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Shoreline of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico — a US Customs and Border Protection aircraft filmed a transmedium UAP entering the ocean near this coastline on April 25, 2013

Aguadilla DHS FLIR — Trans-Medium USO

Apr 25, 2013

Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Modern Era

Shoreline of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico — a US Customs and Border Protection aircraft filmed a transmedium UAP entering the ocean near this coastline on April 25, 2013

Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

  • DateApr 25, 2013
  • LocationAguadilla, Puerto Rico
  • Witnesses0
  • ShapeUnknown
  • Credibility★★★★★
Same eraModern Era
  1. 2011Fukushima Daiichi UAP Orbs (2011)
  2. 2012Indian Army Ladakh UAP Observations
  3. 2013Aguadilla DHS FLIR — Trans-Medium USO
  4. 2013Indian Army Ladakh UAP — Demchock / Lagan Kher
  5. 2014Chilean Navy FLIR UAP Video

Credibility Audit

6 factors
  1. Military Witness+3
  2. Pilot Witness+3
  3. Radar Corroborated+3
  4. Video Evidence+2
  5. Govt. Acknowledgment+4
  6. Multiple Witnesses+2
Raw total17
Final tier★★★★★Exceptional
Thresholds
  • ★0–3
  • ★★4–7
  • ★★★8–11
  • ★★★★12–16
  • ★★★★★17+

DoD Observables

4 of 5
  • Instantaneous Acceleration
  • Hypersonic Velocity
  • Low Observability
  • Trans-Medium Travel
  • Anti-Gravity Lift

Event Description

On April 25, 2013, a US Customs and Border Protection aircraft equipped with a FLIR Systems Star SAFIRE II forward-looking infrared camera was conducting a surveillance patrol near Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, when operators detected an unidentified object moving at low altitude along the coastline. The thermal footage — approximately three minutes in length — was subsequently obtained through unofficial channels and subjected to rigorous technical analysis.

The object in the footage moves at speeds estimated between 40 and 120 miles per hour, maneuvering around and through obstacles including trees and structures at the airport perimeter. It then enters the ocean without any deceleration consistent with impact. Approximately seven seconds after submerging, the object reappears above the ocean surface and shortly thereafter appears to separate into two distinct objects before the footage ends. The thermal signature of the object throughout the recording is inconsistent with hot-exhaust propulsion, balloons, birds, or any known drone of 2013-era technology.

The footage was analyzed and published in 2015 as a detailed technical report by the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU), a group of researchers including individuals with professional backgrounds in FLIR operations, physics, and aerospace engineering. The report's methodology included frame-by-frame thermal analysis, speed calculations against known landmarks, and comparison of the object's thermal signature against known aircraft, biological entities, and atmospheric phenomena. The SCU assessment concluded that the object's transmedium operation — transitioning from air to water and back without loss of speed — was inconsistent with any known natural phenomenon, conventional aircraft, drone, or bird.

The US government has never officially acknowledged or commented on the Aguadilla footage, and the identity of the CBP aircraft or crew has not been confirmed publicly. The footage predates the USS Omaha sphere video by six years and shows nearly identical transmedium behavior — ocean entry without deceleration — suggesting a consistent, repeating phenomenon rather than isolated incidents. It remains one of the most technically scrutinized transmedium UAP recordings in existence.

Sources

  1. [1]governmentAARO Case Resolution Report — Aguadilla 2013 (Mar 2025)
  2. [2]governmentCBP FOIA Release via MuckRock
  3. [3]academicSCU — 2013 Aguadilla Puerto Rico UAP Incident Report (Zenodo, peer-reviewed)
  4. [4]mediaThe Debrief — DHS Agents and UAP Encounters
  5. [5]mediaThe Black Vault — AARO Sky Lanterns vs SCU Findings