The Bermuda Triangle: Fact or Fiction? (#93)

Anyone who has listened to our podcast regularly knows that we love a good mystery, and I’m talking about another very famous one today: the Bermuda Triangle. There’s so much we don’t know about our planet, especially our oceans, and the Bermuda Triangle is known as the place where several ships and planes have disappeared under inexplicable circumstances, and it’s still one of the most well-known mysteries out there.

Where is it?

The Bermuda Triangle is found in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean. You won’t find it on any map because it doesn’t have an actual location, so the shape of the actual area remains uncertain.

The idea that it’s shaped like a triangle is based on the belief that it covers an area of ocean between Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico, which when pinpointed on a map, roughly makes a triangle shape. The actual shape remains as vague as its location because it is an imaginary location founded on lore.

Earliest mysteries

The mystery of the Bermuda Triangle dates back to the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. There is a story that Christopher Columbus' log records indicate that he saw a large ball of fire fall to the sea (people now theorise that it could have been a meteor). It states that the ship's compass went chaotic.

Another one of the earliest mysteries of the Triangle was that of the disappearance of the USS Cyclops in 1918. The ship started its voyage in March of 1918 and it was carrying over 300 men and several thousand supplies, but it went down somewhere between Barbados and the Chesapeake Bay. The ship was considered state-of-the-art at that time and equipped with radios that could have called for help - yet no SOS distress call was ever sent. This led President Woodrow Wilson to say, “Only God and the sea know what happened to the great ship.” Later, two of the Cyclops’ sister ships vanished on the same route.

But is it actually a mystery or not? I wanted to learn more about it, so I thought I’d share what I learned with you too!

Origins

During the 1950s, when people started hearing about strange activity within the as-then-unnamed Bermuda Triangle, a few different nicknames were created for it. They included Hurricane Alley, Limbo of the Lost, and the Devil’s Triangle.

The earliest suggestion of unusual disappearances in the Bermuda area appeared in an article published in The Miami Herald in 1950. Two years later, Fate magazine published "Sea Mystery at Our Back Door", a short article covering the loss of several planes and ships, including Flight 19, a group of five US Navy torpedo bombers on a training mission.

This article was the first to lay out the now-familiar triangular area where the losses took place, as well as the first to suggest a supernatural element to the Flight 19 incident. Flight 19 would be covered again in the April 1962 issue of American Legion magazine. Its author, Allan Eckert, wrote that the flight leader had been heard saying, “We are entering white water, nothing seems right. We don't know where we are, the water is green, no white.” He also wrote that officials at the Navy board of inquiry stated that the planes “flew off to Mars”.

The name Bermuda Triangle was given to the region by writer Vincent Gaddis in 1964. In February 1964, Gaddis wrote an article called "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle" in the pulp magazine Argosy, saying Flight 19 and other disappearances were part of a pattern of strange events in the region. The next year, Gaddis expanded this article into a book called Invisible Horizons.

Other writers elaborated on Gaddis' ideas, but one writer in particular is known for making the Bermuda Triangle mystery as famous as it is today. Charles Berlitz was a writer on paranormal phenomena and he wrote a number of books on Atlantis. In his book The Mystery of Atlantis (published in 1969), he claimed Atlantis was real and existed under the sea in the area of the Bermuda Triangle, based on his interpretation of geophysics, psychic studies, classical literature, tribal lore, and archeology.

He went on to write a bestselling book all about the Bermuda Triangle in 1974. After that huge burst of popularity, many other media outlets started to talk about it, and the mystery became common knowledge.

There have been countless theories and ideas put forward by both believers and skeptics, and I’m going to cover some of the more supernatural or disproven ones, and some more believable ones that are at least backed by science.

Supernatural/disproven theories

Let’s start with some of the theories that have been disproven or disregarded.

Atlantis

Since Berlitz wrote about his theory of Atlantis affecting the disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle, writers over the years tried to expand upon Berlitz’s idea that the region was connected to Atlantis. They believed that this mythical city could be found at the bottom of the ocean, and it used its legendary crystal energies to sink boats and planes.

Aliens

Some believe it’s extraterrestrials using this spot to capture humans so they can study them. The area has one of the highest incidences of UFO sightings and alien abductions have been a popular explanation for the disappearances.

Mysterious portals

One theory suggested that the Bermuda Triangle was a time portal, although no one could explain why a rift in the fabric of space-time appeared exactly on that spot. Pilot Bruce Gernon claimed to have lost 28 minutes as he flew through a time-warping cloud tunnel which also affected his instruments. Flying from Bermuda to Miami, the three-hour flight only took a third of the time and Mr. Gernon believed he had catapulted forward in time.

