The Many Sightings Of The 1995 Galicia UFO Wave

The Galicia area of Spain is largely a quiet, relaxed part of Europe. In the winter of 1995 and into the new year of 1996, that would change dramatically as the area was subject to a string of UFO sightings. These sightings, preserved on film by military security cameras, as well as witnessed by multiple residents of the area, were of genuine concern to the Spanish authorities. As was the attention these bizarre activities would generate. Reports of glowing craft and even of “humanoid beings” would for a time, attract the focus of the media and UFO interest groups alike.

Interestingly, when the Spanish government recently declassified UFO files dating back to the early sixties, it became apparent that these sightings had been happening for thirty years before the sudden wave that would catch the attention of the world’s media. Many would question just how aware the Spanish government actually was.

What is perhaps even more interesting, two decades after the Galicia wave, there appears to be an increase in sightings in this region of Spain once again. And with those sightings – in the Internet age no less – come a host of theories and conspiracies. Before we look at events in mid-nineties, check out the video below that looks at a sighting in Galicia from January 2012.

Military Base Captures Several “Objects” On Security Film

On the evening of 28^th November 1995, security cameras operating at the As Gandaras military base in the Galicia region of Spain filmed several strange objects in the night sky. ^[1] The Spanish military would take the sightings extremely seriously. According to anonymous sources, there was a genuine fear among high ranking officers of a “mapping of their facilities!”

It would have been preferable for the military to keep the sighting “in house” and away from public scrutiny. Unfortunately for them, a group of young men playing soccer in a nearby field also saw the strange objects. What’s more, they would waste little time in telling of their account to the Spanish, and in turn, the world’s media.

By the time the media had picked the bones of the details, it would come to light that the sightings began several days earlier on the 23^rd November. And far from being limited to those inside the military installation, they were witnessed by many different people.

Reports were very similar to each other. The crafts were saucer-shaped, with red, blue and yellow lights beaming from them. One report would state that the object flew so low he could see “large windows” in it, and also, interestingly or not, that “no-one was inside!”

Perhaps even more disturbingly were the warnings from UFOlogist, Marcelino Roquejo. He would offer to all who would listen that the recent sighting was but one of many happening regularly in this part of Spain. Further to that and more ominously, seismic disturbances were increasing at the same time. To Roquejo, there was surely a connection.

Further Sightings

The sightings would continue throughout the remainder of 1995 and into early 1996. Sightings in January alone were much higher than normal.

The small town of Pedrona was subject to a “luminous oval object” calmly sailing through the sky overhead. A short distance away in Gijon, several residents would report seeing a strange object hovering a short distance away from the coast over the sea. It sent out a fantastic array of multicolored lights that bounced off the dark waters below.

Perhaps one of the more fantastic sightings – captured on film to boot – was that of Bartolome Vazquez. Not only did Vazquez manage to record a clear triangular craft, but also the two military fighter jets seemingly in pursuit of it.

Another sighting, broadcast in part by the local television station, Channel 55, who responding to the surge of calls from excited residents, went out to film a “giant oval craft” that hovered motionless for almost an hour.

Along with the strange sightings, those who called this area of Spain home soon began to notice another presence – many high-ranking military and government officials.

The Landeira Incident

On the evening of 26^th February, while driving home to the city of Lugo just before 2 am, Andres Landeira, suddenly felt his vehicle struggle to gain traction on a steep hill. It was then he noticed his car rising from the road and into the air. Before he could come to his senses and attempt to jump from the car, he was over thirty-feet from the ground. Scrambling back safely into his seat, he gripped the steering wheel as hard as he could.

Then, as quickly as the bizarre experience began, the car fell back to the road. When Landeira composed himself, he noticed the clock on the car had frozen at ten minutes to two in the morning.

Landeira is largely regarded as a sound and credible witness. Furthermore, other independent witnesses would state they saw “strange lights” in the sky over the same site where Landeira had claimed his encounter took place.

