fata morgana. The 2 part vid shows back drop of Bellarine peninsula which is more south bit lower but much closer 30 clicks

 

[Wheelbuddy]

Hi

I am an actual witness of this event

This was a UFO
It was large it was not affected by gravity it was not a balloon it was not affected by the wind
It appeared stationary for far too long

No method of propulsion or flight was observable
We sat on the beach and just watched it for a long time was crazy
My wife is also a witness ,
We’re regular family people no reason to make up something like this

 

[tjskep]

Hi

I am an actual witness of this event

This was a UFO
It was large it was not affected by gravity it was not a balloon it was not affected by the wind
It appeared stationary for far too long

No method of propulsion or flight was observable
We sat on the beach and just watched it for a long time was crazy
My wife is also a witness ,
We’re regular family people no reason to make up something like this

where did it go did you see it fly away or did it go into the ocean?

 

[Duke]

Hi

I am an actual witness of this event

This was a UFO
It was large it was not affected by gravity it was not a balloon it was not affected by the wind
It appeared stationary for far too long

No method of propulsion or flight was observable
We sat on the beach and just watched it for a long time was crazy
My wife is also a witness ,
We’re regular family people no reason to make up something like this

Hi Wheelbuddy, and welcome. Would you be willing to give us a detailed description of what you saw/remember? Please stick to factual statements (size, color, distance, sounds, etc.) describing to the best of your ability what you saw/remember. If it's something you could sketch, that would be of interest. It would also be useful to know where you and Mrs Wheelbuddy were located at the time of the sighting. Post #1 of this thread has a map, perhaps you could show us approximately where you were and where the object was relative to your location.

https://www.metabunk.org/threads/ufo-observed-port-phillip-bay-australia.13014/post-292820

 

[Mendel]

It was large

What gave you the impression it was large?
Was your view of the object comparable to what we see in the video?

 

[John J.]

it was not affected by gravity...

No method of propulsion or flight was observable

Hi Wheelbuddy!
It's maybe difficult to claim that a flying or hovering object isn't affected by gravity. Many things- a kite, a hovering 'jump jet'- might appear to defy gravity from a distance, but because we know how they work we know they don't.

We’re regular family people no reason to make up something like this

Absolutely- but perhaps most of us have the good fortune to be regular family people.
All of us can misidentify things, or have misperceptions- as some threads here show, even respected "trained observers" (aircraft pilots, police officers, air force security troops) have in good faith reported seeing unidentified or extraordinary things which, on examination, almost certainly have "down-to-Earth" explanations.