As most people know, dozens of spectacular disappearances have occurred in the Triangle that is located off the southeast coast of the United States. The actual area of the triangle is controversial, but most authors agree that it includes at least the area between Miami, Bermuda, and San Juan.

Not only the number of disappearances, but their mysterious natures have impressed paranormal buffs. Wikipedia has an interesting mini-catalogue of some of the most bizarre anecdotes:

In 1881, the Ellen Austin came across an "abandoned" ship in the Triangle -- abandoned why? Because abducted by UFO? Because so terrified, the crew hurled themselves into the water? -- and put some of its own crew on board to sail it to New York. This "cursed" ship then disappeared completely.

In 1945, the Flight 19 bombers all disappeared -- a group of them together -- and reported seeing strange phenomena and instrument readings, despite clear weather. When a search-and-rescue airplane was sent to find them, it too disappeared. The Navy stated that they all disappeared for "reasons unknown."

In 1918, the USS Cyclops disappeared with a full crew of 309 (!) men. Is this unusual? It's the largest loss of life in US Navy history, and apparently no rescue signals were sent.

And like that.

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=== Some Non-Paranormal Problems ===

It is a fact that the Bermuda Triangle is one of only two places on earth, from where a compass does not point toward magnetic north. From the Bermuda Triangle, a compass points towards true north!

The difference between these two directions is known as compass variation, and it can be very large -- as much as 20 degrees on a long voyage. If the error is not adjusted for, a navigator could and would find himself far off course -- and sometimes in dire peril.

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The Caribbean weather patterns are exceptionally volatile. Have you ever scheduled a cruise there? Hurricane warnings are day-to-day business there, and cruise ships routinely sail far off plan in order to avoid severe weather.

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The Gulf Stream is powerful and turbulent. It might not sink many ships, but it certainly can and does quickly bury the remains of oceanic catastrophes.

The contours of the ocean floor in the Caribbean are also volatile: there are some of the deepest trenches on the planet, and there are far-ranging, shallow shoals. Navigational hazards abound.

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Adding to the above, Methane hydrates are a fascinating theory also noted by Wikipedia. Because of these rising underwater gases, water can become less dense -- so much so as to sink a ship.

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Personally, I (jemanji) am not a "skeptic" in the sense that I have ruled out the ideas of those who disagree with me. I don't feel that I have the right to assume that my non-paranormal explanations are correct until proven otherwise.

But in the case of the Bermuda Triangle, the above non-paranormal problems -- along with a dose of good ol' human embellishment -- appear to be sufficient to explain for the legend of the Burmuda Triangle.

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=== We Rest Our Case ===

Lloyd's of London set its mathemeticians about the task of researching the inherent risk of sailing the Bermuda Triangle. At present, Lloyd's charges no premium for (a) sailing through the Triangle or (b) staying in it during a ship's entire career. This obviously reflects their own research conclusions that ships disappear no more frequently in the Triangle than they do in other parts of the sea.

The Bermuda Triangle is a fun legend, but we don't think you have to worry about sailing in it. :- )

Cheers,

jemanji

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image: http://z.about.com/d/paranormal/1/0/z/U/1/bermuda-triangle-nightmare.jpg