Within Authenticity
Did the Aguadilla UFO Really Enter the Ocean?
Flight-path reconstruction suggested that the Aguadilla objects moved near wind speed and were hidden by clouds rather than entering the sea.
On this page
- The apparent split and sea entry
- Aircraft path and cloud obscuration
- Why analysts favored sky lanterns
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Introduction
The 2013 infrared video recorded from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, is often presented as one of the strongest examples of a “transmedium” unidentified object—something that appeared to fly through the air, enter the sea without slowing, emerge again and finally split into two. If those observations reflected the object’s true motion, they would represent behaviour unlike any known aircraft.
However, later reconstructions reached a very different conclusion. Investigators who modelled the aircraft’s flight path, sensor geometry, weather and viewing conditions found that the apparent extraordinary manoeuvres could be explained without requiring an object to enter the ocean at all. The case illustrates an important point in the broader discussion of authentic UFO footage: genuine military or government video does not necessarily record the event in the intuitive way it appears to human viewers.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s aaro puerto rico uap case resolution 2025 aaro puerto rico uap case resolutionUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
Did the Aguadilla UFO Really Enter the Ocean?
The strongest claim made about the Aguadilla video was that it showed an object travelling seamlessly between air and water—a capability commonly described as “transmedium”. This interpretation became influential because the infrared recording appears to show a bright object reaching the shoreline, disappearing into the sea and later reappearing.
Subsequent trajectory reconstruction challenged that interpretation. By combining aircraft navigation data with modelling of the infrared sensor’s line of sight, investigators concluded that the object’s projected path remained over land rather than crossing into the ocean. According to this reconstruction, the apparent sea entry resulted from the viewing geometry rather than the object’s actual position.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s aaro puerto rico uap case resolution 2025 aaro puerto rico uap case resolutionUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
This distinction is critical. Infrared video records a two-dimensional projection from a moving aircraft. Without independently measured range, an object that appears to cross a coastline in the image may actually remain inland when reconstructed in three-dimensional space.
The Apparent Split and Sea Entry
Another dramatic feature of the recording is the apparent division of one object into two.
Early interpretations treated this as evidence that a single craft physically separated into two independent objects. Later analysis instead argued that the video had captured two closely spaced objects throughout much of the encounter. As the Customs and Border Protection aircraft climbed and circled the area, the infrared camera’s changing viewing angle increasingly resolved them as separate targets instead of one merged image. Investigators identified several earlier moments in the recording where the pair briefly become distinguishable before appearing merged again, supporting the interpretation that two objects were present all along.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s aaro puerto rico uap case resolution 2025 aaro puerto rico uap case resolutionUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
The apparent entry into the ocean received a similar reinterpretation. Rather than submerging, the objects were assessed as gradually losing thermal contrast against the background while the aircraft’s distance from them increased substantially. Infrared cameras do not simply record visible outlines; they depend on temperature contrast. When that contrast diminishes, an object can appear to fade into its surroundings even though it remains in view geometrically.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s aaro puerto rico uap case resolution 2025 aaro puerto rico uap case resolutionUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
Aircraft Path and Cloud Obscuration
The motion of the observing aircraft is central to understanding why the video appears so unusual.
During the encounter, the Customs and Border Protection aircraft flew an arcing path around Rafael Hernández Airport while climbing by more than 1,700 feet. At the same time, the range between the aircraft and the observed objects nearly tripled. These changes continuously altered the viewing geometry recorded by the infrared sensor.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s aaro puerto rico uap case resolution 2025 aaro puerto rico uap case resolutionUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
The reconstruction also found that the aircraft entered scattered cloud layers during the latter part of the recording. Partial cloud obscuration, increasing distance and changing thermal conditions all reduced image quality near the end of the video. What viewers interpreted as an object repeatedly entering and exiting the water could instead result from intermittent loss of thermal contrast combined with obscuration along the sensor’s line of sight.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s aaro puerto rico uap case resolution 2025 aaro puerto rico uap case resolutionUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
An additional optical factor is motion parallax. Because the observing aircraft was itself moving rapidly while changing direction, slow-moving distant objects could appear to traverse the landscape much faster than they actually were. Motion parallax is a familiar effect when viewing scenery from a moving vehicle: nearby objects seem to race past while distant ones appear to drift. Applied to airborne infrared imagery, the same geometry can create an illusion of exceptional speed.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comUFO TransparencyAARO Resolves Aguadilla Sphere as Sky Lanterns, DoD / All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) · 2023 · UFO Transparency…
Why Analysts Favoured Sky Lanterns
The reconstructed flight path suggested that the objects moved at roughly 3.6 metres per second (about 8 mph), closely matching measured winds from the east-northeast on the night of the incident. Instead of executing rapid manoeuvres, the objects followed a nearly straight course consistent with passive wind drift.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s aaro puerto rico uap case resolution 2025 aaro puerto rico uap case resolutionUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
Investigators also estimated the targets were small—under approximately one metre across—and noted that local hotels and resorts commonly released sky lanterns during celebrations. Taken together, the observed speed, direction, size and environmental context led to the assessment that two drifting sky lanterns best matched the available evidence, although this identification was assigned moderate rather than absolute confidence. The stronger conclusion was that the video did not demonstrate anomalous performance or genuine transmedium behaviour.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s aaro puerto rico uap case resolution 2025 aaro puerto rico uap case resolutionUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
Alternative explanations, including birds and balloons of other types, were considered but regarded as less consistent with the reconstructed trajectory and infrared characteristics.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s aaro puerto rico uap case resolution 2025 aaro puerto rico uap case resolutionUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
Why the Case Remains Discussed
The Aguadilla video continues to attract debate because earlier independent analyses reconstructed the event differently and argued for much higher speeds, complex manoeuvres and genuine water entry. Those differing conclusions arose largely from different assumptions about the object’s distance, the camera geometry and the available flight data.
