The Bermuda Triangle’s Legend Meets Real-World Science

Stories about unexplained disappearances have always fascinated people, especially when they involve planes vanishing mid-flight or ships lost without a trace. Among all mysterious locations, one stretches out with a reputation so big it has practically become a pop culture icon: the Bermuda Triangle.

For years, this patch of the North Atlantic - roughly bordered by Florida, Bermuda, and the Greater Antilles - has been linked to more than 50 missing ships and around 20 aircraft. Some reports even claim an average of four planes and 20 boats disappear there every year.

With numbers like these floating around, it’s no surprise that theories have spiraled far beyond basic logic. From alien abductions and underwater portals to the lost city of Atlantis dragging vessels down, the Triangle has been accused of everything except being ordinary. But experts argue otherwise.

Back in 2017, Australian scientist Karl Kruszelnicki stirred things up by saying he had “solved” the mystery once and for all. He didn’t blame supernatural forces.

Instead, he pointed to everyday explanations: human mistakes, bad weather, and the sheer number of people passing through.

“It is close to the equator, near a wealthy part of the world, America, therefore you have a lot of traffic,” he told news.com.au.

1. The Bermuda Triangle isn’t more dangerous than other busy waters, experts say.

And he has a point. The Bermuda Triangle - sometimes called the “Devil’s Triangle” - sits along one of the busiest shipping routes on the planet, used by vessels heading to ports in the US, Europe, and the Caribbean.

When you factor in high traffic, unpredictable storms, and navigational challenges, accidents aren’t exactly shocking. According to data from Lloyds of London and the US Coast Guard, the percentage of disappearances in this area is no higher than anywhere else in heavily traveled waters.

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Still, alternative theories continue to attract attention. One scientific angle suggests rogue waves may play a role. In the documentary The Bermuda Triangle Enigma, researchers claimed certain conditions in the region could create enormous “massive rogue waves.”

University of Southampton oceanographer Simon Boxall explained:

“There are storms to the south and north, which come together. And if there are additional ones from Florida, it can be a potentially deadly formation of rogue waves.”

These waves could rise up to 30 metres (100 feet), matching the size of the largest wave ever recorded, a 100-foot monster that struck Alaska’s Lituya Bay in 1958.

2. Flight 19’s disappearance was likely caused by bad weather and pilot error rather than a Bermuda Triangle mystery.

Reports of strange events go back to the mid-19th century, including ships found abandoned without explanation or disappearing without a distress call. But perhaps the most talked-about incident is Flight 19.

In December 1945, five US Navy Avenger torpedo bombers vanished during a training mission after experiencing compass issues. The popular story suggests the Bermuda Triangle swallowed them whole.

Kruszelnicki disagrees. He points out that the conditions were terrible, with waves reportedly reaching 15 metres (49 feet). Only one pilot, Lieutenant Charles Taylor, was experienced, yet he took off hungover, without a watch, and had a history of getting lost.

Radio messages show Taylor became disoriented and led the flight east, unknowingly steering the group further over deep Atlantic waters.

Despite expert breakdowns like this, many still prefer the legend.

In the end, mysterious forces from the deep are simply more exciting than the idea that people make mistakes, storms escalate quickly, and even trained pilots can lose their way.

After all, reality doesn’t always compete well with a good mystery.