Scuba divers have discovered an ancient, bald cypress forest off the coast of Alabama. Until recently, in what was suspected to be the forces of Hurricane Katrina, the ancient forest was preserved in an oxygen free environment under sediment for over 50,000 years.

Following a lead from a friend and an Alabama dive shop owner, scuba diver Ben Raines dove the site in 2012. What he found was a primeval bald cypress swamp in pristine condition. “Swimming around amidst these stumps and logs, you just feel like you’re in this fairy world,” Raines says of the experience.

The trees sit at 60 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico in an area covering approximately .5 square miles.

Read more about the newly discovered underwater forest here.