Bermuda Triangle Mysteries: What Science and Jewish Sources Reveal

Chava asks: “Hello. No one knows why everyone who passes through the Bermuda Triangle disappears without a trace. What does the Torah say about this?”

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Hello Chava,

This is in fact a common misconception. Not everyone who passes through the Bermuda Triangle disappears, and the area is not more dangerous than other parts of the world. Despite its popularity in books and media, the Bermuda Triangle does not have more shipwrecks than other heavily traveled regions. In fact, it is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The documented accidents there are no more frequent than in other busy ocean areas.

That said, there is a unique phenomenon associated with the Bermuda Triangle. The area became famous due to very unusual incidents of large ships and even airplanes that vanished suddenly without leaving any trace or distress calls. In a well-known case called “Flight 19,” a group of trainee pilots together with their commander disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, and even the rescue plane that went searching for them vanished in the same way — leaving no remains or signals behind. Sailors and pilots also reported that their compasses malfunctioned and the skies glowed strangely when they passed through the Bermuda region.

While statistically the Bermuda Triangle does not record more disappearances than other parts of the ocean, the nature of the incidents that did occur there was far more mysterious, which is why it became so famous. One theory suggests that there is strong magnetic activity in that region, which can interfere with radio communication and possibly even cause ships or planes to lose control and sink.

I once read an article noting that the Bermuda Triangle’s reputation for danger actually dates back to Christopher Columbus’ voyage in which America was discovered. In his journal, he recorded that on October 8, 1492, he encountered “something strange happening in that part of the sea.”

Is there a mention of this phenomenon in Jewish sources? Interestingly, yes. The Talmud, in Rashi’s commentary on Tractate Berachot (8a), describes something quite similar: “Like shutters in the mouth of the sea — there are places in the ocean that do not accept iron, and sailors would join the planks of their ships with ropes and wedges fitted tightly into holes, because those waters would ‘swallow’ metal.” Rashi is describing areas in the great ocean that were known even in ancient times to be dangerous to sailors, especially where metal would mysteriously fail or be “consumed” by the sea.