Cuba: A UFO Over Matanzas Bay (1959)

Source: Planeta UFO
Date: 02.21.2016

Cuba: A UFO Over Matanzas Bay
By Orestes Girbau

It was the morning of the 5th of July of 1959. At 9:30 a troop of Boy Scouts who had set out from the Versailles district, walked along the nearby coastline. There were a total of more than 30 people clustered to one edge of the shore, while their guides were relatively nearby. The troop’s exact position was nearly facing L’Amours Beach. It was a clear, sunny, and virtually cloudless morning. Unexpectedly, shouts came from the troop leaders. “Look at that!” The formation broke up and all ran toward the beach. In awe, the witnessed an object which according to the first ones to see it, had emerged from the sea and hovered scant meters over its surface.

The object was oval in shaped, although some said it resembled a spinning top, while others stated it was a disk, given its resemblance to what was commonly known as “flying saucers”. Seconds later, the bright disk levelled off, parallel to the water. It immediately rose skyward vertically at prodigious speed, vanishing into infinity in less than fifteen seconds.
According to eyewitness accounts, the machine appeared to be metallic, with a silvery color. Everyone could see that at the critical moment, a boat with two fishermen sailed rather close to the object. The fishermen looked upon the scene in astonishment. The object was wingless and measured between 6 and 8 in diameter. As was subsequently determined, the craft rose from a depth calculated at 15 meters without making any noise or leaving a wake. All this happened barely 200 meters from the shore.

The party furnishing the details on this fascinating account solemnly swore having witnessed the event. In fact, Leonel Rodríguez retold is unforgettable experience eloquently – another one to be added to the annals of the worldwide UFO phenomenon.

What the Matanzas Press Had to Say

Headlines for the 6 July 1969 issue of the “Adelante” newspaper proclaimed: “Strange Object in Matanzas Bay”. Highlighting the sighting in one of its columns, the paper said: “Despite the investigations performed, its exact nature remains unknown. There is speculation, of course, as to whether it was a flying saucer or one another the objects known to fly in space.”

The “El Republicano” evening paper set the matter on record with the following headline: “Strange Silver Object Seen in Our Bay.” It was later known that the “El Imparcial” newspaper also picked up the controversial story.



Several witnesses were interviewed by journalists who did not hesitate in broadcasting their recordings on the now-gone Cadena de Radio de Matanzas (now Radio 26), but nothing further was ever said about it. After a number of weeks, local residents began to forget about the controversial “visitor”, which remained in the memory of only a few.

A Typical UFO Case

UFOs have been seen entering and leaving the sea. They have been seen engaged in maneuvers in lakes, rivers, gulfs, straits and sounds on various latitudes of the planet. Why not then Matanzas Bay?
Faced with the facts, it is acceptable to believe that numerous sightings in Matanzas – judging by their characteristics – correspond to the UFO classification, which does not necessarily make them interplanetary craft. The event described here is a single experience, as the phenomenon has continued to manifest itself.

The Words of a Writer

What is the likely purpose of these visits, if we are indeed dealing with extraterrestrial vehicles? Obviously, there exists no reason to dismiss other hypotheses, and I do not question a possible visit from some unknown world.

If space beings are really involved, regardless of their motives, they do not seem very anxious to show their faces for the time being. Perhaps the basic cause for delaying unequivocal contact with their terrestrial hosts lies with THEM. Who knows, however, if the cause for the delay lies in a human reason?

Intuitively, Cuban author Daina Chaviano, winner of the 1979 David Prize in the category of science-fiction, possibly came up with the answer in her short story “Los Mundos Que Amo” (The Worlds I Love) when she wrote: “Our civilization will strive in vain to make contact with the vehicles that constantly enter and exit our planet’s atmosphere. They will not respond. They will only do so on the day when we are finally able to bring an end to savagery on Earth, and when humankind’s intelligence is awakened, thus making our planet a worthy sibling.”

[Translation © 2016 Scott Corrales, IHU with thanks to Guillermo Giménez and Orestes Girbau Collado]