The Bermuda Triangle is among the world’s most infamous mysteries. The Devil’s Triangle is responsible for more than a dozen high-profile disappearances of airplanes and ships and an estimated 1,000 deaths. Approximately 20 boats vanish in the Bermuda Triangle every year.

This triangular area of sea between Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Florida leaves scientists and experts amiss and sailors and pilots with a feeling of dread every time they have to pass through it to this day. And with all that we know about the Bermuda Triangle, there still is no one definitive answer to the puzzle. Here are the 10 best theories that explain the Bermuda Triangle phenomenon.

10 The Wormhole Theory

One Bermuda Triangle theory is the wormhole. For science fiction enthusiasts, this holds a lot of weight. When people vanish in the Bermuda Triangle, they disappear without a trace. The wormhole, which is essentially a time travel portal, would explain why. Unfortunately, scientists have yet to find solid evidence of wormholes in this context. But this hasn’t stopped them from believing that they could cause the Bermuda Triangle accidents.

In 1941, the Navy ship U.S.S. Proteus, which carried 58 passengers and cargo, suddenly disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle. One month later, another vessel called the U.S.S. Nereus also vanished with 61 passengers on board. No one knows what happened, and there wasn’t any recording of a distress signal from the captain. Search teams also found zero evidence of the ships or bodies.

9 The Methane Gas Theory

In 2016, scientists discovered several huge craters on the coast of Norway. The craters measure about half a mile in length and 150 feet deep. Scientists believe that bubbles from massive methane gas leaks in the deep seabed formed the craters. Enter the Methane Gas Theory. Some scientists think that methane gas is responsible for sinking planes and ships in the Triangle.

More research has also proven that there is more methane gas in some ocean spots than others. If that gas is released into the water, it can quickly sink ships and bring down planes. It would happen in seconds, not leaving enough time for those on board to call for help or abandon ship.

8 Electromagnetic Interference

Certain places on Earth negatively affect compasses and cause them to have trouble pointing north. The Gobi Desert is one example, and the Bermuda Triangle is another. This is due to electromagnetic interference. Scientists believe that this electromagnetic interference is one reason why ships disappear and planes crash so often in the Bermuda Triangle.

Many people have made strange reports in their compasses over the years when they get to the Triangle. In 1895, Joshua Slocum, who was the first man to sail around the world solo, disappeared on a voyage while traveling to South America from Martha’s Vineyard. Experts attribute his disappearance to the Bermuda Triangle. People believe Slocum would never have been lost at sea since he was an excellent sailor.

Another incident happened in 1945 when five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers flew across the Atlantic Ocean. The flight’s leader, Lieutenant Charles C. Taylor, became paranoid after noticing that his compass had failed and the planes were moving in the wrong direction. Lieutenant Charles instructed his fleet to fly northeast, thinking they were heading to Florida, but he traveled deeper into the Atlantic Ocean. When the planes went closer to the Bermuda Triangle, they began losing signals, communication, and they vanished, never to be seen again.

7 Waterspouts

Waterspouts are similar to tornadoes but form over bodies of water. People have seen several waterspouts in the Bermuda Triangle, and some believe that they are the cause of sunken ships and planes’ disappearances. When a waterspout forms, water bursts out of the ocean. The change in pressure sucks it up hundreds, or even thousands, of feet in the air. If this happens when a ship or airplane passes by, it can easily cause them to capsize or crash in seconds.

Aside from waterspouts, some parts of the Gulf Stream border the Triangle’s edge. This current leads to massive waves, sometimes hundreds of feet high, that can quickly sink ships and boats. The emerging waves hit without warning. Big waves can even knock down planes flying closer to the ocean’s surface.

An excellent example of such a theory in action is the disappearance of Flight 19 after World War II. The flight’s last communication records were disturbing reports from passengers describing how everything looked strange. One of the pilots stated that they were entering “white water” and completely lost. After that report, the flight disappeared. According to the Navy, it was as if they had disappeared or flown to Mars.