Similarly, some say there are vortexes that suck objects into other dimensions, or that it’s a portal to other planets.

Oceanic flatulence

Scientists suggested that the planes and ships were destroyed by a great term called oceanic flatulence - basically, flammable methane gas that erupts from ocean sediments. It’s a known fact that pockets of methane can be found near the bottom of the ocean in many places, and these theories suggest that an electrical spark or lightning ignited a bubble of methane that came to the surface and caused the ships to sink.

However, this was disregarded as a theory specifically relating to the Bermuda Triangle as these methane pockets appear all over the world, so why would these disappearances only happen in this particular area? Plus, no experiment to date has proven that this is even possible.

Geomagnetic anomaly

It’s a weird geomagnetic anomaly that somehow causes problems with the navigation and confuses pilots. This somehow makes them plunge the planes into the ocean.

This could be a valid explanation if we forget the fact that these pilots are trained to fly even without navigation, so the possibility of this happening is extremely small. Also, it does not explain how ships managed to disappear. Even the Navy has debunked this theory.

Simon Boxall, an oceanographer at the University of Southampton, said that people often talk about weird magnetic anomalies over the Bermuda Triangle, but the truth is that there aren't any. There are magnetic anomalies in the world that have to do with the Earth's mantle moving beneath the crust, but the nearest one is about 1,000 miles south, off the coast of Brazil—a long way away from the Bermuda Triangle.

Criticism of these theories

Many people are skeptical of these supernatural theories and don’t believe that there is any mystery at all. One person in particular who investigated and debunked a lot of the theories is Larry Kusche, a research librarian and pilot. In his 1975 book, The Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Solved, he argued that the claims of Vincent Gaddis, Charles Berlitz, and subsequent writers were exaggerated, dubious or unverifiable.

Kusche's research revealed a number of inaccuracies and inconsistencies between Berlitz's accounts and statements from eyewitnesses, participants, and others involved in the initial incidents. He noted cases where pertinent information went unreported, such as the disappearance of round-the-world yachtsman Donald Crowhurst, which Berlitz had presented as a mystery, despite clear evidence that said otherwise.

Kusche also argued that a large percentage of the incidents that sparked allegations of the Triangle's mysterious influence actually occurred well outside it. His research was simple: he would review newspapers of the dates of reported incidents and find reports on possibly relevant events like unusual weather, that were never mentioned in the disappearance stories. He concluded that:

• The number of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area was not significantly greater, proportionally speaking, than in any other part of the ocean.
• In an area frequented by tropical cyclones, the number of disappearances that did occur were, for the most part, neither disproportionate, unlikely, nor mysterious.
• Berlitz and other writers would often fail to mention such storms, or they would even represent the disappearance as having happened in calm conditions when meteorological records clearly contradict this.
• The numbers themselves had been exaggerated by sloppy research. A boat's disappearance, for example, would be reported, but its eventual return to port may not have been.
• Some disappearances had, in fact, never happened. One plane crash was said to have taken place in 1937, off Daytona Beach, Florida, in front of hundreds of witnesses; a check of the local papers revealed nothing.

He concluded that the legend of the Bermuda Triangle is a manufactured mystery, perpetuated by writers who either purposely or unknowingly made use of misconceptions, faulty reasoning, and sensationalism.

Just to back this up even more, in a 2013 study, the World Wide Fund for Nature identified the world's 10 most dangerous waters for shipping, but the Bermuda Triangle was not among them.

Possible theories (or reasons for it not existing in the first place)

Finally, let’s have a look at some of the theories that could actually be more scientifically possible, rather than something from a sci-fi film — or some of the reasons why the Bermuda Triangle might not even exist in the first place.

Environmental considerations

Environmental considerations could explain many, if not most, of the disappearances. The majority of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes pass through the Bermuda Triangle, and before we had improved weather forecasting, these dangerous storms claimed a lot of ships.

Extremely powerful storms known as tropical cyclones are regular occurrences in the Atlantic Ocean. They have been the cause of thousands of lives being lost and billions of dollars in damages. Several of the incidents that are said to have been caused by the Bermuda Triangle have actually been caused by these powerful storms. A downdraft of cold air hitting the warm North Atlantic Ocean can cause severe power that causes a bomb-like explosion in the water.

Additionally, the large number of islands in the Caribbean Sea creates many areas of shallow water that can be treacherous to ship navigation.

