The recent release of previously classified military records of “close encounters” with Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and potential extraterrestrial beings has tongues wagging. In the Lowcountry, more people than ever are questioning whether we are truly alone — or whether this is yet another distraction from the Epstein files.
Though none of the released federal documents show UFO sightings in South Carolina, that’s not the case with another national database that has been compiling reports since 1974. The National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), founded by UFO investigator Robert J. Gribble, contains hundreds of documents detailing UFO sightings in South Carolina, dating as far back as the 1960s. The center has processed more than 150,000 reports nationwide since it was established.
Though NUFORC’s UFO capital of the state may very well be Myrtle Beach (is anyone surprised?), the Lowcountry has no shortage of sightings. Reports detail flying saucers buzzing Kiawah Island as well as hovering oval shapes looming over the sea islands and mysterious lights spotted between North Charleston and the downtown peninsula. A few reports even contain screenshots of recordings captured by witnesses.
We’ve picked out a handful of some of the more interesting reports, but remember: This is only a fraction of what’s listed online. Visit nuforc.org for more information, records and photos.
Recent Lowcountry sightings
UFO Sighting 194165
West Ashley, Nov. 16, 2025
A witness reported seeing a low-flying circular object smaller than a standard plane during a drive near the intersection of Savannah Highway and Main Road toward Johns Island. According to the report, the object appeared to be flying at roughly the altitude of a low aircraft and moved from south to north faster than a plane on approach for landing.
“As it crossed the road, it gave off a faint glow and looked, from our perspective, larger than a drone but smaller than a small plane or helicopter,” according to the reported sighting. “Once it reached the north side of the road, it vanished completely from sight.”
UFO Sighting 193237
Folly Beach, Oct. 13, 2025
A witness reported seeing a large orb of light with changing brightness and shape before disappearing completely. The witness said he could tell the light was connected to a larger object, and the illuminated orb was only the front of it. As he was watching, a strip of light moved through the object, revealing that the shape was blimp-like and hovering over the ocean as the light grew dimmer.
“I was able to keep watching it for 30 seconds, and with the orb no longer lit, I could see the entire blimp-like shape of the object as it floated in the air,” the witness said in the report. “It did not fall from what I could see, and after 30 seconds-a minute I could no longer see it.
“I [remained] in the same place for five or so minutes while I called my friend to recount my experience, but I did not see the light or object again.”
UFO Sighting 184371
Mount Pleasant, Nov. 20, 2024
A witness said he saw a hazy object appearing in the sky while traveling from Mount Pleasant to downtown Charleston across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. The witness’ wife, who was in the passenger seat of the vehicle, took a photo of the bridge. It wasn’t until they later looked at the photo that they saw the out-of-focus football-shaped object that appeared to be following a U.S. destroyer ship that had just gone under the bridge heading east out of Charleston Harbor.
UFO Sighting 171781
Kiawah Island, Sept. 15, 2022
Two witnesses reported seeing a red-colored circular object in the sky that appeared to be moving and hovering over the water as they sat on the beach. Both took videos and photos and returned to their rental home on the island to search the internet for similar sightings. They reportedly found footage that appeared similar to theirs that had been shared in 2018. One of the pair also reported feeling a “need” to observe the object.
“We felt transfixed by the object, it was difficult to stop staring at the object,” the report said. “We also noticed what appeared to be three planes and a helicopter forming a triangular shape and flying toward the object. I have heard two helicopters flying over our vacation rental since returning from the beach.”
UFO Sighting 171812
Moncks Corner, Sept. 11, 2022
A member of the Trappist Monastery of the Cistercian Order, a strict branch of Catholic monks, reported seeing an oval, double disk with green and red lights appearing in front of the full moon near a Mepkin Abbey retreat center. The object appeared to move extremely slowly, the report says, and it took time for the witness to realize it was moving at all. The sighting was allegedly verified by another guest at the retreat.
Blasts from the past
UFO Sighting 78195
James Island, June 1, 1978
In 2010, a James Island resident reportedly spotted three oval shapes outlined in soft green light through trees while driving the length of Bohicket Road from Kiawah Island. The lights reportedly hovered and followed alongside the car at a distance.
“At first I could not believe what I was seeing, and being alone in this area, I found this disturbing,” the report said. “The lights were more closely located to the far side of the marsh, along the Ashley River. By the time I hit the bridge to James Island at the Marina Inlet, they disappeared.”
UFO Sighting 56853
Summerville, July 31, 1969
A Summerville resident reported in 2007 that he witnessed a glowing light that filled the entire sky over Summerville in the summer of 1969. The witness said he didn’t recall exactly when it was or many of the details. He said he remembered his neighbors outside on the street all looking up, and a light that started small slowly grew large enough to fill the sky, lasting for what seemed about an hour.
“I remember being scared to death and going inside my house with some of the neighbors,” the report said. “When it was gone, there were lots of phone calls and lots of discussions. To this day, I don’t know how it was ever explained. I have told very few people of this incident for obvious reasons, most insist you are exaggerating or just not remembering the events accurately.”
UFO Sighting 106480
North Charleston, Aug. 20, 1965
A North Charleston resident in 2014 reported seeing a “sphere of fire” making multiple course changes with no delay during a 30-second period in 1965. The witness said he was about 9 years old at the time and was riding his bike near the Air Force base. The object was about 1,000 feet to 5,000 feet above ground, according to the report. It moved from east to west toward the base and changed course abruptly multiple times with no curvature or deceleration.
“I thought to myself, ‘Nobody will believe what I just saw,’ ” the report said. “I went home, didn’t tell my mom or either of my brothers what I saw. I developed an interest in UFOs after this.”
Honorable mention
UFO Welcome Center
Bowman, S.C.
Plenty of people can recall spotting a UFO on the ground in Bowman, S.C. Built in the backyard of Jody Pendarvis in 1994 as the UFO Welcome Center, you could enter the saucer-shaped structure through a powered ramp. The “spaceship,” was mounted on four columns and contained a labyrinth of mechanical and electronic salvage parts. It was furnished with a bed, satellite TV, air-conditioning, a toilet and shower. Pendarvis reportedly said he saw himself as an ambassador to aliens and wanted to provide a facility where they could rest after journeying to Earth.
It quickly became a tourist curiosity, becoming the center of a 2001 segment in The Daily Show, in which Stephen Colbert presented a comedic tour of the attraction. In 2003, Pendarvis added a small saucer to the top and began living in the welcome center.
The Welcome Center burned to the ground May 9, 2024 in a fire of unknown origin. Media reports quoted Pendarvis as saying, “Maybe another UFO came by and set the fire.”
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