Just over a week earlier to Landeira’s encounter, two children would report three glowing spheres in the sky while they were playing in the woods. After watching them for several minutes, they would merge into a single shape, very much like a saucer.

The following day, the two children returned to where they had seen the strange lights, and on the ground were footprints, unlike anything they had ever seen before. When they eventually led investigators to the location, their examination of the scene indicated whatever had left the prints was well over seven foot tall.

Little Creatures “Like Monkeys!”

In the early hours of 7^th March, Jose Manuel Castro would witness an airborne craft land on the ground no more than one-hundred feet from his house. As he watched events unfold from an outside balcony, strange creatures who “looked like monkeys” left the craft and began to explore their immediate surroundings. They arrived on the ground via a strange beam that projected out of the bottom of the craft.

There were three of them. The sphere itself appeared to be transparent, and the creatures appeared to simply walk through the outer exterior of it. They appeared to perform some strange ritual. They joined together in a “conga-like” procession and appeared to head towards Castro’s house.

At this point, Castro, beyond terrified, retreated from the balcony and locked himself in his property. The following day, he ventured to the area where he had seen the craft. There were strange footprints in the fresh muddy ground – prints he had never seen before.

The sightings appeared to cease as the spring announced itself – as did the seismic activity. Was this a consequence of their appearance? Or might the link be more direct? And what of the increase in sightings there in recent years?

Check out the video below, which features footage of a conspiracy in its own right. In the summer of 2009, footage showing military jets giving chase to a UFO off the coast of Galicia surfaced online. It has since been “proven” to be a hoax, but some believe this “proof” it itself is simply a cover-up of footage that never should have arrived in the public arena. Judge for yourself.

An Abundance Of Aerial Activity Before And After The Galicia Wave

Although the wave of sightings throughout Galicia in 1995 was certainly intense and well-publicized, sightings of strange ships in the skies had been occurring in Spain for decades. However, during the final decades of the twentieth century, the skies above Spain appeared to indeed become more active than in previous years. And as we shall see shortly, this aerial activity with vehicles unknown has continued into our contemporary era.

Three years before the wave of UFO sightings over Galicia an intriguing sighting was witnessed by a German couple and a friend as they were holidaying in Almunécar, Granada. The incident occurred at around 2 am one August evening in 1992. The witness, his girlfriend, and a man visiting the region from France had been sat on the beach enjoying the night views when they decided to call it a night.

As the group walked back to their camping site they noticed a strange, triangular object overhead, even likening it to the spaceship in the opening scenes of the Star Wars film.

The object continued through the sky going directly over their heads. However, despite its mammoth size, it didn’t make a sound. As the witness looked directly upwards, he could see that the craft was actually the shape of “two boomerangs flying one behind each other”. Due to the fact that he could not see “through” the gap between the first and second “boomerang”, he concluded that they were part of one, solid, object.

It remained visible for around 10 seconds before it suddenly disappeared in a “deaf lighting” in an instant.

The following year at around 8 pm on 6^th January 1993 in Seville, a local resident ^[2] witnessed a strange blue light while walking. It appeared to be going around the sky as if circling the city. Deciding to get a closer look, the unnamed witness decided to climb to the top floor of an unfinished 13^–floor building in order to try to get a better look at whatever the mysterious blue light was.

As he reached the top (open) floor, he saw the strange object shooting away into the distance. However, within seconds, “something black was flying” right in front of the witness “without making any sound”. Then, in a split second, the object (the blue light) was far away once more. This occurred several times, each time the witness would see a “very strong blue flash” as it moved away.

The witness would claim that several of his friends had also seen very similar blue-light-type objects, one of them as far away as New York City.

Round Object Hovering Off The Coast Of Seville

Several months before the surge of sightings at the end of 1995, an intriguing incident was reported in Alicante on the evening of 29^th July 1995. On the night in question, a husband and wife ^[3] were walking along the ocean promenade near the hotel they were staying in Alicante (the Melia Hotel). It was around 9:25 pm when the witness noticed a “small, bright, diffuse disc” hovering over the ocean a short distance away from them. He quickly pointed out the anomaly to his wife.

