The Bermuda Triangle is one of the most mysterious areas of the world. If you drew a line between Miami, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda, you would trace the approximate area of the Bermuda Triangle. Since the beginning of European the sea exploration, the Bermuda Triangle has been a mystery filled with tales of shipwrecks, planes disappearing from the sky, UFO sightings, sailors vanishing from thin air, strange inclement weather and equipment malfunction, just to name a few. If you can name it, someone has probably claimed that it happened in the Bermuda Triangle.

While there have been some theories as to what causes the strange disturbances, the Bermuda Triangle remains one of the most elusive locations in the world. Curiously enough, despite all of the mystery surrounding the Triangle, this area of the Caribbean Sea is also one of the most frequented by planes and boats including cruise ships. According to Ezine Articles, practically every single cruise ship that travels from the east coast of the United States into the Caribbean travels through the Bermuda Triangle. This means that if a Caribbean cruise is in your future, you are bound to be sailing through the Triangle – and potentially encounter some of these rather creepy experiences.

For those of you who wish to remain blissfully ignorant: all the power to you. But for those of you who are willing to read further, here are 25 things you may not want to know if you are taking a cruise through the Bermuda Triangle.

25 It’s Known As The Devil’s Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle has another, rather intimidating name: The Devil’s Triangle. For those who are taking a Caribbean cruise, this name does not instill the sense of calm one would want on a tropical vacation but rather inspires a sense of fear.

The name The Devil’s Triangle has been given because of all the folklore regarding disappearing ships, crew, plane vanishing from the sky, UFO sightings, and lost cities, just to name a few. These myths, legends, stories and occurrences are why the Bermuda Triangle received such an ominous name.

24 Rough, Unexpected Storms Are Frequent

One thing that can cause more than a little bit of stress and worry while on a cruise is that the area of the Bermuda Triangle is known for extremely violent and unexpected storms, which can build and dissipate quickly. In fact, the Triangle also boasts a third name: Hurricane Alley, for being an area plagued by deadly tropical storms and hurricanes.

According to the Science Channel, clouds above the Bermuda Triangle tend to form strange hexagonal formations and create air currents that can reach up to 170 miles per hour. These storms produce enormous waves that can do a number on even the largest of ships! Luckily the storms tend to be short-lived and subside almost as quickly as they began but getting caught in one is sure to not be fun for anyone.

23 One Of The Deepest Places On Earth

If you’re on a Caribbean cruise that crosses the Bermuda Triangle, one thing you may not want to know is that the Bermuda Triangle is one of the deepest places on earth. According to National Geographic, the ocean goes from the less deep continental shelf to an extremely deep drop off.

The Bermuda Triangle boasts some of the deepest crevices found in the ocean. It averages a depth of 19,000 feet below sea level in the middle of the Triangle, but drops off into trenches that are 27,000 feet deep. This may be why there have been several ships and planes that have gone down in the Triangle and disappeared without a trace.

22 The Methane Gas

According to Hello Travel, Scientists have discovered large concentrations of methane gas as a result of decomposing sea organisms beneath the ocean floor. The methane is thought to accumulate in pockets and if one of the pockets burst, the gas surges up without warning.

The theory goes that if a ship is in the area of a rupture, the water could become less concentrated and a ship would sink and sediment from the rupture could quickly cover the vessel, making it undetectable to the human eye. This is not something you want to hear if you are planning a cruise that crosses over the Bermuda Triangle.

21 A Giant Ship Completely Vanished

One thing that’s particularly anxiety-provoking to hear before going on a large ship through the Bermuda Triangle is that giant ship once completely vanished without a trace.

According to Time Magazine, the USS Cyclops vanished in the Bermuda Triangle in 1918, after making a stop in the Caribbean on the way to its final destination of Baltimore Maryland- but it never finished its journey. No distress single was ever sent out and more than 300 passengers and crew vanished with the ship. To this day, the ship remains never found and while there are several theories, no one really knows what happened for certain.

