U.S. Army Corps of Engineers posted this video of the vortex on June 5th.

Like a scene straight out of a sailor’s worst nightmare, an eight-foot wide vortex opened up on Lake Texoma, Texas earlier this month. But no, this isn’t a portal to a horrific Lovecraftian world, and no, it isn’t the entrance to the Kraken’s lair. 

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who spoke with Business Insider, the vortex is caused simply by excess water. Flooding on the Red River, the source for Lake Texoma, has caused the lake to increase to record levels, to the point where it has flowed over the Denison Dam spillway - for the first time in history. Because the lake water is so high, the Army Corps needed to open the dam’s floodgates to let the water out.

The immense amount of water draining through the floodgates is what caused the whirlpool, much like pulling the drain on your kitchen sink. Only this time, it’s capable of swallowing a small boat.