He would later describe the object as “circular, quite bright, and pearly white”. Despite the time of night, the sky was not yet dark, and no stars were visible meaning the object clearly stood out for what it was. He contemplated whether the object might be a weather balloon. However, after watching it for several minutes and having not seen it move once, he dismissed the idea.

As they continued walking slowly along the promenade, they happened upon a Spanish family who was sitting on a bench. They had clearly also noticed the object so the witness took the opportunity to ask them what it might be. They told him they had no idea, but they had been watching it for a considerable amount of time, elaborating that all the while it had simply remained motionless over the same spot. The witness noticed that there were many other people around the area, but few, if any appeared to be concerned with the strange object if they had even noticed it.

The couple remained watching the hovering craft for approximately ten minutes before returning to their hotel room. The witness would step onto the balcony a little after 9:40 pm and attempt to locate the object once more. In the spot where it had been, there was now a “bright star-like object – redder, fainter, and more point-like” than the object they had watched before. Whether this was a different object or merely that the first one had simply changed position is uncertain.

Chasing Trains And Beach Sightings

In June 1997 two Spanish students were setting out on a traveling trip through Europe before they returned to college when they experienced a bizarre sighting while on a train “somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Spain”. There were two other young men in their carriage, and as it was 3 am, most of the train was in darkness.

Suddenly, a strange aerial vehicle – approximately 25 to 30 feet across – appeared only several feet from the train window and seemed to keep pace with them. It remained there for around 10 minutes. Even stranger, the object changed shape several times, from a circle shape to an oval one, and even to a square. During this, the witness noticed the object had “several lights (that were) spinning”.

Then, with the train entering a tunnel, the object disappeared in an instant. However, upon emerging from it, the object returned, once more only several feet away, and keeping pace with their carriage before disappearing for good.

The group decided against reporting the sighting for fear of ridicule. However, several weeks later, they submitted an online report to NUFORC.

The following year on the 5^th May 1998, at around 4 am in Puerto Banus, an anonymous witness ^[4] and their friend were heading out from the town following a night out. As they were far from intoxicated, they decided to head to the beach for a while. As they sat on the sand looking at the stars in the sky they suddenly noticed a star-shaped object that was much brighter than the other stars around it. What’s more, this object was moving relatively quickly across the sky.

By the time it began to move around in “all sorts of directions” each made sure the other was watching. They both were. They both kept their focus on the object for around a minute before it disappeared out of sight.

Another sighting occurred almost exactly a year later in May 1999 in San Antonio, Ibiza. On the night in question, at a little after 9 pm, multiple residents of the area noticed a “tear-drop” shaped object moving slowly over the bay area. It appeared to have a metallic exterior and moved through the sky in a circular motion. Although it didn’t have any particular color to it, it remained intensely bright for the duration of it being in sight, which was several hours.

With the arrival of the twenty-first century, more and more sightings from Spain entered the public arena.

Sightings Of The 2000s

As the 2000s unfolded, perhaps in part thanks to the continued roll-out of the Internet, more and more sightings of strange lights and apparent spacecraft would come to light.

According to a report made to Tim McGaw, who was on holiday on the Island of Fuerteventura, he not only witnessed a strange disc-shaped object, but they managed to also capture a picture of it.

The sighting occurred in June 2004, with the witness simply trying to capture the beauty of their surroundings. However, when they looked back at what they had snapped, they noticed a strange disc-shaped craft that they hadn’t seen with their naked eye.

There are few other details about the incident, but the picture is indeed intriguing. You can see that picture below.

Further Sightings On The Spanish Mainland

There were several sightings on mainland Spain around the same time as the sighting documented above.

For example, according to a report from SEIP, on the evening of 22^nd April 1994, at around 9:30 pm in Duranguesado, a teenage boy witnessed a strange object overhead. The 14-year-old was making his way back home when he noticed something brighter than usual in the sky. He would recall that he instantly had the feeling that it wasn’t an airplane as the lights were different and it was moving a lot faster. As he continued to watch, the object changed directions several times, eventually disappearing into the distance and out of sight.