6 Aliens

For every mystery, there’s an alien explanation. The Bermuda Triangle is no exception. Even though there’s no evidence to blame aliens as the reason for the Bermuda Triangle accidents, they are a convenient scapegoat in situations when we can hardly explain the disappearances. People who believe this theory claim the Bermuda Triangle is the aliens’ gathering spot where they abduct and conduct research on people.

One incident narrated by Christopher Columbus while on his first voyage through the area claims that he saw a bursting flame that struck the sea. A strange light appeared in the far distance for several weeks. Could this have been an alien sighting? 

In the final scenes of Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” pilots from all decades return to Earth, in good health and unharmed, from an alien ship. Aliens captured these pilots from the Bermuda Triangle. Whether this piece of fiction is actually a piece of fact is up for the aliens to know—for now. But maybe someday we’ll solve the mystery before the aliens get to us.

5 Atlantis

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Atlantis is another outlandish conspiracy revolving around the Bermuda Triangle incidents. This theory states that the Triangle may be the location of the mythical Lost City of Atlantis. According to The Independent, a blogger wrote that when the gods destroyed the City of Atlantis, it sank to the ocean floor. The writer also wrote that although the ruined temples currently host most of the underwater creatures, the great fire crystals of the Atlantis City that used to provide power and energy exist to date. Therefore, such power and energy may be the cause of the accidents along the Bermuda Triangle.

4 No Mystery

Is there really any mystery behind the accidents and disappearances at the Bermuda Triangle? Some people believe there’s no mystery at all, claiming that the Bermuda Triangle has the same disappearance incidences as any other part of the globe. This theory seems to pan out when you consider that the Bermuda Triangle is one of the world’s most traveled areas.

Those who believe in this theory state that it’s difficult to differentiate between fact and legend, as is the case with ships and planes’ disappearances across the world. And if there are many accidents and shipwrecks in the Bermuda Triangle, then it’s because many ships and planes travel across that part of the Atlantic Ocean. Scientists also attribute total disappearance to the Gulf Stream’s current. No mystery, there!

3 The Human Errors Theory

If you’re searching for a deep theory about the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, this one is definitely not it. The Human Error Theory states that simple mistakes lead to many accidents annually, both in the sea and air. This theory also assumes that any confusion or error from the captain of a ship or pilot can lead to severe consequences. For example, they could run out of fuel before returning to land, thereby leading to their demise. Additionally, the Bermuda Triangle has many islands that are difficult to differentiate between one another. This confusion leaves sailors and pilots open for greater navigation errors.

2 Rogue Waves

Another explanation behind the Bermuda Triangle is massive rogue waves. According to oceanographer Simon Boxall, when storms from the north and south collide in the Bermuda Triangle, they can form rogue waves and cause significant damage. Another post from the Huffington Post also states that these rogue waves can reach 100 feet high, making them some of history’s largest waves. A good example is the 100 ft high tsunami caused by an earthquake and landslide in Lituya Bay, Alaska, in 1958. The Bermuda Triangle is in a strategic position to be affected by these rogue waves. If they happen as ships or planes pass by, it can result in accidents and death.

1 Pirates

Pirates have been around since robbers could sail the sea. In a real-life “Pirates of Caribbean,” experts have theorized that pirates could be one of the causes for the Bermuda Triangle disappearances. Pirates have abducted ships, caused planes to crash on the Triangle, and endangering travelers’ lives. The U.S. warns travelers and sailors of the possibility of encountering vessels that are engaged in illegal activities close to the Bahamas. 

Conclusion

The Bermuda Triangle is truly one of the world’s strangest mysteries. Many theories have formed around this patch of the ocean, but none of them seem to offer a satisfactory answer. Only time will tell us the key to this puzzle—or maybe it won’t. For now, we just wait to see if any new theories finally give us the definitive answer we’re looking for.

Alaska, America’s 49th state, is home to 17 of the country’s 20 highest peaks, more than 100,000 glaciers, and over half of the nation’s wilderness. But this state isn’t just holding some impressive stats. It hides a dark secret: it’s home to more than 16,000 disappearances within the Alaska Triangle.

