• Admin
• Jul 17, 2024
• Crusing

The Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle is a sea area in the western North Atlantic Ocean where several aircraft and ships have disappeared under allegedly mysterious circumstances. The boundaries of the triangle depend on the researcher or author describing it. The maximum area covers the Straits of Florida, the Bahamas, the entire Caribbean island area, and the Atlantic east to the Azores. However, the most recognized boundaries in recent works have points around Miami, San Juan in Puerto Rico, and the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda, with most accidents concentrated along the southern boundary around the Bahamas and the Florida Straits.

The Usually Recognized Bermuda Triangle

On a clear, sunny day in 1945, five Navy planes took off from their base in Florida on a routine training mission, known as Flight 19. Neither the planes nor the crew were ever seen again, stirring the world's imagination. Unusual features of the area had been noted before this incident. Christopher Columbus, for instance, wrote in his log about bizarre compass bearings while sailing in the area. However, it was some years after the Flight 19 incident that the region got its name, in August 1964, when Vincent Gaddis coined the term "Bermuda Triangle" in a cover story for Argosy magazine about the disappearance of planes.

Since the story appeared and a legend was created, popular culture has attributed these disappearances to the paranormal, extraterrestrial beings, enormous sea monsters, giant squid, and ocean flatulence—the ocean suddenly spewing great quantities of trapped methane. There are also mentions of alien abductions or the existence of a mysterious third dimension created by unknown beings or even governments.

For every article proving a theory of the disappearances, there is another to disprove it. The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, still causes much speculation and discussions of conspiracies. However, a more logical explanation might involve treacherous Mother Nature, human error, shoddy craftsmanship or design, and plain bad luck, not to mention the high density of traffic, both air and sea, in the area.

"The region is highly traveled and has been a busy crossroads since the early days of European exploration," said John Reilly, a historian with the U.S. Naval Historical Foundation. "To say quite a few ships and airplanes have gone down there is like saying there are an awful lot of car accidents on the New Jersey Turnpike—surprise, surprise."

As for World Marine Guide's thoughts on sailing in turquoise waters around tropical islands under blue skies, and drinking Pina Coladas in safe marinas, we think our Bermuda shorts will be more frightening than the Bermuda Triangle!