Narrator: THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE,
ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING MYSTERIES OF ALL TIME.
STRANGE LIGHTS, PHANTOM FOGS,
SHIPS THAT GO MISSING WITH NO WRECKAGE.
Narrator: FOR OVER 70 YEARS, PEOPLE CLAIMED MYSTERIOUS FORCES
CAUSED BOATS AND PLANES TO DISAPPEAR WITHOUT TRACE.
OUR INSTRUMENTS ARE GOING HAYWIRE.
BUT IS ALL THAT JUST A MYTH THAT'S GROWN OUT OF HAND?
ONE OF THEM JUST DISAPPEARED AND NEVER CAME BACK.
Narrator: EXPERTS TRY TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS ENIGMA...
IT'S LIKE A WATER CAGE OF ICE.
SO THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE RIGHT ON TOP OF A HURRICANE.
Narrator: BY USING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES
TO DISCOVER THE TRUTH.
WE KIND OF THINK OF OURSELVES
AS HIGH-TECH FORENSIC DETECTIVES.
Narrator: CAN SCIENCE FINALLY ANSWER WHAT DECADES
OF LEGEND AND MYTH CANNOT?
LOOK AT THAT!
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE?
[ THUNDER ]
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
OVER THE LAST 70 YEARS, A POPULAR LEGEND
ORIGINATING DEEP IN THE WATERS OFF FLORIDA
REFUSES TO DIE.
THAT'S WHERE THE DC-3 WAS LAST REPORTED.
HUNDREDS OF BOATS AND PLANES
HAVE DISAPPEARED SEEMINGLY WITHOUT TRACE.
STAR TIGER WAS HERE.
INVESTIGATOR BRIAN J. CANO HAS IT ALL MAPPED OUT.
IN 1950, WE HAVE THE SS SANDRA,
WHICH WAS LAST REPORTED HERE.
SCORPION, 1968.
FLIGHT 19, A LITTLE CLOSER TO MIAMI.
THAT WAS IN 1945.
THIS IS WHERE THE USS CYCLOPS WAS LAST REPORTED.
1996, THE INTREPID.
EACH ONE OF THESE X'S REPRESENTS A LOST SHIP OR PLANE,
AND IT'S FORMING A SHAPE
WITH CONCENTRATIONS HERE IN MIAMI,
HERE IN BERMUDA,
AND FINALLY, SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO.
A TRIANGLE, AND IN THIS CASE,
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.
Narrator: THE STORIES BEHIND THESE DISAPPEARANCES
HAVE GROWN TO OFTEN-OUTLANDISH HEIGHTS,
AS PEOPLE STRUGGLE FOR AN EXPLANATION.
SO WHAT'S FACT AND WHAT IS FICTION,
AND WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN?
THE FIRST BERMUDA TRIANGLE MYSTERY
WAS THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FLIGHT 19.
ON DECEMBER 5, 1945,
FLIGHT 19 LEFT FORT LAUDERDALE ON A LOW-LEVEL BOMBING EXERCISE.
THE PILOTS WERE MOSTLY TRAINEES,
BUT THE COMMANDER, CHARLES TAYLOR,
WAS AN EXPERIENCED COMBAT PILOT.
WEATHER CLEAR OVER FORT LAUDERDALE,
OVER THE BAHAMAS, CLOUDY.
Narrator: THE FIVE BOMBERS FLEW EAST
AND COMPLETED THEIR MISSION OVER SANDBANKS IN THE BAHAMAS,
BUT THEIR PROBLEMS BEGAN WHEN THEY HIT FOG.
THE PILOTS APPEARED TO LOSE TRACK OF WHERE THEY WERE
AND IN WHAT DIRECTION THEY WERE HEADING IN.
Man: WHAT DOES YOUR COMPASS READ?
WE MUST HAVE GOT LOST AFTER THAT LAST TURN.
Narrator: THE CREW OF FLIGHT 19 WERE LOST,
BUT LUCKILY, A SEPARATE MISSION
FLYING OVER THE BAHAMAS OVERHEAD THEIR CONFUSION.
[ RADIO CHATTER ]
THE LEAD PILOT,
LIEUTENANT ROBERT COX,
OFFERED HIS HELP.
WHAT IS YOUR TROUBLE?
Taylor: I'M TRYING TO FIND FORT LAUDERDALE.
Narrator: COX ASKED TAYLOR FOR HIS POSITION.
