Cádiz Is Not Atlantis – at Least, Not Yet
Short answer: Michael Donnellan’s headline-grabbing claim that he has “finally found Atlantis” three kilometres off the Spanish coast remains unproven and unaccepted by the scientific community. No peer-reviewed data, no excavation report, and no independent verification have been released.
Stick around, though, because the story behind those dramatic sonar images, the recycled hype, and the fish-pond mix-up is even more intriguing than the myth of Atlantis itself.
The Plot Twist the Original Headlines Skipped
Last week German-language outlets trumpeted a “Sensation vor Gibraltar!” — filmmaker-archaeologist Michael Donnellan says sonar, LiDAR and dive footage show concentric walls that “match Plato’s description verbatim.”
What most reports left out:
- Those same “walls” were promoted in 2018, then quietly retracted when some turned out to be modern shrimp-research ponds built in 2005.
- In 2025 the identical structures have resurfaced, but still no coordinates, no carbon dates, no stratigraphy, no permits have appeared in the scholarly record.
- Donnellan is rolling out the find first in a pay-per-view documentary series called Atlantica.
“Announcing science in a movie instead of a journal turns on my bull--- detector.”
— Ken Feder, archaeologist (quoted by LiveScience)
Myth vs. Measurements: What the Experts Say
| Claim in the Viral Story | What the Fact-Check Found |
|---|---|
| Atlantis ruins lie 3 km off Cádiz | No independent fieldwork has confirmed any ancient structures there |
| Concentric rings “match Plato” | Mainstream scholars consider Plato’s tale allegory, not history |
| Site sank 11,600 years ago | Sea-level data show the area was dry land well after that date |
| Discovery “proves Atlantis” | Geologists see no evidence of a vanished island on that margin |
Sources: National Geographic, LiveScience, Cardiff University archaeologist Flint Dibble, IFLScience, AFP Fact-Check.
Five Red Flags Every Atlantis-Watcher Should Notice
-
Documentary First, Data Later
Peer-review is slow but essential. Bypassing it is a classic pseudo-archaeology tell. -
Recycled Imagery
The new teaser re-uses footage from the debunked 2018 Cádiz-Atlantis claim. -
Moving Target
Previous Donnellan interviews placed Atlantis in wetlands 100 km away. Now it’s offshore. -
Missing Paper Trail
Spanish law requires permits to scan or dive on heritage sites. No permit numbers cited. -
Geology Doesn’t Cooperate
No sign of a sunken island or cataclysmic collapse exists on regional seismic surveys.
Why the Atlantis Myth Persists
Plato’s story of a mighty island wiped out “in a single day” is catnip for headlines. Since the 19th century, at least 40 different places — from Antarctica to the Caribbean — have been declared “the real Atlantis.” The pattern is striking:
- Sensational claim
- Media buzz
- Lack of peer-reviewed evidence
- Quiet fade-out when scrutiny arrives
The Cádiz version fits the template.
What Would Real Proof Look Like?
To turn a bold claim into accepted discovery, Donnellan’s team (or anyone else) would need to:
- Publish precise coordinates and bathymetric maps.
- Conduct controlled excavations under permit.
- Provide radiometric dates for any finds.
- Submit results to peer-reviewed journals.
- Allow independent replication by outside experts.
Until then, treating the announcement as confirmed history is like calling a movie trailer “proof” of next summer’s box-office numbers.
The Bottom Line
Has Atlantis been found off Cádiz? All available evidence says no.
Is the search itself illegitimate? Not necessarily — exploration is fine when paired with transparent, testable science.
Should we keep watching? Absolutely. But watch with the same critical eye you’d bring to any extraordinary claim: sceptical curiosity armed with the mantra “show me the data.”
Sources & Further Reading
- LiveScience – “Why archaeologists roll their eyes every time Atlantis is ‘found’ again”
https://www.livescience.com/64176-lost-city-atlantis-spain.html - National Geographic – “Atlantis was Plato’s fiction, and here’s why that matters”
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/atlantis-myth-plato-archaeology-false - AFP Fact-Check – “No, this underwater circle is not Atlantis”
https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.33EP2LV - Ingenio Films – Atlantica trailer (claim source)
https://www.ingeniofilms.com/films/atlantica/
Note: All links accessed July 2025. If new, peer-reviewed data appear, we’ll update this report.