The phenomenon of the Bermuda Triangle is a legend that has lasted through the ages. When Christopher Columbus made his historic trip to America he traveled through the area and reported that he saw a ball of fire in the sea. This was probably a meteor, but it has been used by theorists as evidence that there is mysterious activity in the area.
Even The Tempest by William Shakespeare has been quoted as evidence of the existence of the Bermuda Triangle as it features a shipwreck in a location that has been determined by authors to be the Triangle, suggests Atlantis Rising Magazine.
Numerous ships and planes have gone missing in the area, as with other areas of the world’s oceans. Because of the legend and myth that surrounds the area, theorists and authors added fuel to the fire and put forward suggestions about the disappearances that had little factual evidence.
Human error and adverse weather and topographical conditions can account for the vanishing vessels. The area that is known as the Bermuda Triangle doesn’t exist on maps and is not recognized by the US Coast Guard as a specific area. No more tragedies occur in this part of the Atlantic Ocean than in other busy straits in the rest of the world.
24 25. There is No Official Place Called the Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle is a famous site but is not an official place. The area that is known as the Bermuda Triangle is in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of the United States. Vincent Gaddis first named the site in 1964, according to Bermuda-attractions.
Although it is understood that the ‘Triangle’ is a space of ocean covering around 500,000 square miles between Bermuda, Miami and San Juan in Puerto Rico, it is not listed on conventional maps.
23 24. The Idea that Weather is Not a Factor in Disappearances
There have been reports of mysterious conditions in the area known as the Bermuda Triangle since the time of Christopher Columbus. It seems that many unusual events have happened in the area since, with vessels and people seeming to disappear without explanation, according to English-online.
What is known is that there are many adverse weather conditions that occur in that stretch of ocean. Violent storms can blow up out of nowhere and dissipate just as quickly. This means that weather conditions can appear to be fine and then suddenly change causing havoc for sea vessels.
22 23. Topography Could be to Blame for Mysteries
The topography of the region is a possible cause of mysterious disappearances as well. The seabed goes from a gentle slope to very deep drops, falling to some of the deepest places in the ocean. Therefore, if a vessel were to sink due to chronic weather conditions, and fall into one of these deep drops, it may appear to have vanished.
According to Volvo Ocean Race, if a ship sank to the depths that are found in the area, it is unlikely that it would ever be found or even located.
21 22. Sailors Follow a Straight Course Through the Passage
The Bermuda Triangle falls in the middle of the Gulf Stream, a notoriously strong, swift current. The Stream, which can reach speeds of up to five knots, could easily cause a sailor to drift off course and would mean that they may misinterpret their location unless they have compensated for the drift.
If a ship did sink in the area, the Gulf Stream could cause the evidence of the shipwreck to be moved off course dramatically, meaning that search parties could be looking in completely the wrong place for survivors, according to Gizmodo.
20 21. Compasses Don’t Work There
One of the enduring reports about the Bermuda Triangle is that compasses malfunction in the area. This issue is one aspect of the mystery that has an explanation. The Triangle is one of only a couple of places on earth where a compass will point to the geographic North Pole, rather than the magnetic North Pole.
This fact could lead sailors who do not adjust their equipment to believe that their compass is malfunctioning. This compass variation can put vessels off course by as much as twenty degrees, points out Today I Found Out.
19 20. Ships Get ‘Swallowed’ by the Bermuda Triangle
The incidence of methane gas as an explanation for the mysteries in the Triangle was first revealed in 1998. During a lecture at Leeds University, Dr. Ben Connell suggested that large quantities of methane gas can be released by the ocean due to shifts in the ocean bed.
These landslides cause great disruption when the gas erupts out of the sea floor, it causes a massive surge on the surface of the ocean and if a ship were in the vicinity it could be swallowed up by the eruption and sink to the ocean floor to be covered in sediment, suggests Digital Journal.
18 19. We are More Likely to Disappear Here
One of the points that are not always alluded to, is that the area known as the Bermuda Triangle is a very busy stretch of water and the traffic of vessels is very high. Just like a road that is constantly used by cars, an area of ocean that is used by a huge number of ships is more likely to have a lot of accidents as opposed to an area that has light traffic.
While there have been a large number of accidents and disappearances noted in the Triangle, this is partially explained by the high volume of shipping vessels that traverse the area, according to SoftSchools.
17 18. All the Accidents Accredited to the Bermuda Triangle Happened There
When sailors are giving their location during an incident, the rescue parties rely on them giving an accurate indication of where they are to be able to help.
The compass variations in the Bermuda Triangle mean that sailors might not be giving a true reading of where they are in the ocean. We also have to take human error into account. Some reports of vessels going missing in the Triangle are inaccurate and the vessels reached port safely or never even entered the area, reminds Britannica.
16 17. More People Go Missing in the Bermuda Triangle than Elsewhere
While at least twenty planes and fifty ships have gone missing in the Bermuda Triangle in the last one hundred years, with the loss of around a thousand people, there is no evidence that this is any more than in a similarly busy stretch of water.
According to the Daily Mail, its position close to America and the equator means that the area is very busy and is likely to have a high proportion of accidents as a result. This is backed up by the US government agency NOAA, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, which declares that no more accidents happen in the Bermuda Triangle than other ocean locations with similarly high levels of traffic.