Cox: I WILL COME MEET YOU.
Narrator: HE REPLIED THAT HIS SQUADRON
HAD SOMEHOW DRIFTED OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS,
HUNDREDS OF MILES SOUTH OF HIS FLIGHT PLAN.
PUT THE SUN ON YOUR PORT WING IF YOU ARE IN THE KEYS
AND FLY UP THE COAST UNTIL YOU GET TO MIAMI.
Narrator: TAYLOR TOOK COX'S ADVICE AND HEADED NORTH,
BUT FOUND NO SIGN OF THE MAINLAND.
THE RADIO CUT OUT.
AND NOW, IN FADING LIGHT, THE SQUADRON BEGAN
TO BE BATTERED BY HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS.
TAYLOR WAS DESPERATE.
HE STILL COULDN'T SEE LAND.
SO HE STARTED TO THINK HE MUST BE TO THE WEST OF FLORIDA,
IN THE GULF OF MEXICO.
THE FIVE BOMBERS WERE NOW RUNNING DANGEROUSLY LOW ON FUEL.
TAYLOR MADE A SERIES OF
INCREASINGLY IRRATIONAL COMMANDS.
TURNING EAST...
CHANGE COURSE TO ZERO-90 DEGREES FOR TEN MINUTES!
Narrator: THEN WEST...
Taylor: WE'LL FLY 270 DEGREES WEST.
Narrator: THEN EAST AGAIN.
BUT IT WAS ALL IN VAIN.
AT 6:20 P.M., OVER FOUR HOURS AFTER TAKING OFF,
FLIGHT 19'S LAST MESSAGE CAME OVER THE AIRWAVES.
WHEN THE FIRST PLANE DROPS BELOW TEN GALLONS,
WE ALL GO DOWN TOGETHER.
Narrator: THE PILOTS WERE NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN.
THAT SAME NIGHT, A MARTIN MARINER SEAPLANE
WAS DISPATCHED TO SEARCH FOR THE MISSING SQUADRON,
BUT IT TOO DISAPPEARED.
A NEARBY WARSHIP REPORTED A DISTANT FIREBALL
ON THE SURFACE OF THE SEA.
THE NAVY SPENT FIVE DAYS SEARCHING FOR THE WRECKAGE,
BUT ASTONISHINGLY, THEY DIDN'T FIND A SINGLE TRACE
OF EITHER OF THE MISSING PLANES.
WHAT ARE THE HARD FACTS BEHIND THIS DRAMATIC DISAPPEARANCE?
HOW COULD SIMPLE FOG CAUSE SUCH CONFUSION?
AND WHY HAS NO WRECKAGE EVER BEEN FOUND?
Myhre: WE'RE GOING TO GO OUT TO WHERE THE LAST
REPORTED POSITION WAS AND WE'RE GOING TO START --
START RUNNING A SURVEY AROUND THAT AREA.
WE'VE ALREADY BOUNCED BETWEEN...
Narrator: FORMER ARMY PILOT JON MYHRE
HAS SPENT THE LAST 30 YEARS TRYING TO FIND THEM.
LOOKS LIKE WE ARE WHERE FOR THE POSITION?
TODAY, WITH AVIATION ARCHAEOLOGIST ANDY MAROCCO,
HE'S SURVEYING YET ANOTHER PATCH OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
FOR THE AIRCRAFT REMAINS.
FLIGHT 19 IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST AVIATION MYSTERY
IN -- IN THE WORLD.
THE ANSWER TO WHAT HAPPENED, NOBODY REALLY KNOWS.
Narrator: JON BELIEVES THAT FINDING THE WRECKAGE
IS THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF FLIGHT 19.
STARTED IN 1982.
READ A SHORT ARTICLE ON FLIGHT 19.
AND I SAID, BASED ON SOME DATA IN IT,
I COULD PROBABLY FIGURE OUT WHERE ONE OF THE PLANES CRASHED.
AND I'VE BEEN ON IT EVER SINCE.
THAT WRECK THAT WE SAW? RIGHT.
I HAVE ALL THAT IN HERE.
SO THIS IS YOUR POSITION PRESENTLY...
Narrator: JON AND ANDY SEARCH FOR ANSWERS
IN ORDER TO SEPARATE FACT FROM FICTION.
WE ALSO HAVE A SEARCH PATTERN --
WE DON'T GET PAID TO DO THIS.
