New island forms off coast of North Carolina but it may not be there for long

Whale bones, remnants of shipwrecks, and thousands of sea shells fill the new island

A man surfs near Cape Hatteras in Outer Banks, North Carolina where a new island has formed and storms are common (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

A new island has formed off of the coast of North Carolina.

A crescent-shaped sandy land mass approximately 100 yards (90 m) at its widest point and a mile (1.6km) long has formed near the Outer Banks, a chain of barrier islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

A child walking along the land collecting several sea shells has dubbed it Shelly Island.

Chad Koczera took the opportunity and photographed the new island with a drone.

It is not uncommon for spits of land to be formed in the shallow and rough waters with constantly changing currents there, known to sailors as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” according to National Geographic.

However a local historian told the magazine it is the largest land mass that has ever formed.

Mark Dowdle, deputy superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and local scientists who study the dynamic coastline said the island will likely be gone within a year, possibly even be covered in the next big storm.

The local park police have warned people from walking around the “sandbar” during low tide due to the strong currents and riptides surrounding it. The area has long-attracted sport fishers and Shelly Island could help people gain access to even better fishing, Bill Smith, president of the North Carolina Buggy Association, told the the Virginian Pilot newspaper.

"There could be other marine life too and because the water's agitated from the waves, you can't always see," Mr Dowdle said.

The land is also littered with whale bones and remnants of old shipwrecks.