by Shelly Barclay

Created on: April 12, 2009   Last Updated: May 09, 2009

The stretch of ocean referred to as the Bermuda triangle lies in the western Atlantic Ocean off of the southeast coast of the United States. The area of ocean in and around the Bermuda Triangle is very hazardous. Many obstacles for travelers occur naturally in the Bermuda Triangle, this region is known for its often turbulent waters, severe hurricanes and tropical storms. There have been more than twenty reports of missing aircraft and boats since the late 1880's (many more even before that) that are thought to have been lost in the waters of the Bermuda Triangle. For some people, the explanation for these disappearances lies in the treacherous waters, for others these tragedies are not so easily explained away. This is the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle.

When a ship or plane goes down in or over the ocean and there are survivors or wreckage to help explain what happened, we usually find the cause is human error or just nature's way. If a ship simply disappears, then there is no way to know what occurred and we are left to ponder. It would seem to some that these disappearances happen very often in the Bermuda Triangle; ships and planes simply disappear without leaving a single trace. This is what leads some people to believe that there is a supernatural or as yet undiscovered disturbance causing these seemingly large numbers of losses. One of the most well known of these disappearances occurred on December 5, 1945. No less than six United States Navy aircraft vanished over the Atlantic Ocean. These planes are thought to have gone down (or been waylaid by aliens) over the Bermuda Triangle; 27 men were lost and are now presumed dead. Theories about what is happening in the Bermuda triangle range from aliens to weather to magnetic disturbances in the Earth.

The answer to the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle may be quite simple, according to some experts. It is thought by many that if you factor in the hazards in this part of the Atlantic, that the number of disappearances will actually be on par with the rest of the world. Shipwrecks and plane crashes occur in and over the ocean in every part of the world. Skeptics believe that some of the stories pertaining to the triangle have been blown out of proportion or are simply false. One of many such stories involves the radio conversation aboard one of the naval aircraft lost in 1945, supernatural thinkers believe that a pilot complained of his compasses malfunctioning, although this was never mentioned in the original report.

Whatever the causes of the disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle are, the debate continues to rage on. What is the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle? Is it really a mystery? It is safe to say that the ocean hides its secrets well. It is so difficult to recover lost craft in the open ocean that we will likely never find any proof of the cause of a lot of these wrecks, so the question will probably remain. Advances in technology or contact with aliens may one day answer our questions, but until then the Bermuda Triangle will remain a mystery.

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