WE'RE JUST RESEARCHERS AND WE LOVE IT
BECAUSE OF THE HISTORY AND THE SUBJECT MATTER.
SO FOR US, WE KIND OF THINK OF OURSELVES AS
HIGH-TECH FORENSIC DETECTIVES
THAT ARE TRYING TO SOLVE MYSTERIES.
29.59. RIGHT.
Narrator: THEY BELIEVE THAT WHEN TAYLOR REPORTED
HE WAS OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS,
HE WAS ACTUALLY OVER THE BAHAMAS.
HEADED OUT ON A 3-6-0 HEADING.
AND IF THEY'RE RIGHT,
IT MEANS THAT THE SQUADRON'S DESPERATE SEARCH FOR LAND
SIMPLY TOOK THEM FURTHER AND FURTHER
INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.
THIS IS THE BACKGROUND NOAA MAP.
DURING EACH EXPEDITION, JON SURVEYS A DIFFERENT PATCH
OF THE OCEAN FLOOR FOR WRECKAGE, TICKING IT OFF THE LIST
AND THEN MOVING ON TO THE NEXT LIKELY SPOT.
BASICALLY WE'RE USING SIDE-SCAN SONAR
AND ECHO SOUNDING DEVICES
THAT WILL HELP US BUILD 3D MODELS
OF WHAT IS ON THE OCEAN FLOOR
AND BE ABLE TO GIVE US A PROFILE OF THINGS.
Narrator: TODAY, DESPITE A FULL DAY OF SCANNING,
THE TEAM DRAWS YET ANOTHER BLANK.
BUT IT'S A BIG OCEAN,
AND THEY'RE NOT READY TO GIVE UP.
I TRULY BELIEVE FLIGHT 19 IS GOING TO BE FOUND.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF WHEN, AND I THINK RIGHT NOW WE HAVE
THE BEST SHOT IN HISTORY TO FIND THEM.
Narrator: JON'S CONVINCED HE'LL FIND FLIGHT 19
BECAUSE THE TECHNOLOGY TODAY IS BETTER THAN IT'S EVER BEEN.
BUT WHAT IF THE PLANES AREN'T THERE TO BE FOUND?
IS IT POSSIBLE THE ENTIRE SQUADRON
WERE TRANSPORTED SOMEWHERE ELSE BY A RIPPLE IN SPACE-TIME?
THIS WILD THEORY HAS LONG BEEN DERIDED MANY EXPERTS,
BUT ONE MAN BELIEVES HE HAS PROOF,
BECAUSE HE CLAIMS IT HAPPENED TO HIM.
Narrator: EXPERIENCED PILOT BRUCE GERNON BELIEVES HE ONCE HAD
A BRUSH WITH DEATH INSIDE THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.
WAS I LUCKY THAT DAY?
YEAH.
IT WAS FATE, REALLY.
Narrator: THE EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS HE EXPERIENCED
HAVE CONVINCED HIM THAT FORCES UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE
ARE TO BLAME FOR DISAPPEARANCES IN THE AREA.
COULD HE BE RIGHT?
IN DECEMBER 1970,
23-YEAR-OLD BRUCE TOOK HIS FATHER
AND HIS FATHER'S BUSINESS PARTNER
ON A SHORT HOP FROM ANDROS ISLAND TO BIMINI ISLAND
IN THE BAHAMAS.
IT WAS EXACTLY 3:00 P.M. WHEN WE LIFTED OFF.
Narrator: TEN MINUTES INTO THE JOURNEY,
BRUCE ENCOUNTERED A GATHERING STORM.
YOU CAN PROBABLY GO OVER THAT.
YEAH, WE CAN PROBABLY GO OVER IT.
Narrator: HE ATTEMPTED TO FLY OVER IT,
BUT THE STORM CLOUDS BELOW EXPANDED,
ENGULFING THE TINY PLANE.
IT'S JUST A FEW CLOUDS, DON'T WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING.
Gernon: I KEPT CLIMBING UP AND I GOT CAUGHT IN THIS CLOUD,
AND THIS WENT ON FOR ANOTHER TEN MINUTES
UNTIL I GOT TO 11,500 FEET,
AND THEN I FINALLY BROKE FREE OF THE STORM.
Narrator: LOOKING BACK AT THE STORM CLOUDS,
BRUCE WAS AMAZED TO SEE THEM CURLING,
FORMING A HORSESHOE AROUND THEM.
