Is There Evidence for a UFO Base Near Manabi?

Introduction

Manabí Province occupies a distinctive place in Ecuador’s UFO folklore because it combines repeated reports of unusual lights over the Pacific coast with a much more ambitious claim: that an extraterrestrial underwater base exists offshore near Crucita, close to Portoviejo, and has occasionally been detected by military personnel. While these stories have become some of Ecuador’s best-known UFO narratives, the evidence supporting them varies dramatically in quality. Reports of unidentified aerial phenomena have been made by civilians and military witnesses over several decades, but the alleged submerged base rests almost entirely on second-hand testimony, later retellings and claims promoted by Ecuadorian UFO researcher Jaime Rodríguez rather than independently verifiable technical evidence.[larepublica.ec]larepublica.ecla historia desclasificada de base ovni en manabiLa RepúblicaECLa historia desclasificada de la base OVNI en Manabí | La República ECFebruary 9, 2018…Published: February 9, 2018

Understanding the Manabí claims therefore requires separating three different questions: whether unusual sightings have occurred along the coast, whether military personnel genuinely reported unexplained observations, and whether any evidence demonstrates the existence of a hidden underwater installation. The first has numerous witnesses, the second has some documentary support through Ecuador’s wider UFO investigations, while the third remains unverified.

Why Manabí Became Ecuador’s Most Famous UFO Coast

Among Ecuadorian UFO enthusiasts, the Pacific coastline around Manta, Crucita and nearby Chirije has long been regarded as a hotspot. The area’s open sea, military aviation activity, commercial shipping and frequent clear coastal skies have all contributed to repeated reports of unusual lights and objects.

Interest intensified after Ecuador’s Ministry of Defence authorised the search for and release of UFO-related military material during the late 2000s. Researcher Jaime Rodríguez subsequently argued that testimony collected through the Ecuadorian Commission for the Investigation of the UFO Phenomenon (CEIFO) showed a recurring pattern of aircraft and naval crews encountering unidentified objects entering or leaving the sea. Those broader claims are part of Ecuador’s documented UFO history, but the interpretation of those reports remains disputed.[La RepúblicaEC]larepublica.ecla historia desclasificada de base ovni en manabiLa RepúblicaECLa historia desclasificada de la base OVNI en Manabí | La República ECFebruary 9, 2018…Published: February 9, 2018

Within this broader setting, the alleged underwater base became the most extraordinary—and the least independently substantiated—claim.

Manta and Crucita Sighting Reports

Reports from the Manabí coast fall into two broad categories.

The first consists of civilian observations of lights or unidentified objects over the Pacific. Local media have periodically reported witnesses describing bright formations offshore near Manta, including photographs and videos whose contents remain unidentified but not necessarily extraordinary. In most cases, the available material lacks sufficient detail for independent analysis, and no official investigation has concluded that these observations represented non-human technology.[El Diario]eldiario.ecOpen source on eldiario.ec.

The second category involves accounts attributed to military personnel. According to Rodríguez, several Ecuadorian Air Force pilots described pursuing unidentified objects that appeared to descend towards the sea near the Crucita area before disappearing from view. These accounts have circulated widely in Ecuadorian UFO literature and media coverage, but the original operational records, radar data and flight documentation have not been released in a form that allows independent verification.[La RepúblicaEC]larepublica.ecla historia desclasificada de base ovni en manabiLa RepúblicaECLa historia desclasificada de la base OVNI en Manabí | La República ECFebruary 9, 2018…Published: February 9, 2018

This distinction is important. Witness testimony can establish that people believed they observed something unusual. It cannot, by itself, establish the nature of what was observed.

The Shyri Submarine Hangar Claim

The central pillar of the underwater-base narrative concerns the Ecuadorian Navy submarine Shyri (SS-101).

According to Rodríguez’s published account, former naval commander Luis Jaramillo Arias reported that while commanding the submarine approximately 50 nautical miles off Crucita, sonar operators detected what was described as a large “underwater hangar”. Rodríguez argues that this structure was associated with repeated UFO activity observed in the region and that military authorities were aware of its existence.[CODIGO OCULTO]codigooculto.comOpen source on codigooculto.com.

Over time, this story evolved into a much stronger assertion: that the sonar contact represented an extraterrestrial submarine base. More recent Ecuadorian media have repeated Rodríguez’s claim, sometimes stating that Jaramillo confirmed the existence of such a base. However, these reports ultimately trace back to Rodríguez’s interpretation rather than to independently released naval records or publicly available sonar data.[El Diario]eldiario.ecEl Diario Jaime Rodríguez y su hipótesis sobre OVNI en CrucitaEl DiarioJaime Rodríguez y su hipótesis sobre OVNI en CrucitaFebruary 18, 2026…Published: February 18, 2026

Several critical pieces of evidence that would normally accompany such an extraordinary military detection have never entered the public domain:

Without those materials, the alleged sonar contact cannot be independently evaluated.

How Strong Is the Evidence?

When separated by evidential quality, the Manabí case becomes much easier to assess.

Reasonably supported

Contested

• Claims that multiple military pilots repeatedly tracked unidentified craft disappearing into the sea.
• Assertions that naval officers regarded the offshore sonar anomaly as highly unusual.

These claims depend primarily upon witness testimony and secondary reporting rather than publicly available technical documentation.

Not independently established

This hierarchy reflects a recurring pattern within UFO investigations generally: the existence of reports is often much easier to establish than the extraordinary interpretations later attached to them.

Why Independent Verification Has Not Occurred

The underwater-base hypothesis illustrates the difference between anecdotal evidence and verifiable evidence.

