My First Encounter with The Breather!

ATS has become a bit of an ugly political forum...so to compensate in the spirit of the good-ol-days of ATS, I will offer a few threads on anomalous activity when I have the chance. This story, completely true, is the first [and least dramatic] of my 3 encounters with The Breather. The next encounter I had with The Breather was both terrifying and life threatening. But lets start here.


The first time I heard The Breather was at a swampy bog about 10 miles outside of town. The swamp had a boardwalk made of two boards on posts going out over the deepest part of the marsh. It was late at night when me and two of my high school brothers went out on the boardwalk for a smoke to end a staurday night on the rez. The swamp wasn't far from my house, and i had been out on the boarwalk 100 times before, but not at night. Once, I had taken a stick about 9 feet long and stuck it all the way into the mud easily to the end. it was like quicksand.

We walked about halfway out the boardwalk, to right at the spot where i had sunk the stick in the mud weeks earlier. It was pitch black out, but we could feel the boardwalk with our feet. We were going to go all the way out but I stopped everyone when i heard something moving in the mud/water only a couple feet from the boardwalk. I couldnt believe something could be there, because it was swamp mud that would sink a deer.

Then the breathing started. In and out...very slowly...very powerfully... It was a HUGE sound. If i tried to make the loudest breathing sound i could, it would be tiny compared to this sound. it sounded like an elephant breathing in and out, like cavernous huge lungs were breathing in and out and it was only a few feet from us.

it was pitch black, we couldnt see anything, but i could hear the sound of some movement in the water/mud, and the breathing continued. My brain was thinking cow? No, it couldnt be a cow in that mud without sinking, and cows cant breathe that loud. THE BREATHING WAS LOUD AND SLOW.

I was terrified but my mind was locked on to how impossible it was, when one of my friends started running in panic. My other friend started running so I followed. I went back the next day and the mud was soft and nothing could stand in it. Maybe a turtle, but not the elephant that was making that breathing sound.

That was my first, and shortest encounter with the Breather. i will post my other two soon.

Any possible way it was in a nearby tree? Creepy stuff- love it!

a reply to: jayfkntee
S&F great post!!!! THIS is why I came to ATS!

a reply to: jayfkntee


Given that it was "impossible" for anything to stay above the surface of the muck, I suggest that an animal had wandered out onto the boardwalk and you guys scared it off into the muck and were present as it breathed its terrified last and then sunk.


I'll admit "impossible" things do happen. I'll dig out my old "flying door" story that is very similar in some respects to your story. A good mystery or two under one's belt can support for a lifetime a belief that reality is not the crock that we are sold by consensus reality.

a reply to: jayfkntee

I love stories like this, and I can't wait to read the next two installments.

From the short story you have here, it sounds impossible for anything to be in the mud itself. When you're in pitch black, your imagination can sometimes get the best of you. Sometimes things in nature can be rhythmic and sound like breathing when really it's just your mind filling the gaps, so to speak. Like trees in the wind or something.

Maybe a bullfrog even?

Either way, I look forward to reading the rest!

Good one

Nice story!! It's hard to really speculate off of just this experience but I see you have two more. My first thought is that it could be the mud itself breathing. Maybe a mud flap venting out gas or heat? Just throwing it out there but looking forward to your other stories as well.

a reply to: jayfkntee
Do you have Elk in your area? It could have been an Elk that got stuck in the marsh and in it's struggle to free itself it would be puffing and panting heavily. As you should know at night sound travels great distances so it might not have been that near.
Just a thought.

a reply to: crayzeed

Thanks for the replies. It is nice to see the story of the event was appreciated, and I for one want to see more of this type of material and less of the vast political mudpit ATS has become.

An elk is a good theory, but there were no elk in that area. Truth is, there were no cows anywhere near either. I am a former wilderness patrol ranger and have extensive knowledge of animals like elk, and have plenty of experience with deer and bear too. I swear there is no way these animals, even a bear [which I have had sniff me while I pretended to sleep], could breathe this deeply/fully/loudly.

there were a few dead snags in the swamp a little ways off, but nothing that breathes like that could climb a tree [although bears do climb]. There were no bear in this particular area either.