Located between Utqiagvik, Anchorage, and Juneau, the region famous for Bigfoot sightings, vanishing airplanes, paranormal phenomena, and alien abduction continues to give experts sleepless nights. Even though it gets considerably less attention and publicity than its counterpart, the Bermuda Triangle, the Alaska Triangle has a far higher rate of unexplained disappearances.

Here, of the many cases, we discuss the top ten mysterious disappearances associated with the Alaska Triangle.

Related: 10 Best Theories That Explain The Bermuda Triangle

10 Richard Lyman Griffiths

Richard Lyman Griffiths is famous for inventing a wilderness survival cocoon that he so desperately wanted to test its viability. The summer of 2006 seemed the perfect time for him to do so. Nobody questioned his motives when he left for the wilderness of southeast Alaska. It took over a year for anyone to report him missing.

Upon investigation, the authorities figured that a bus had dropped him along the Alaska Highway, where he checked into a lodge near the White River. Here, he left some of his gear and informed some people that he was planning to go camping in McCarthy, a small town near the St. Elias National Park. However, when Richard took to the hills, he never returned.

While most people believed he was testing his wilderness cocoon, no one bothered to check whether he was okay until several months after. To date, Richard’s body or cocoon traces have never been found. Given that he disappeared in a region within the Alaska Triangle, he joined the list of the over 16,000 people that have never made it back.

9 Alan Foster

Alan Foster might not be a popular figure, but he, too, makes the list of the people who have mysteriously disappeared in the Alaska Triangle. On September 9, 2013, Alan flew a Piper PA-32-260, which was later reported missing while traveling over the Alaska Triangle region.

The National Transport Safety Board reports that Alan had been flying under a visual flight rules flight plan, fueled at Yakutat, and continued flying around 3:30 p.m. He even contacted Juneau flight service, indicating that he would stop at Cordova if the conditions dictated. However, 18 minutes after takeoff, somewhere between Malaspina Glacier and the Gulf of Alaska, the radar showed Alan’s aircraft descending to about 1,100 feet before disappearing.

No one ever heard from Alan Foster again, and no remains of his body nor the aircraft have since been found at the time of writing. Alan’s disappearance is bizarre because he was experienced. He had over 9,700 flight hours in various aircraft, he kept asking for key details before and during his flight, and he never reported any problems before disappearing. The only suspicious factor is where he disappeared: the Alaska Triangle.

8 Frank Minano

A traditional educator and mentor on subsistence living, hunting, and culture, Frank Minano was reported missing from Nenana on August 17, 2020. He joins the thousands of people who have succumbed to the wrath of the deadly Alaska Triangle.

There is very little information available about Minano’s disappearance. The police only know that he took shelter in a nearby cabin on the first day that he was reported missing. Several years later, there is no trace of his remains whatsoever. Sadly, this mysterious disappearance is typical for most victims of the Alaska Triangle—very little information is available, but people keep going missing.

7 Leonard Lane

Leonard Lane was a 73-year-old World War II veteran at the time of his disappearance. On the evening of July 4, 1995, Leonard was reported missing after a parade in Fairbanks. He vanished in the Alaska Triangle, where he had taken a walk. Those who had seen him moments before he went missing say that he was limping, probably because of the injuries sustained during the war.

Typical to the other cases where people have gone missing mysteriously at the Alaska Triangle, police have no leads as to what might have happened to Leonard. Two years later, in 1997, he was declared legally dead, but his case remains unsolved.

6 Thomas Anthony Nuzzi

Thomas Anthony Nuzzi was a well-known nurse who traveled throughout Alaska, picking up different shifts in various locations. He had a well-paying job and a perfect mode of transport but obviously no permanent residence address.

For someone who is always on the go, it’s tough to know their whereabouts unless they want you to know. Given that this was 2001, the task was even harder. However, it wouldn’t be challenging for an employer to notice a missing employee, which is precisely what happened.

While staying at a Super 8 motel in Anchorage, Nuzzi was reported missing after failing to show up for work in Bethel, Alaska, a short flight from where he was staying. Investigators’ reports indicate that Nuzzi was spotted buying a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, chips, and soda at a gas station the night before he was reported missing. The reports also show that he was in the company of a woman. Upon questioning the staff of the Super 8 motel, some said that a different man was spotted in Nuzzi’s room on that same night that he went missing. While his bicycle and Jeep were later found, no one really knows where Nuzzi vanished to date.