20 “Water Tornadoes” Are Fairly Common

With the Bermuda Triangle being one of the stormiest places on earth, with sizable storms popping up unexpectedly, it is no surprise that waterspouts (or tornadoes in the water) are a frequent occurrence as well.

According to NASA Science, a waterspout is a spinning column of humid air that typically forms over temperate water. The concerning thing about these waterspouts is that while they are usually associated with thunderstorms, they don’t have to be in an actual storm to occur and can actually form on the outskirts of storms or even during relatively good weather. These water spouts are concerning indeed, if you come across one on your cruise vacation through the Bermuda Triangle.

19 People Have Disappeared Without A Trace

Not only have entire ships vanished but people have disappeared from ships without a trace leaving these vessels crew-less with no signs of struggle. One of the most known incidences of this occurring in the Bermuda Triangle was on the Marie Celeste, when the ship and its crew were taking a cargo of alcohol across the ocean to Italy.

According to Bright Side, A second ship wondered upon the Mary Celeste to find the crew had vanished, leaving behind all food, cargo and all their personal belongings. Because nothing else has disappeared, the theory that it was pirates was ruled out. To this day we don’t know what happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste.

18 Equipment Malfunctions

One of the biggest mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle is the reports of equipment malfunction occurring time and time again with no concrete explanation. We know about compasses malfunctioning by not pointing to magnetic north but aside from this phenomenon, there have been reports of other nautical and aviation instruments malfunctioning.

Planes have been reported to have vanished from radar only to reappear again on several incidences. Ships have also vanished seemingly out of thin air with no distressed call ever received. These incidences of equipment malfunction are peculiar, to say the least and may not be something that a cruise goer would want to about, instead of cruising in ignorant bliss.

17 Disappearances Even In Recent Past

Just when you think that planes and ships disappearing from the Bermuda Triangle were just something out of history, disappearances have happened in the recent past as well. One incident that stands out is the disappearance of a plane on May 15, 2017.

According to Bright Side, on a beautiful sunny day with no bad weather in sight, a plane left Puerto Rico and hit an altitude of 24,000 feet when it completely vanished and all radio signals were lost. The next day, there was some debris found this time but the passengers and the pilot were never found nor does anyone understand why the plane went down at such a high altitude in perfect weather.

16 It's Home To A Testing Site

According to Hello Travel, The Andros Island of The Bahamas, which exists just inside the Triangle, is home to the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center, also known by the acronym AUTEC. It is said that their mission is to help form and preserve the naval capabilities of the United States through testing, evaluation and research.

So while you could be minding your own business, having the time of your life on your yearly cruise vacation, America could be testing their submarines, sonar equipment and even weapons a stone’s throw away from you. Yikes!

15 The Electronic Fog

In Pilot Bruce Gernon’s book The Fog, and website Electronic Fog, Gernon claims that he lost 30 minutes of time and 100 miles of distance while flying his plane over the Bermuda Triangle. And it’s not just the Pilot who is making this claim: his plane went missing from airport’s radar systems only to reemerge again over Miami Beach.

Gernon believes that there was an electrical fog that produced some sort of time-warping tunnel. While others dismiss his theories, Gernon’s book is based on 30 years of research regarding this phenomenon and he claims that this fog has affected other boats and planes throughout history. So if you’re cruising on through the Triangle, beware of the fog!

14  One Of The Most Famous vehicle Losses In US History

It is no secret that one of the most famous incidences occurred in 1945 in the Bermuda Triangle, when 5 US planes flew from Fort Lauderdale, Florida heading for the Island of Bimini. This incident, most commonly known as Flight 19, had a crew of 14 men. After 90 minutes, radio operations received a signal that the compass was malfunctioning and then lost all communications with the aircraft.

Not only were these bombers never found but according to Hello Travel, the 3 planes went to rescue the bombers disappeared as well. Although there are several theories regarding what happened to the aircraft and their crew, we may never know for sure.

13 Christopher Columbus Wrote About It

Just when you thought that the Bermuda Triangle was a modern day conspiracy, think again. We all know that in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue – right into the Bermuda Triangle – and he even reported about it!

