I'm Only the Trombone Player

When a Mystery Isn't a Mystery.

5 DAY Andre the Blog Monkey's April Fools Mystery Writing Challenge

Blog Prompt for Day 2 - I for one have always been interested in the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. I like to ponder possible explanations for what it is. Think about it for a few moments, then share your possible (or improbable) explanation. If there is another mystery you'd rather share your thoughts on, that's okay too.


Ahh... the Bermuda Triangle! A place loaded with myth, misinformation, legend and lore.

A favorite statistic often sited by traffic safety groups;

"The NHTSA reports that approximately 52 percent of all accidents occur within a five-mile radius of home and 69 percent of all car accidents occur within a ten-mile radius from home. While these car accident statistics seem rather discouraging, there is no reason to give up driving altogether."

A rather sobering statistic Makes one want to sell their car and buy a horse! Until you look at this statistic;

"Using data obtained from the Department of Transport’s 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), Garrett Fitzgerald and Rob van Haaren analyzed the travel data of survey participants, concluding that 95 percent of the 748,918 recorded single-trip journeys by car were under 30 miles."

The average single-trip distance? Just 5.95 miles.

The US average for work place commutes? 13.9 miles.

While rural respondents naturally traveled further on average than their urban counterparts, 95 percent of all rural-based trips were still under 50 miles.

Basically, the point is that 95% of trips are "close to home", so now that statistic is explained. Most accidents occur close to home, because most driving is close to home

What does that have to do with The Bermuda Triangle?

The principal is basically the same. The Triangle Area is one of the most trafficked areas in any ocean. More ships equals more potential for ships accidents. The loss of ships is not disproportionate to the level of traffic.

FromWiki  ;

"the marine insurance market Lloyd's of London was asked if an unusually large number of ships had sunk in the Bermuda Triangle area. Lloyd's determined that large numbers of ships had not sunk there. Lloyd's does not charge higher rates for passing through this area. United States Coast Guard records confirm their conclusion. In fact, the number of supposed disappearances is relatively insignificant considering the number of ships and aircraft that pass through on a regular basis."

Additionally, much of the purported myth surrounding the Triangle is filled with misinformation and fabrication;

~ Incidents that happened outside the Triangles boundaries are often included.
~ Weather reports are often omitted.
~ Ships that were reported "missing" were very often over due and eventually made it to port.
~ Simple explanations are often ignored.

There are some natural anomalies in the Triangle Area;

~ Magnetic North fluctuation - compasses have been shown to not indicate a consistent NORTH. This is true, however this happens in many other places, in fact there are very few places where True North and Compass North coincide.

~ The Gulf Stream - basically a river in the Atlantic Ocean, a surface current with a speed of 2 meters per second. This would cause debris fields and ship wrecks to move quickly from their last reported position. Making search and rescue/recovery improbable at best.

~ Weather;

The area is rightfully also known as "Hurricane Ally", many of the worst storms experienced originate or intensify in these warm Caribbean waters.

In addition, other factors, proven by science may account for many of the disasters;

Rogue Waves  , are waves of unusual size, ferocity and unpredictability

Severe and sudden down drafts of cold air; "A National Hurricane Center satellite specialist, James Lushine, stated "during very unstable weather conditions the downburst [sic] of cold air from aloft can hit the surface like a bomb, exploding outward like a giant squall line of wind and water."

Sorry Andre, no Mystery in the Bermuda Triangle...but the Banana Daiquiris are on me tonight.

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