SEIP investigators would travel to the town in the hope of learning more about the sighting and speaking to other witnesses. Their initial efforts went unrewarded, however, around a week later they happened upon a woman who claimed to have had her own experience. And what’s more, without her knowing the details of the teenager’s sighting, she would reveal that her encounter occurred on the same evening and at the same time.

She would claim to have witnessed three white lights that were “stationary in the sky”. She would claim that she couldn’t tell if the lights were independent of each other or if they were part of one solid object. She would also go on to reveal that there had been many sightings of similar objects over the region that went back several years.

Just over two weeks later on around midnight on the 9^th May in Barcelona, an anonymous woman known only as “NM” witnessed a strange object over the city while with her two children. The account would appear in the Mundo Misterioso. NM, who was a criminologist, was driving with her two children in the car when she witnessed a strange object moving through the air at the side of the road. It was to her left (which, incidentally, was the side the beach was on).

She would describe the object as “rhomboid with one of its vertices broken off or truncated, or rather folded in”. Its exterior was of a “shiny orange color”.

Just sort of three months later at the end of August 2004, over Mazarron in Murcia, at around 9 pm, the witness (who submitted their report online) was sitting on the balcony gazing at the sky. Suddenly, out of the corner of their eye, they caught sight of a small bright, white light that flashed intensely for a second and then disappeared. They ignored it at first, but around 90 seconds later, another identical light appeared and flashed away just like the first.

The witness remained where they were studying the sky. Then, another flash of light, and while it disappeared just as quickly as the first two, its size was much larger. Despite the time, the witness claimed there was enough light to have made out an airplane or helicopter, and they were quite sure what they saw was not either of those.

Three Bizarre Lights Over Majorca

In the early autumn of 2005 over Majorca, a British holidaymaker witnessed a strange object in the early morning skies at around 7 am on the 10^th of September. Interestingly, on the same day, there was an almost identical sighting in Essex in England. In fact, it was when the witness read of the sighting in Essex upon returning home that she recalled her own encounter while on holiday. With the help of her son, she discovered an online reporting site, to which she submitted her report.

She would state that while at a villa they were staying at in Majorca in the town of Pollensa, she had happened to walk to the window that looked out to the north upon waking up. The view was magnificent, as she wrote, “the sun was rising in the east” and she looked north, she could see the majestic view of two ancient mountains.

However, it was as she was looking toward the mountains that she saw “three yellow lights” that she at first thought was an airplane, only it wasn’t moving. The lights were “equally positioned” in a straight, vertical line, “one above the other”.

She remained where she was at the window and watched the lights for around five minutes. At that point, she decided to go and quickly retrieve her camera in order to get proof of what she was seeing. However, by the time she had done so and returned to the window – which took less than a minute – the lights were no longer there.

She had initially brushed the sighting aside as the reflection of the dishes of a satellite mast. However, when she read of the report in the British newspaper, which described an almost identical set of lights, she changed her mind and decided she had most likely seen something out of the ordinary.

A “Fleet Of Spheres” Over Madrid

At around 3:30 pm on the afternoon of 5^th January 2006 over Madrid, according to a report in the Journal of Hispanic Ufology, a “fleet of spheres” was witnessed, and photographed, by a female witness who would only offer her name as “Fortuna”.

She would offer that she was looking at the sky with the sun behind her. She noticed an airliner go across her line of vision when a moment later she witnessed a “group of elongated things”. To begin with she thought she had witnessed something being ejected from the airplane but she soon realized these strange objects were not connected to the airliner.

It appeared as though the objects, rather than going in random directions as balloons might at the mercy of the wind, were flying in a very purposeful formation. As she focused in closer, she could clearly see that the objects were spherical and appeared to “blink” as they moved (whether this was a light or merely the reflection of the sun is uncertain).

