Submechanophobia

Submechanophobia is a specific fear of submerged man-made objects, whether they lie partially or entirely underwater. The name combines the Latin sub, meaning under, with the Ancient Greek mechane, machine, and phobos, fear. Objects that commonly trigger the fear include shipwrecks, sunken statues, sea mines, submerged animatronics of the kind used in theme park attractions, and abandoned underwater buildings, as well as far more mundane items such as buoys, anchor chains and scattered debris resting on a riverbed or seafloor. The fear is thought to draw on the combination of dark, obscured water and the unnatural presence of artificial structures where none are expected, producing unease distinct from ordinary aquatic or open-water phobias. As with other specific phobias, the intensity of the reaction varies between individuals, ranging from mild discomfort at photographs of sunken wrecks to genuine panic when swimming or diving near submerged machinery.