Christopher Columbus wrote in his journals that his compass stopped working inside the Triangle. He also wrote of strange fireballs in the sky (that scholars hypothesize to be a meteor or possibly Saint Elmo’s fire). Despite the fact that his reports may potentially be explained, it is very interesting that he experienced some of the strange phenomena that have been reported by modern day sailors as well.

12 Compasses Don’t Point To Magnetic North

The Bermuda Triangle is one of the few places in the world where a compass doesn’t point to magnetic north but rather points to true north. Magnetic north is somewhere in the direction of the middle of the Northwest Territories in Canada, whereas the north pole is somewhere in North Greenland.

When it comes to a compass, this is only a variance of a few degrees but when travelling in the depths of the Bermuda Triangle, it can cause sailors to be largely off course. This may have been the reason why so many boats have gotten lost in the Bermuda Triangle. While this is a well-known fact today, it still adds a tinge of fear when travelling through its deep waters. Let’s hope your cruise ship captain is aware.

11  UFO Sightings

If you do an internet search of “UFO” and “Bermuda Triangle”, it doesn’t take long to find numerous reports of 'UFO sightings' from countless sources, news and media outlets alike. While some of the sightings do seem to have plausible explanations, it is no secret that the Bermuda triangle has been a popular place for supposed encounters of the third kind.

With descriptions of planes and boats vanishing without a trace, it is no wonder that the Bermuda Triangle would also be a hot spot for UFO activity - something to think about when you’re cruising over the Triangle on a clear starry night.

10  Legend Of Atlantis Lives On

According to National Geographic, the story of Atlantis (a Utopian civilization of half god, half humans) was first told by Plato in 350 BC and the legend has remained popular to this day. While there are many theories about where the city of Atlantis lies, one of the most common theories is that the lost city of Atlantis is at the bottom of the Bermuda Triangle.

Of course with the Triangle being so deep, no one knows for sure what’s deep down on the ocean floor, but it’s interesting and perhaps a little creepy to think you could be sailing over the ruins of a lost civilization while on your tropical vacation.

9 Amateur Boat and Air Traffic

One of the less mystical but no less anxiety-provoking facts about Bermuda Triangle is that the Triangle is home to amateur boat and air traffic. One of the reasons that researchers believe there have been so many accidents in the Triangle is that it is a common commercial trade route for ships and airplanes alike. With more traffic come statistically more accidents, this may make any cruise goer nervous, as their ship crosses over the Bermuda Triangle and encounters less experienced pilots and captains in this mysterious place.

8 Shakespeare Even Wrote About It

Many Shakespearean scholars believe that even Shakespeare knew and wrote about the Bermuda Triangle. According to Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship, there is a group of academics who believe that Shakespeare’s play The Tempest was written about a Bermuda Triangle Shipwreck in 1609. Although there are some who refute this theory, it does have some supporting evidence such as the way Shakespeare describes the shipwreck and his mention of St. Elmo’s Fire, a phenomenon known to exist within the Bermuda Triangle.

While perhaps we will never know for sure, the potential for the Bermuda Triangle to be immortalized into one of the most famous plays in the English language sure is interesting!

7 There’s No Official Map

Although we have a good idea where the Triangle is, there is no actual official map of it on record, Hello Travel reports. This could be problematic for cruise-goers because there is still some debate around the exact borders of the Triangle, so there could be some questions about whether or not you will be venturing inside.

Maps in general also offer great assistance to boat traffic, so some could argue that having a map would only help boats navigate through the open waters. The reason behind there being no official map is because governments of adjacent countries do not want to acknowledge the Triangle, given the mysteries, myths and legends that surround it

6 Shark Infested Waters

According to the NHHC (Naval History and Heritage Command) one of the explanations for the human disappearances that have occurred among the deep waters of the South Atlantic Ocean is that these waters are largely shark infested. This also means if you are enjoying some cocktails on your cruise vacation through the Bermuda Triangle, you best be careful not to stumble overboard.

In all seriousness, this theory does have some merit and getting eaten by sharks could explain why there have been several cases of humans disappearing without a trace during boat and plane crashes in the Bermuda Triangle.