5 Shanna Oman

On June 3, 2019, Shanna Oman vanished after leaving her friend’s house in Fairbanks, Alaska, around noon. Following her visit, Shanna’s friend dropped her at Nico River, close to where she lived. When Shanna was entirely out of sight, her friend concluded she was okay. However, several hours later, Shanna’s roommate called the friend that Shanna had visited earlier, indicating that she had not arrived home.

After filing a missing person’s case, the authorities combed the area. Even though it sounds repetitive, Shanna was never seen again. To date, no one really knows what happened to her as soon as “she walked away” from her friend’s house. Either way, she joins the list of mysterious disappearances in the Alaska Triangle.

4 Paul Michael Lemaitre

Paul Michael Lemaitre, a 65-year-old marathoner, was competing for the first time in the 85th edition of the Mount Marathon Race when he suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. Usually, participants have to run up the thick-forested mountain and navigate through creeks for about three and a half miles.

Like any other competition, the Mount Marathon Race has its fair share of trouble, but none that involves sudden disappearance, which was the case for Lemaitre. The last person to see Lemaitre was a race steward. He remembered seeing him ascend to the turnaround point about 200 feet from the finish line.

Even though the weather conditions were foggy, the steward says he saw no problem for the runner. If anything, when asked his bib number, Lemaitre replied “548,” indicating that he was still conscious. However, this was Lemaitre’s last time ever seen or heard of. All the efforts by mountain rescue experts, state troopers, and search dogs proved futile. Was the fog part of Alaska’s Triangle evil doings to get its man? No one knows for sure.

3 Jael Tiara Hamblen

Last seen in the trailside loop area in southern anchorage, Alaska, a lady identified as Jael Tiara Hamblen was reported missing on October 11, 2014, in what appears to be a mixture of homicide and unexplained dark forces of the Alaska Triangle.

After having dinner with her roommate, Kendra Vincent Estrada, Hamblen thought of going out again, but her roommate opted to sleep since it was already 10 p.m. It is said that Hamblen was feeling upset on the said night because of relationship issues that she was having with an unnamed man. She opted to text another man asking if they could go out, to which he seemingly agreed.

Tragedy struck when Estrada couldn’t connect with Hamblen on the phone. It is unknown what happened on the night when the two left, but given that this is the Alaska Triangle we are talking about, anything could have happened. Apart from her purse and vehicle that were later recovered, there is no trace of Hamblen’s remains or whereabouts.

2 1950 Douglas C-54D

On the morning of January 26, 1950, Robert Espe, a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, waved goodbye to his wife, not knowing it was the last time they would see each other alive. As Robert and the other 43 passengers boarded the Douglas C-54D Skymaster, all was set for the journey to Montana to begin. Usually, all airborne aircraft must be in constant communication with the operators at the airport. However, this Skymaster cut off all communications moments after takeoff.

With friends and relatives waiting in Minnesota, their loved ones never arrived as fate would have. Very few cases of disappearances around the Alaska Triangle had been reported at the time. Over 75 Canadian and U.S. aircraft were assigned to look for the missing plane to no avail. The aircraft and the passengers’ remains have never been recovered.

1 The Disappearance of U.S. Reps. Nick Begich and Hale Boggs

If you thought only the Alaska Triangle only targets the “small fish,” you are wrong. In fact, one of the earliest victims was the country’s top powerful men in the form of Hale Boggs, the House majority leader from Louisiana, and Nick Begich, a freshman congressman from Alaska.

Together with their aides, the two had embarked on a journey that involved passing over Anchorage and Juneau in Alaska. However, their small plane vanished mid-air, prompting the government to call all hands on deck in a bid to locate the aircraft.

Several months later, no bodies or plane wreckage was recovered, ending the mission. Nobody really knows what happened to the famous figures, but we can all say with certainty that the Alaska Triangle must have played a part.