15 16. Planes Go Missing for No Reason
Ocean Service reports that the majority of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic pass through the Bermuda Triangle. This could be one of the explanations for a large number of planes that go missing in the area.
The weather in the Bermuda Triangle can be unusual and hurricanes can blow up and disappear quickly, so a plane that was caught in one might disappear without the hurricane registering with the coast guard as an obvious cause of an accident.
14 15. Ships Disappear for No Reason
Even the most experienced sailors make mistakes. Human beings are fallible and are prone to error in all areas of their lives. Add into the mix the compass variations and unusual weather conditions and human error can be seen as an obvious explanation for many disappearances of ships in this area of the ocean.
According to List Verse, there is evidence that human error is to blame for some of the accidents. In 1945 a group led by an experienced pilot became disoriented in the area and the rescue party sent to find them also vanished. It was determined from radio records that the pilot mistook the coast of the Bahamas for the Florida coast when attempting to navigate.
13 14. A Crystal Pyramid Lies Beneath the Bermuda Triangle
The rumor that there is a Crystal Pyramid on the ocean floor beneath the Bermuda Triangle has been circulating for more than fifty years. According to Snopes, Dr. Ray Brown claimed he had chanced upon the structure while he was scuba diving.
No evidence was produced for his discovery, nor was any subsequent evidence of such a pyramid ever found. However, scientists in 2012 claimed a structure rose from the seabed in front of them. However, once again, no evidence was provided for such a ‘discovery’.
12 13. The Bermuda Triangle Covers the Lost City of Atlantis
There have been theories over the years that the lost city of Atlantis is submerged on the ocean bed beneath the Bermuda Triangle. One of the bases for this theory is the existence of a limestone path just off the island of Bimini. The structures are known as Bimini Road as they appear to construct a man-made path leading to the island of Bimini.
Theorists claim that the island and the path are remnants of the lost city, but no evidence has been found to support this. Charles Berlitz expanded on this theory though in his book The Bermuda Triangle, according to The Book Blog.
11 12. All the Ships Attributed to Disappearances were Lost
While authors have used as much evidence as they can gather to support their theories for the existence of the Bermuda Triangle, much artistic license has been employed. Investigators have found that many of the ships that were said to have disappeared in the triangle actually returned safe and sound, but these facts are overlooked to add credence to their work.
Mysticurious also suggests that some authors who have written about the triangle have also expanded the area of the Bermuda Triangle to make the facts fit their work.
10 11. There is Evidence the Bermuda Triangle Exists and Has Mysterious Properties
Further investigation of some of the works written about the Bermuda Triangle reveals that some of the vessels that are reported to have disappeared there never even entered the area. Some of the boats and planes that are supposed to have gone missing in the mysterious zone did not even take off or leave shore.
Live Science states that investigator Larry Kusche examined the books written about the triangle and found that there were inconsistencies in facts, that inadequate research had been done, and in some cases, a pure fabrication made up some of the work.
9 10. It is High Risk to Travel Through the Area
Lloyd’s of London is a major provider of maritime insurance and assesses its premiums based on the risk involved in the voyage of each ship. If there is a known risk of piracy or hidden obstacles in the water, then insurance will cost more.
However, Lloyd’s of London does not charge more for premiums of ships traveling through the area known as the Bermuda Triangle. It assesses the risk as no higher than other areas of high traffic in the ocean.
8 9. All Bodies Vanish from Wrecks in the Bermuda Triangle
Plenty of people and vessels have survived unscathed while traveling through the Bermuda Triangle. In fact, even those that have been reported missing have turned up safe and well, although this has been ignored by some authors who wanted to add substance to their theories of a dangerous place where unexplained mysteries occur.
When no other explanation for a disappearance could be found, History says that the Triangle has been used as a backup theory for ships and planes that never even entered the area.
7 8. Authors are Out to Prove the Risks Associated with the Bermuda Triangle
Authors aim to sell books when they write them, obviously. Those who have written about the apparent mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle want to make their stories sound as sensational as possible to make the content of the book more interesting.
This has led to some exaggeration and possible fabrication for which solid evidence does not exist. The Bermuda Triangle is, in reality, no less safe to travel through than other parts of the Atlantic Ocean, but Steemit explains that the legend of the Triangle means that evidence has been embellished to sell books.
6 7. Atlantis Would be Found in 1968 in the Bermuda Triangle
An American Christian mystic by the name of Edgar Cayce believed that the Bahama Banks formed part of the lost city of Atlantis and that the remains lay under the Bermuda Triangle. He claimed that the remnants of the city would rise from the sea in 1968 or 1969. Obviously, this didn’t happen.
However, the Bimini Road was discovered around this time and this has led to theories that it comprises part of the mythical lost city. It is said that Atlantis sunk during the melting of the polar ice cap after the Ice Age, according to The Richest.
5 6. Aliens have Abducted Ships and Passengers
Because of the supposed disappearance of vessels and passengers in the Bermuda Triangle, some theorists have claimed that alien abduction is to blame. Because we have no concrete evidence for the existence of aliens, this suggestion has ballooned without bounds.
Of course, there is no evidence to back up this theory, however, the popularity of science fiction films and books means that there are plenty of people to whom this is the most popular and believed theory says The Express.