The case therefore illustrates a broader lesson about interpreting authentic UFO recordings. The recording itself is genuine, but extraordinary conclusions depend on accurately reconstructing where the object actually was in three-dimensional space. Small changes in assumptions about range, viewing angle or sensor behaviour can transform an apparently impossible flight profile into one consistent with ordinary objects drifting with the wind. That is why the Aguadilla incident is frequently cited as an example of how authentic footage alone cannot establish that an object exhibited exotic technology or extraterrestrial origin.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s aaro puerto rico uap case resolution 2025 aaro puerto rico uap case resolutionUFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: ufotransparency.com
Link:https://ufotransparency.com/files/decade-2020s-[aaro
Source snippet
UFO TransparencyAARO Aguadilla Resolution Report, March 2025, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), U.S. Department of Defense · 2...
Published: March 2025
2.
Source: ufotransparency.com
Link:https://ufotransparency.com/files/decade-2020s-aaro-case-resolution-reports-2023-2025-aaro-puerto-rico-uap-case-resolution
Source snippet
UFO TransparencyAARO Resolves Aguadilla Sphere as Sky Lanterns, DoD / All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) · 2023 · UFO Transparency...
3.
Source: ufotransparency.com
Link:https://ufotransparency.com/files/decade-2020s-aaro-website-launch-case-resolutions-2023-aaro-puerto-rico-uap-case-resolution
Additional References
4.
Source: explorescu.org
Title: SC U Announcement on the AARO Investigation of the Aguadilla Video
Link:https://www.explorescu.org/post/scu-announcement-on-the-aaro-investigation-of-the-aguadilla-video
Source snippet
SCU Announcement on the AARO Investigation of the Aguadilla VideoApril 28, 2025 — SCU ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE AARO INVESTIGATION OF THE AGUAD...
Published: April 28, 2025
5.
Source: aliencouncil.com
Title: Aguadilla, Puerto Rico — CBP thermal video, 25… · The Council
Link:https://aliencouncil.com/cases/00067-aguadilla-cbp-2013/
Source snippet
July 17, 2026 — CASE #00067 · CASE OF RECORD AGUADILLA, PUERTO RICO — CBP THERMAL VIDEO, 25 APRIL 2013 Date observed 25 April 2013 Locati...
Published: July 17, 2026
6.
Source: uapedia.ai
Title: the aguadilla airport incident puerto rico 2013
Link:https://www.uapedia.ai/wiki/the-aguadilla-airport-incident-puerto-rico-2013/
Source snippet
The Aguadilla Airport Incident, Puerto Rico (2013) - UAPediaOctober 14, 2025 — TRANS-MEDIUM CLAIM ASSESSMENT (WATER ENTRY/EXIT) Claim: Th...
Published: October 14, 2025
8.
Source: nhianomalous.com
Title: aguadilla 2013 thermal uap
Link:https://nhianomalous.com/science/aguadilla-2013-thermal-uap
Source snippet
Aguadilla, 2013: The Trans-Medium Video Two Agencies Can't Agree On | NHI AnomalousMay 31, 2026 — AGUADILLA, 2013: THE TRANS-MEDIUM VIDEO...
Published: May 31, 2026
9.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Aguadilla UAP Video Analysis: Is It “Smoking Gun” Footage? | Rich Hoffman
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmvHKAbRuFI
Source snippet
Limina Inaugural Symposium Day 3 - Mick West...
10.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Homeland Security UAP Inferred Reconnaissance Video
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8mTT07Hsmk
Source snippet
Aguadilla UAP Video Analysis: Is It "Smoking Gun" Footage? | Rich Hoffman...
11.
Source: youtube.com
Title: UFO FILES: FOIA VIDEO RELEASE of the ‘Aguadilla UAP’ in Puerto Rico
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuSZDrBDgb8
Source snippet
UAP & SETI: Evolving Paradigms | Robert Powell...
12.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Limina Inaugural Symposium Day 3
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BahEq46t3Uo
Source snippet
UFO FILES: FOIA VIDEO RELEASE of the 'Aguadilla UAP' in Puerto Rico...
13.
Source: ufoevidence.com
Link:https://ufoevidence.com/case/aguadilla-uap-incident/