A sonar operator may legitimately encounter an unidentified return for many reasons, including unusual seabed topography, equipment artefacts, geological formations or objects whose identity cannot immediately be determined. Concluding that such a return represents an extraterrestrial installation requires evidence far beyond an initial observation.

Independent verification would normally require several forms of corroboration:

None of these standards has been met publicly in relation to the alleged Crucita installation.[El Telégrafo]eltelegrafo.com.ecEl TelégrafoEl Telégrafo - Crucita vuelve al debate OVNI: versión de “base submarina” reaviva la polémica en Manabí…

Why the Story Persists

The Manabí narrative has endured because it combines several elements that reinforce one another: genuine historical UFO reports, military witnesses, partial government declassification, and an offshore location that is difficult for the public to investigate directly.

Each element lends a degree of plausibility to the next, even though they are supported by different levels of evidence. Confirmed government interest in unidentified aerial reports does not automatically validate claims of extraterrestrial infrastructure, yet the two ideas are often presented together in popular retellings.

Local geography also contributes to the legend. The open Pacific, naval operations, commercial aviation near Manta and decades of regional UFO folklore provide a setting in which new sightings are frequently interpreted through the lens of existing stories rather than evaluated independently.

Is There Evidence for a UFO Base Near Manabí?

Based on the publicly available record, the answer is no.

There is credible evidence that Ecuador investigated UFO reports and that military and civilian witnesses described unexplained aerial observations in Manabí and elsewhere. There is also substantial evidence that Jaime Rodríguez has consistently promoted the hypothesis of an underwater installation near Crucita using testimony he attributes to military personnel.[La RepúblicaEC]larepublica.ecla historia desclasificada de base ovni en manabiLa RepúblicaECLa historia desclasificada de la base OVNI en Manabí | La República ECFebruary 9, 2018…Published: February 9, 2018

What is absent is the kind of independently verifiable evidence that would demonstrate the existence of an underwater base: authenticated naval records, reproducible sonar data, direct imaging, seabed surveys or corroboration by independent investigators.

Consequently, the alleged submerged base near Manabí remains one of Ecuador’s most influential UFO stories rather than an established finding. It occupies an important place within the country’s UFO tradition because it illustrates how authentic military reporting, incomplete documentation and extraordinary interpretation can become intertwined into a single enduring narrative.

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Endnotes

1. Source: larepublica.ec
Title: la historia desclasificada de base ovni en manabi
Link:https://www.larepublica.ec/blog/2018/02/09/la-historia-desclasificada-de-base-ovni-en-manabi/

Published: February 9, 2018

2. Source: eldiario.ec
Link:https://www.eldiario.ec/manabi/captan-imagenes-de-siete-objetos-voladores-no-identificados-frente-a-manta-17012023/

3. Source: eltelegrafo.com.ec
Link:https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/tendencias/213/crucita-vuelve-debate-ovni-base-submarina-manabi

4. Source: codigooculto.com
Link:https://codigooculto.com/extraterrestre/existe-una-base-alienigena-en-manabi-ecuador-testimonios-de-militares-asi-lo-sugieren/

5. Source: eldiario.ec
Title: El Diario Jaime Rodríguez y su hipótesis sobre OVNI en Crucita
Link:https://www.eldiario.ec/portoviejo/investigador-ecuatoriano-jaime-rodriguez-retoma-antigua-hipotesis-sobre-presencia-extraterrestre-frente-a-crucita-portoviejo-18022026/

Published: February 18, 2026

6. Source: eldiario.ec
Title: Ufólogo dice que hay base OVNI submarina frente a Crucita
Link:https://www.eldiario.ec/portoviejo/investigador-afirma-existencia-de-base-ovni-submarina-frente-a-crucita-portoviejo-17022026/

Additional References

7. Source: extra.ec
Link:https://www.extra.ec/noticia/buena-vida/avistamientos-ovnis-manabi-relato-testigo-asegura-haberlos-visto-tres-veces-155149.html

Published: June 3, 2026

8. Source: leadstories.com
Link:https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2026/05/fact-check-video-of-flying-egg-shaped-object-does-not-come-from-pentagon-ufo-files.html

Published: May 15, 2026

9. Source: eluniverso.com
Title: API FOTO / ARIEL OCHOA Foto: API Por: Redacción
Link:https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/ecuador/autoridades-descartan-que-incendio-de-embarcaciones-en-manta-sea-un-acto-de-terrorismo-nota/?outputType=amp

Published: June 6, 2026

10. Source: youtube.com
Title: UFO Casebook | Dossier Ecuador | S1E10
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAcCgUhOMTk

11. Source: amp.dw.com
Title: video 77388202
Link:https://amp.dw.com/id/cek-fakta-benarkah-ufo-alien-menampakkan-diri-di-natuna/video-77388202

12. Source: radiofama-v.com
Link:https://www.radiofama-v.com/2026/02/18/crucita-vuelve-al-debate-ovni-version-de-base-submarina-reaviva-la-polemica-en-manabi/

13. Source: eluniverso.com
Link:https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/internacional/el-ufologo-jaime-rodriguez-dice-que-en-ecuador-ha-conocido-de-al-menos-44-casos-de-avistamientos-de-ovnis-nota/

15. Source: informatemanabi.com
Link:https://informatemanabi.com/%E2%9D%96-manabi-%E2%96%AEreavivan-debate-ovni-en-manabi-por-version-de-base-submarina-frente-a-crucita/

16. Source: expreso.ec
Link:https://www.expreso.ec/buenavida/ovnis-ecuador-registros-oficiales-testigos-militares-revelan-encuentros-235688.html