Shortly after she first noticed them, she managed to capture her photograph (which you can see below) and then, before she could truly contemplate what was happening, they disappeared. She would estimate that they were visible for no longer than a minute.

“It Was Nothing Known – Not Even An Airplane!”

Another report that appeared in the Journal of Hispanic Ufology reveals an incident that occurred over Avenida de la Constitucion that was witnessed by at least 12 people on the evening of 7^th October 2006. The object was described as round and shiny and “fixed in the sky” before it suddenly began moving. It remained visible for around five minutes.

Even more remarkable, the object appeared to morph into a triangular shape as it disappeared into the distance. Also of interest, several witnesses saw a jet fighter plane appearing to patrol the area for a short time after the object had disappeared.

One witness, Eva Martin, claimed that whatever the object was “it was nothing known, not even an airplane”. She would continue that many witnesses felt more concerned by the apparent presence of military aircraft and yet there was no explanation offered by them as to what the object (which they clearly were aware of) might have been.

Another witness, Rafael Casares, who was considered an expert in such phenomena, claimed to the media that “the fact the orange light remained in the same spot for some minutes and then moved is a sign that we are facing a genuine UFO”. He would elaborate that the area where the object was seen is considered as a “(UFO) sightings hotspot”.

The sighting was examined by Astrophysicists as well as high-ranking officials in the Spanish military. Scientists would ultimately declare that the object was definitely not a meteorite (although they didn’t rule out an “atmospheric reflection”), while defense officials stated there was no other known aircraft in the airspace at the time of the incident. In short, there is reason to believe the encounter is a credible one.

“Meteors” Over Montamarta And Orange Lights Over Marbella

During the morning of 26^th October 2007 in the town of Montamarta, a schoolteacher witnessed a bizarre object screeching across the sky “from west to east”. She was making her way to the school where she worked at the time of the sighting. She would describe the object as being a “fixed, fiery light that spouted like little flames and had a bluish tail”.

She could clearly see the aerial anomaly due to the fact that the morning sky remained relatively dark so the “light could be clearly seen”. What’s more, the strange object was the only thing in the morning sky, with no other aircraft in the vicinity and with all the stars having long since given up their watch.

The teacher noted how the object was descending toward the ground and that it appeared to “turn off” before reaching the surface. When she mentioned the sighting to other staff members at the school later that day, she was surprised, and relieved, to learn that someone else had witnessed the bizarre object also.

Although the date is uncertain, at some point in 2007 a sighting that caused the emergency services switchboard to temporarily stop working across the Spanish provinces of Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Toledo, and Valladolid. On the night in question, there were multiple reports of the “sudden appearance” of an “exceptionally bright fireball”.

The brightness of the “fireball” was such that even personnel at the Torrejon de Ardoz Air Base, who were on training missions at the time, also witnessed the incident. Many put the sighting down to meteorites, however, what the origin of the strange object actually was remains open to debate.

At around 7 pm on the 11^th December 2009 over Malaga a married couple was walking their dog ^[5] when they suddenly noticed a “bright, yellowish object” moving overhead. They immediately noticed how high it was, much higher than they would normally see aircraft traveling at.

Then, the object stopped, remained still for several moments, and then headed in the direction of the witnesses. They could see that it had no lights on it and so quickly ruled out any remaining ideas that it might be an airplane. When they saw an airplane pass underneath the light a few moments later, this cemented in their minds that they were watching something truly strange.

The next thing they knew, the light disappeared momentarily before reappearing a second or two later and then begin moving in a different direction. The witness claimed it appeared as though it was “carrying out reconnaissance of the area”.

Between 4 am and 5 am on the 27^th June 2010 over Marbella, an anonymous resident would witness strange “orange lights” as they peered out of their hotel window. The object moved slowly across the sky but all the while remained the same distance from each other, perhaps suggesting that they were part of a solid craft as opposed to being independent.

Bizarre Objects Photographed Over Spain

Perhaps because of the fact that almost all of us have a phone with a camera on it in our pockets, there have been many pictures that appear to have captured strange objects – many of which have come from Spain.

