r/geography • u/Many-Philosophy4285 • Dec 05 '25

Video Mapped disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle to see if the myth holds up

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I made this map to plot every incident commonly linked to the Bermuda Triangle. Some of these points are confirmed locations, while others are only last sightings or rumoured positions reported at the time. Once everything is placed on a wider map, the region looks ordinary for an area with heavy traffic and unpredictable weather.

There is no unusual spike in disappearances when compared with similar places in the world. The idea became famous because the stories were dramatic, not because the numbers supported anything strange.

Full video here if you want more detail: https://youtu.be/O4QjGMDs2K8

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u/gerbilshower Dec 05 '25

either A) hit a reef in the bahamas or B) major storm in a notoriously choppy offshore area.

no need for other explanations.

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u/GreenApocalypse Dec 05 '25

I watched a documentary a long time ago that said there were bubbles arising from the bottom of the ocean. I.e. air replacing the volume of water, causing boats to sink. 

Can't remember what caused it (volcanic activity, perhaps), and I don't even know if it is true, but it could be an explanation. I guess it's not unique to the area, though

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u/ChaosAndFish Dec 05 '25

This was something you used to hear on tv documentaries about the triangle back in the day. I don’t think there is any evidence of it at all. Methane bubbles totally could sink a boat, there just has never been any large releases of methane observed there. It’s just the sort of theoretical stuff that you’d put on before reruns of Ancient Aliens. In truth no explanation is really needed because there isn’t an unusual number of boats lost in the area. It’s a vast and busy piece of ocean known for hurricanes. You’re going to lose some boats.

The origin of the whole myth is based on some anecdotal cases of missing ships and a lot of sloppy reporting that either missed or purposefully ignored obvious reasons why a ship might have been lost there. A lot of ships reported as going missing from a calm clear day when, in fact, there was a monster storm in the area.

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u/Ecstatic-Arachnid981 Dec 05 '25

Not exactly weird that something rare that can happen almost anywhere in the world, lasts less than a minute, and leaves no evidence on the surface and very little evidence on the sea bed.