The Gulf Stream

Another environmental factor is the Gulf Stream, an intense current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico through the Straits of Florida and into the North Atlantic. It transports nearly four billion cubic feet of water per second (an amount greater than that carried by all of the world's rivers combined), and can cause rapid, sometimes violent, changes in weather. The strong current can quickly remove any debris from the search area, which might explain why wreckages aren’t found.

Sudden tidal waves

A big theory is that vessels could have been easily overcome by giant and unexpected rogue waves. Simon Boxall, the oceanographer I mentioned earlier, said: “There is no doubt this area is prone to rogue waves. They are possible anywhere you get multiple storms coming together.”

Rogue waves are steep and tall, like "walls of water," and they often hit unexpectedly. The tip of South Africa, for example, is very prone to them, where waves from storms in the South Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Southern Ocean all come together at once.

This also holds true for the Bermuda Triangle, where storms can come from all directions, like Mexico, the equator, and farther east in the Atlantic. If each wave can reach over 30 feet (10 meters) tall, occasionally they can coincide at the right moment and create a rogue or “freak” wave that can be over 100 feet high.

Engineers at the University of Southampton built some ship models, including one of the USS Cyclops that I mentioned at the beginning of this episode. They simulated rogue waves in a wave tank and found that ships can indeed sink quickly if hit by them. The bigger the ship, the bigger the difficulty staying afloat.

It’s a busy place

The area is one of the most highly trafficked for pilots and sailors, and one of the most heavily travelled shipping routes in the world. Statistically and logically, more traffic leads to more accidents and disappearances. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US Coastguard and Lloyds of London all agree that the number of vessels that go missing there are proportional to the number passing through.

There is no official record of it

The US Navy and US Coast Guard say that there are no supernatural explanations for disasters at sea. There are no official maps that delineate the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle. The US Board of Geographic Names doesn’t recognise the Bermuda Triangle as an official name and doesn’t maintain an official file on the area.

The frequency of disappearances isn’t higher than anywhere else

The ocean has always been a mysterious place to humans, and when foul weather or poor navigation is involved, it can be a very deadly place… but this is true all over the world, not just in this particular area. As Kusche explained, there is no evidence that mysterious disappearances occur with any greater frequency in the Bermuda Triangle than in any other large, well-travelled areas of the ocean.

No formal studies have been done

It’s important to note that no formal study has been undertaken to investigate the Bermuda Triangle. Only private investigations have been done to uncover the disappearances within the Triangle. There are many theories and ideas about alleged disappearances, but none of these theories have been scientifically proven.

Likely the most common cause: human error

Going back to Simon Boxall, he claims the most common cause for the mysterious vanishings is human error. He explained that the famous disappearance of Flight 19 probably occurred because the crew got lost and ran out of fuel.

About a third of all registered and privately owned ocean craft in the U.S. are in the states and islands of the Bermuda Triangle area, he said. And according to the most recent 2016 figures from the Coast Guard, 82% of incidents in this area that year involved people wo had no formal training or experience of being at sea. 

He continued, "So, you take a third of the entire boating population of the U.S., you dump them in the Bermuda Triangle, and what you get is mysterious vanishings. You don't need any licensing or specific equipment like radios or navigation maps to take a boat to sea. A number of times, working at sea, we've come across people who are navigating using a road map, who are relying on their mobile phones as their means of communication … [they] get 30 miles offshore [and they] lose the signal.”

Its massive (and always changing) size

Finally is it’s massive and constantly changing size. The total size of the Bermuda Triangle can be anywhere from 440,000 to 1,510,000 square miles of ocean, but its apparent size has changed over the years so it’s hard to pin it down. The sheer size of the area means that it’s difficult to figure out which boats and planes crashed within its walls, or just in another part of the ocean, because the locations of its supposed “walls” have never been certain.

Boxall said, “You can extend the Bermuda Triangle to ever bigger areas… what you'll find is that the Bermuda Triangle covers the entire globe. Rogue waves can hit lots of different places, methane bubbles can hit lots of different places, and wherever you get a high concentration of amateurs without any experience you're going to get a high concentration of mysterious disappearances."

So personally, I think that alone is fairly conclusive that the Bermuda Triangle doesn’t exist… but I am, of course, a massive skeptic.

Despite all of this, the air of mystery won’t go away. For many of the dozens of incidents that have occurred within the Bermuda Triangle, we can only speculate as to what actually happened. There are plenty of scientific explanations that could be true, and nobody has proven that aliens or energy beams from Atlantis have had anything to do with any of the disappearances. But for those of you who are less skeptical, nobody has conclusively proven that they haven’t, either…

So, is the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle related to the supernatural or is it easily explained away by science? Let us know what you believe!