The Bermuda triangle is a place found in the Western region of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is also known as the Devil’s triangle (Winer 54). In this place, it is believed that a great number of surface vessels mysteriously disappeared. The disappearance of the vessels following the mysterious circumstances has popularly been said to be the doing of extraterrestrial beings.
However, the belief in the occurrence of the paranormal incidents has been discredited by present-day critiques that see the creation of the incidence as the work of some late authors. Documented evidence further illustrates that the incidents were embellished or exaggeratively reported by the authors of the time (Berg 24). Many who discredit this embellished work state that the occurrences at the Bermuda triangle are an occurrence that is in every way similar to those that occur in any other areas of the oceans in the world.
The triangle, as it is, occupies the Straits of Florida, the Bahamas, the whole area of the Caribbean island and the Atlantic east of the Azores. In most authored pieces, the triangle is familiarly indicated to point some place on the Atlantic coast of Miami. Apart from Miami, the triangle also covers San Juan, Puerto, and Rico plus the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda. Most accidents have been reported to commonly occur along the southern boundary that borders the Bahamas and the Strait of Florida.
The Bermuda Triangle is one of the most frequently traveled shipping zones in the whole world. Many vessels pass through this area daily. The destinations of these vessels include America, Caribbean Island, and Europe. Various pleasure crafts move back and forth within the Bermuda region, and cruise ships make several voyages across it. This region is one of the most heavily crossed regions by transport vessels. Even private aircraft cross over the region frequently as they are headed for various regions of the world.
One research Librarian by the name Larry Kusche, who hails from the Arizona State University and is also the author of the book Bermuda Triangle Mystery Solved, reported that majority of the authors (including Gaddis and the other subsequent ones) gave very dubious and unsupported details about the events that occurred in the initial incident (Quasar 75).
The statements given by these authors contradict what the eyewitnesses said about the incident. There were also major inconsistencies from what authors like Berlitz accounted and what the real eyewitnesses and the participants in the unfortunate incident reported.
Larry affirms that very vital information about the real occurrences was never reported. One such event is the disappearance of one Dutchman by the name Donald Crowhurst. Berlitz had presented the event as a mystery of the Bermuda triangle. This information is contradictory to what was later revealed through evidence.
Another similar and fake tale by Berlitz is that of an ore-carrier. Berlitz stated that the carrier had mysteriously disappeared in the Pacific Ocean, but in actual sense, the vessel had disappeared in a region in the Pacific Ocean that bore the same name. Larry also accurately reiterated that a number of the occurrences (that brought the unfounded allegations of the Bermuda Triangle’s mysterious involvement) had occurred outside the Bermuda region (Kusche 67).
Apart from Larry Kusche’s discredit of the incidences that could have occurred at Bermuda, there are several respondents who continue to voice their dissatisfaction with the fabrication of the story of the Bermuda triangle. There is nothing unique about the area.
A UK TV channel was airing the program dubbed ‘The Bermuda Triangle.’ John Simmons of Geofilms hosted it. One marine insurer was questioned on whether an abnormal count of ships had sunk in the Bermuda region. However, the company’s head of operations clarified that this was not true. To further clarify this, the US coast Guards went on to reaffirm this fact. The Guards even went on to state that the number of ships that sink in this area does not even measure up to the number of ships that get to cross this region daily.
There are various explanations to the cause of the incidences at the Bermuda triangle. An example is the one that states that the occurrences are caused by technological leftovers (Berlitz 75). A submerged formation of rocks, also known as the Biminis, is also interrelated to the explanations of the ‘Bermuda mystery.’ Others have gone to the extent of attributing the occurrences to the appearance of aliens and Unseen Flying objects (UFOs).
There are also natural explanations that try to unfold this unexplained mystery. Most incidents and accidents at the area are always attributed to compass problems. Many have also explained that numerous cases of magnetic abnormalities have been reported to be rampant in the area around the triangle.
A fact that is well agreed upon by most navigators is that magnetic anomalies are a usual occurrence and compasses do have a natural magnetic variation. Geographers state that the magnetic north compass and the geographic north, also known as the true north, are only similar in a few cases and places (David 46).
A good example is that as of the year 2000 in the US. Only those regions situated on a line passing through Wisconsin up to the Gulf of Mexico had the same readings on the compass and the same geographic north indications. However, the public is very minimally informed about this fact concerning ‘unexpected changes’ experienced across the Bermuda stretch.
Another explanation for the Bermuda mystery is the Gulf Stream. The stream is a river within an ocean. Just like any other river, it can carry any floating body. The gulf has a surface velocity of close to 2.5 meters per second. A relatively small body such as a small aircraft landing on the Gulf surface can be easily carried downstream by the strong currents in this region of the ocean.
Another very popular concept is human error. Most losses or accidents occurring in this area and leading to the loss of lives or vessels have been widely attributed to human error. Apart from human error, weather conditions are not completely under human control. Powerful storms such as the hurricanes are common features that are characteristic to the Bermuda Triangle. Such strong storms have led to the loss of lives and have done great fiscal damages. The waters around the Bermuda triangle are never involved in the hurricanes.
One discrediting fact to the entire mythical tale of Bermuda is that there are no recent cases of ship or aircraft disappearance. This makes people wonder whether the area ceased being mysterious.
Works Cited
Berg, Daniel. Bermuda Shipwrecks. East Rockaway: Aqua Explorers, 2004. Print.
Berlitz, Charles. The Bermuda Triangle. New York: Doubleday, 1974. Print.
David, Martin. The Evidence for the Bermuda Triangle. Welling borough: Aquarian Press, 1984. Print.
Kusche, Larry. The Bermuda Triangle Mystery Solved. Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1975. Print.
Quasar, Gian. Into the Bermuda Triangle: Pursuing the Truth behind the World’s Greatest Mystery. London: Ragged Mountain Press, 2003. Print.
Winer, Richard. The Devil’s Triangle. New York: Sage, 1974. Print.