Honestly, it was so perplexing that even though it was scary, I wasn't going to run... I really wanted to know what it was. I felt safe with 3 guys there, But when my first friend started running, the second friend stayed for only one more "breath", then he started running. I stayed by myself for a couple more breaths, and then figured i'd better get out of there too because I didn't want to be there alone. honestly, many years later, I am still mad at my first friend for running. I really wanted to know what it was. little did I know I would later be haunted by that very same sound, alone, in the scariest event of my lifetime, but thousands of miles away and a full year later.

I am a Native American and the next few stories of events will follow from the vision quest warrior's path I began the year after my first Breather experience, at the ripe old age of 19.

I will post the next breather event tomorrow. thanks for reading and commenting! Despite all the experiences I have had with this thing, many of the questions remain unanswered.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!

Are you going to continue in this thread?

I don't care if this is made up or not, I like a good story! You have me begging for more lol.

Very refreshing post with positive comments. Plus, I'm hooked on the story

I love it. I am going to throw this out there.... Back in 97 I was sitting on my deck in the evening. August so it was still very much day time. My wife had recently told me she wanted divorce and moved out with our two young daughters.

I was sitting there alone in silence contemplating life and I swear I could hear the atmosphere "breathing". Not loud like you describe but subtle. After noticing it I listened intently and it was rhythmical and consistent.

I have no idea what causes it but will never forget it.

Sounds scary. Just commenting to come back later and hear the rest.

Not yet known giant salamander. en.wikipedia.org...

BTW from above link:

The giant salamander is known to vocalize, making barking, whining, hissing, or crying sounds.[14] Some of these vocalizations bear a striking resemblance to the crying of a young human child, and as such it is known in the Chinese language as the "infant fish" ...

a couple more facts I remember.... when I got out to the road, the twbo other guys were there. I asked brian, my friend [the other guy was his friend, we went to separate high schools], "wtf man, why did you run away? lets go back.". he was like, "no way man, that breathing sound freaked me out".

I can tell you there is no way an elk, or even a moose can make that loud, cavernous breathing sound. I was disappointed the next morning when I found no sign of traces in the swamp by the boardwalk. I thought for sure there would be tracks in the mud, even a turtle would have left tracks, but there was nothing.

I swear, the breathing sound was only a few feet from us, off the boardwalk. I could hear the water moving a little, like something was slopping around in it a few feet from the boardwalk. the first guy to run was a 6' 1" swimmer who was actually in Olympic tryouts at the time [he didn't make it]. we were confident guys. the way he ran was straight up fearr, and then his friend followed, and then me. honestly, we didn't run from shiz back in the day. this was real and not any animal we knew of.

I too look forward to the next 2 installments. I enjoy cryptid stories, but for the life of me I do not remember hearing of any large theorized creature that would be able to live in that type of deep mud/muck you were describing. Cant wait to heat the follow up.....very interesting

a reply to: jayfkntee

Incredibly Awesome Tale!
I am looking forward to more from You!
Thank You for sharing this one,
and Thanx in advance for the stories to come! Syx

Thanks for the thread, waiting on more info!

I've been close to the everglades and have heard strange noises although not quite as you have described. Of course, with the location being what it was, the sound had turned out to be gators.

I suggest if you're heading out there again; Bring a sound recorder. Even a night vision camera can come in hand. Also, check out skunk ape recordings, info, etc. to compare and contrast considering there's recordings of breathy sounds.

a reply to: jayfkntee

Didn't even read your post,yet,but look forward to doing so..I just want to thank you for the breath of fresh air and for getting to read about something besides the usual stuff that's plagued ATS lately.



BTW;starred and flagged.

a reply to: jayfkntee

never under estimate the ` strangness ` of acoustics - on of the wierdest encounters i ever had - turned out to be a squirrel in a hollow log