In the early morning hours of October 8, 2005, as sunlight stretched across the waters of Tanjung Aru Beach in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, two witnesses observed a sighting that remains one of the most detailed accounts of an unidentified object transitioning from water to air. The event lasted under five minutes but provided a clear view of an advanced craft operating in ways beyond any known human technology.

George Gregory Matanjun, then 52, and his wife had just dropped off their 18-year-old daughter at school around 6:50 AM. With time before local shops opened for breakfast, the couple visited the beach. They sat on concrete steps facing the sea, enjoying the morning calm, unaware that they were about to witness something highly unusual.

At 7:05 AM, Mrs. Matanjun pointed out an odd movement on the water, roughly 500 meters offshore. At first glance, it appeared to be a strip of white waves breaking on the surface. However, Matanjun soon realized it was moving parallel to the shore, rather than toward it. The speed and direction ruled out a natural wave pattern.

Initially, his wife suggested it could be a dolphin, but the motion did not match that of marine life. The disturbance in the water moved far too fast and measured approximately eight to nine meters in length. Matanjun also ruled out the possibility of a boat, as nothing was visible above the surface. It appeared to be only a moving disturbance in the water without any identifiable structure.

The beach where they sat was in the middle of a gentle bay, with Kota Kinabalu International Airport approximately three kilometers to their left. The object moved directly in the direction of the airport at an estimated speed of 30 to 40 kilometers per hour.

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The moment that followed took the sighting beyond a simple unidentified underwater disturbance.

After tracking the movement for roughly two minutes, the couple saw a craft emerge from the exact location of the moving white strip. In one seamless motion, it broke through the surface and continued in the same direction, now flying in the air rather than moving through the water.

The transition was fluid, without any splash or visible water displacement that would be expected from a conventional submarine or vessel surfacing. Where moments earlier there had been only an unusual wake, now a structured craft was airborne.

Matanjun described the object as white and metallic gray. The most prominent feature was a large, rounded lower section with a gently curved upper portion. He later compared it to a craft he had seen in a UFO database, noting the similarity to other documented sightings.

Once airborne, its size was easier to estimate. It was significantly larger than the disturbance in the water, suggesting that part of it had remained submerged during the initial observation. The absence of any visible propulsion system made the sighting even more remarkable. There were no propellers, rotors, or jet exhaust. Despite its speed and movement, it produced no sound at all.