NUFORC Sighting 55448

Occurred: 2007-02-22 23:30 Local
Reported: 2007-02-26 07:53 Pacific
Duration: 25 - 30 sec.
No of observers: 1

Location: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Aircraft nearby

White ball of light over ocean east of Myrtle Beach, then planes to "investigate"

I saw something that was definitely not an airplane, or a seagull, or refracted light from Venus through swamp gas, right after the Slayer show behind the House of Blues, Myrtle Beach (2/22/07). I was perfectly sober though a little tired from the show, so I was sitting on the curb behind the HOB waiting for autographs in a crowd of about 30 people and was facing due E. At the risk of sounding like a fool to these strangers and losing sight of it in the sky by trying to share it, I chose not to draw attention to what I saw. I wish I would have thought to take the camera in my pocket out and snap a few shots, but I was in a state of shock.

It was just a hazy light ball and it was definitely airborne because along the back of the HOB is a fence that is at least a little bit taller than I am, but it is also 20-30 ft. away from the curb I was sitting on. Perspective-wise it was a good couple of feet above the fence. Behind the fence and off to the right, (the direction it was traveling), was a light pole some distance away with a light gleaming away in my face, and hotels in the distance along with shrubbery and branches along the back of the fence. It was a windy night, pretty clear and it was sometime between 11:30 and 12:00 AM. I was sitting on the curb smoking a cigarette and chillin' facing about E, away from the HOB towards the ocean and checking out the stars. I saw the typical air traffic and seagulls enjoying the windy night.

It was a small, faint and hazy white light and at first I thought, "That jet is hauling a$$!! I’ve never seen a jet moving that fast", then it struck me how much like a star it resembled. Because it was just a ball of light it was hard to judge it's size and distance, however if the planes that appeared after I saw it presumably went to the general area it was at, and my own judgement of perspective wasn’t too far off, it was definitely waaay out over the ocean. I checked it out on Google Earth; from the direction I was facing the shore was roughly .7 of a mile away, these planes and my own judgement of perspective put it AT LEAST a mile or more away.

It's path, from when I first noticed it started out parallel to the earth and traveled like this for maybe 5 seconds. Then almost a 90 degree turn at what seemed to be straight up, then another sharp degree of turn up and away at an angle, then another turn at a downward angle, and yet another at a down and backwards angle, then once it reached about where it's original path was, it resumed. Half of these turns were in a span of maybe 1-2 seconds, but no more than 3 at the absolute most and the other two were really short. Once it resumed it's "original" path it faded out after about 3 seconds. Like a lightbulb slowly going out, then instantly it began glowing again, so quickly I never lost track of it. From my perspective it was headed into the gleaming light, but it faded out for about a second, if only for a second and then came back to full glow before it "passed" behind the light pole and remained glowing, so I never lost it through the light. Now, on the other side of the light pole and after about another 2-4 seconds it faded out again for the second time and that's when I never saw it again.

I kept watching for it, but it never reappeared. It's path was straight, and looked very deliberate, not like it was a trashbag blowing in the wind or another seagull or something. The three things that have me pretty much convinced what I saw is some sort of a UFO is the blazing speed, the ease of the change of direction without even slowing down and that it was traveling in straight lines, not circling or twirling as if something caught in the wind. It was like someone was holding one of those laser pointers in the sky only it was faint and white.

I was glued to the sky, but saw no more. About 5-7 minutes later I saw two planes coming from the N along the coastline or there abouts and heading that direction, about the time they got where it was, I noticed another plane that must've come from the SW or that general direction. The two planes from the N went further S and I almost lost them behind the hotels and stuff on the horizon and then returned, while the other plane continued N for a few minutes and returned. I wasn’t sure what I was seeing, so I just stared in disbelief. I thought about telling some of my friends, but decided not to get picked on that night.

I documented this the next morning and waited to see if someone else reported this, but I’ve not seen anything yet. I am a believer and was before this incident, but still remain skeptical as to what I saw. If you also saw this, I urge you to report it. I also am attaching various files that may explain this in greater detail.

Posted 2007-03-08