During the evening of 24^th August 2010, Nigel Arnold photographed a red, disc-like object while on holiday in Ibiza. He would claim that he initially thought the object was nothing more than an airplane. However, the more he looked at it, the more he realized that it lacked certain features of a plane.

Several other people also noticed the bizarre object. He would estimate that it was between 5000 to 10,000 feet high and didn’t appear to make a noise. As they stood gazing upward, Arnold had the presence of mind to attempt to capture a picture of it. You can see that picture below.

On the morning of 5^th November 2010 at around 11 am in Acojeja, Tenerife, a Dutch resident on vacation in the region managed to capture an image of a strange object seemingly hovering over the sea.

The witness, Annelies Middel, noticed the bizarre object – shaped similar to a disc or oval – as she was looking out over the water. There are rarely large birds in the area, and there had been no planes pass close by in the several days that they had been there. She also recalls how there appeared to be no noise at all from the strange, metallic-looking object.

When the witness studied the pictures, she also noted how there appeared to be a “straight line” running along the front of the craft – perhaps some kind of navigation device as it appeared symmetrical on each side.

Although she wasn’t at all sure what it was, the witness was almost certain that it was not a terrestrial aircraft. You can see that picture below.

Black Disc Over the Guadiana River

During the afternoon of 9^th June 2011, two brothers were enjoying a fishing trip ^[6] on the Guadiana River in Badajoz. By 4 pm, with the sun still high in the sky and a gentle breeze blowing over them, the witness decided to lay back on the riverbank for a moment.

He lay there for around five minutes simply gazing up at the sky. Then, from out of nowhere and from behind him, a “black, disc-shaped object” came into view and move across the sky, roughly in line with the direction of the river. From his perspective, the craft was approximately the size of an aspirin or paracetamol tablet.

His brother was seemingly oblivious to the mystery object, his attention firmly on the water. The witness called out to him and directed his attention upward. However, he was unable to locate it, claiming all he could see were some birds in the distance. The witness, though, watched until it disappeared over the horizon.

He discounted that what he saw had been a bird simply because of the speed with which it moved, not to mention the dimensions being almost perfectly round.

Is There A Reason Spain Has So Many UFO Sightings?

We might ask if there is such an abundance of UFO sightings in Spain – sightings which have gone on for decades with a particular increase in the 1970s – might the fact that a large part of the country is open to the Mediterranean Sea which, in turn, leads out into the Atlantic Ocean?

In 2010 an article by Anna Nicholas in the Telegraph newspaper asked Are UFOs Targeting Majorca? Nicholas would document the encounter of Josep Climent, who managed to capture one of the best UFO pictures in history on the evening of 12^th November 1979. Climent claimed he was leaving the local cinema when he and several friends noticed bizarre lights circling overhead. Shortly after noticing the strange aerial display, Climent used his Minolta camera and captured a picture of them. It was an image that would be seen worldwide over the coming days and weeks. You can see that picture below.

It might be easy to dismiss the sighting as a trick of the light or natural phenomena, had it not been for the emergency landing of a Spanish plane after a very similar light appeared to be on a collision course with it as it made its way to Tenerife.

Sparked by Climent’s account, Nicholas would speak to local people of the area about the sightings, and of UFOs in general. She would find that many people believed very much in their presence, mainly because they or someone they knew had seen one. She would even learn of “strange vibrations” that have been noted to come from the seabed around half a mile off the coast of Port Soller, a detail which leads many UFO researchers and investigators to question whether some kind of extraterrestrial base might exist in the region. This would, of course, explain the abundance of activity along the Spanish coast and mainland Spain.

Interestingly, despite releasing many other documents and such regarding UFO sightings, the Spanish military has never returned the negatives of the picture taken by Climent. Make of that what you will.

If such claims are accurate, though, and there is a persistent UFO presence off the coast of Spain, might it be that we may see another wave of sightings like that overtook Galicia in 1995?

The short video below features a piece of UFO footage from Spain from 2010.