DO YOU SEE THIS? Narrator: AHEAD OF BRUCE,
THE TWO ENDS OF THE HORSESHOE APPEARED TO BE CLOSING SHUT...
I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THEM. I HAVE NO CHOICE.
LEAVING JUST A TUNNEL OF CLEAR SKY TO FLY THROUGH.
Gernon: AND SO I FIGURED I COULD SHOOT THROUGH THAT
SINCE IT WAS AIMING TOWARD MIAMI
AND IT LOOKED LIKE CLEAR SKIES THE WHOLE WAY.
Narrator: AS THEY FLEW THROUGH,
THE TUNNEL FILLED WITH A SWIRLING VORTEX OF FOG.
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?
AND THEN THE TUNNEL STARTED TO COLLAPSE AROUND THEM
AS THEY LEFT THE CLOUD.
Gernon: IT FELT LIKE ZERO GRAVITY,
LIKE WE WERE FLOATING.
ALL THE ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS STARTED TO MALFUNCTION.
DAD. DAD, I CAN'T SEE MY COMPASS.
Narrator: BRUCE BROKE FREE FROM THE STORM,
BUT THE FOG STILL CLUNG TO HIS PLANE.
[ RADIO CHATTER ]
DISORIENTATED AND UNABLE TO SEE BEYOND HIS WINDSCREEN,
HE CALLED MIAMI AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FOR HELP.
WE'RE 80 MILES EAST OF MIAMI, 10,500 FEET.
Narrator: BRUCE ASSUMED HE WAS OVER BIMINI, BAHAMA,
BUT THE RADIO CONTROLLER TOLD HIM HE WAS ACTUALLY
OVER MIAMI BEACH, 50 MILES AWAY.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE.
Gernon: LOOKED AT MY WATCH, I'D BEEN FLYING FOR 33 MINUTES,
AND IT'S LIKE... AND I TOLD HIM, "NO, THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE."
AND AFTER ABOUT TEN SECONDS, ALL THE FOG WAS GONE.
AND I LOOK DOWN AND I SEE MIAMI BEACH RIGHT BELOW ME,
SO I TOLD THE RADAR CONTROLLER HE'S RIGHT.
WE'RE RIGHT OVER MIAMI.
Narrator: BRUCE'S TINY AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO HAVE COVERED
THE EXTRA 50 MILES IN NO TIME AT ALL.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE.
THIS MAKES NO SENSE.
Gernon: SOMEHOW I WAS TRAVELING FASTER
THROUGH SPACE AND TIME.
Narrator: BRUCE IS CONVINCED HE WAS THE VICTIM
OF AN ABNORMAL, ENERGIZED FOG THAT HE BELIEVES TRANSPORTED HIM
TO MIAMI BEACH IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
HE CALLS THIS STRANGE TIME-SHIFTING WEATHER PHENOMENON
"ELECTRONIC FOG."
SOMEHOW IT ATTACHES ITSELF TO THE AIRCRAFT
AND IT ALMOST BLURS YOUR VISION.
AND THEN YOUR INSTRUMENTS START TO MALFUNCTION
AND YOU CAN'T NAVIGATE BY INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES, EITHER.
Narrator: ACCORDING TO BRUCE, THE ELECTRONIC FOG
LATCHED ONTO HIS PLANE AS HE LEFT THE STORM CLOUD.
IT JAMMED HIS INSTRUMENTS
AND CAUSED HIS TINY PLANE
TO GLITCH THROUGH SPACE AND TIME.
I BELIEVE THIS IS THE MAIN REASON
OF THE MYSTERY OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.
IT'S WHAT HAPPENED TO FLIGHT 19 AND ANY OTHER PLANES
AND BOATS THAT HAVE ALSO BEEN IN IT.
Narrator: BRUCE'S STORY SOUNDS FANTASTICAL,
BUT HOW DOES IT STACK UP TO SCIENCE?
WELL, IN BRUCE GERNON'S STORY,
HE TALKS ABOUT TWO THUNDERHEAD ANVILS COMING TOGETHER,
AND THAT'S CERTAINLY ENTIRELY POSSIBLE.
IF YOU HAVE TWO THUNDERSTORMS DRAWING NEXT TO EACH OTHER
AND THEIR ANVILS SPREAD OUT AT THE TOP OF THE ATMOSPHERE,
YOU COULD SEE THEM CONVERGING AND CREATING A TUNNEL
THROUGH WHICH YOU COULD FLY AN AIRPLANE QUITE SAFELY.
Narrator: THE CLOUD TUNNEL MAY HAVE BEEN REAL,
BUT WHAT ABOUT BRUCE'S CLAIM
THAT HE JUMPED THROUGH SPACE AND TIME?
Shermer: WHAT BRUCE THINKS HAPPENED WHEN HE --
HIS PLANE WAS GOING ALONG AND HE WAS HERE
AND THEN SOMEHOW HE GOES THROUGH A FOG
AND HE GETS CONFUSED AND HE FINDS HIMSELF OVER HERE
IS THAT HE DIDN'T JUST FLY THE NORMAL WAY
THAT AIRPLANES GO LIKE THIS.
BUT, IN FACT, THAT SOMEHOW IF THIS WAS TREATED
AS LIKE THE FABRIC OF SPACE AND TIME
AND IT CRUMPLED UP LIKE THAT,
YOU COULD COVER THE SAME AMOUNT OF SPACE
IN A MUCH SHORTER PERIOD OF TIME
AND SO THAT WOULD BE KIND OF A WARPING OF SPACE AND TIME.
Narrator: TRAVELING VAST DISTANCES
BY WARPING SPACE AND TIME IS A STAPLE OF SCIENCE FICTION.
YOU MEAN, YOU COME AND GO JUST LIKE THAT?
WITHOUT ANYONE EVER SEEING YOU?
SURPRISINGLY, THE LAWS OF PHYSICS SAY IT IS POSSIBLE,
BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO PHENOMENAL AMOUNTS OF ENERGY.
IN TERMS OF THE LAWS OF PHYSICS, YOU WOULD --
YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE SO MUCH ENERGY
TO WARP THE SPACE TIME AROUND YOU
THAT IT WOULD BE MORE THAN ALL OF THE ENERGY
THAT HUMANITY HAS USED IN 10,000 YEARS OF CIVILIZATION.
SO WHERE BRUCE GOT THAT ENERGY FOR HIS LITTLE AIRPLANE
OR WHERE THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED NATURALLY
INSIDE THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, IT'S --
IT'S PRETTY MUCH IMPOSSIBLE.
Narrator: IF BRUCE WASN'T WARPED BY FOG,
WHAT ELSE MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED OVER BIMINI 40 YEARS AGO?
IN TERMS OF WHAT'S MORE LIKELY, THAT A PERSON WHO GETS LOST
AND DISORIENTED ENDS UP IN A PLACE
THAT HE DIDN'T EXPECT TO BE
OR THAT THIS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE THING HAPPENED,
THIS WARPING OF SPACE AND TIME HAPPENED TO HIM
AND HIM ONLY IN THIS ONE PARTICULAR INSTANCE,
WHAT'S MORE LIKELY?
WE KNOW ALL ABOUT HUMAN ERROR, HUMAN CONFUSION.
WE'VE ALL GOTTEN LOST BEFORE.
WE'VE ALL ENDED UP IN PLACES WHERE WE WEREN'T EXPECTING
BECAUSE WE GOT ORIEN-- DISORIENTED.
THAT'S A VERY COMMON THING.
THE WARPING OF SPACE AND TIME,
WE KNOW OF NO PLACE WHERE THAT'S EVER HAPPENED.
Narrator: THE MOST NATURAL EXPLANATION
FOR BRUCE'S TIME-HOPPING FLIGHT SEEMS TO BE THAT HE WAS BLOWN
OUT OF A STORM BY HIGH WINDS AND HE LOST TRACK OF TIME.
BUT EVEN IF HE'S RIGHT,
AND ELECTRONIC FOG IS DOWNING PLANES
IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE
HOW THE SAME FOG COULD SINK AN ENORMOUS SHIP.
Narrator: ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING MYSTERIES
OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE IS ITS SEEMING ABILITY
TO SWALLOW UP INDIVIDUAL SHIPS
WITHOUT AFFECTING THE OTHER CRAFT AROUND THEM.
LARGE, INDUSTRIAL, MILITARY-GRADE SHIPS
DISAPPEAR WITHOUT A TRACE WHILE FISHING VESSELS
AND PLEASURE CRAFT IN THE EXACT SAME AREA
LEAVE PORT AND RETURN WITH NO PROBLEMS.
WHY ARE THESE BOATS BEING TARGETED?
IS IT SPECIFIC OR JUST BAD LUCK?
Narrator: SOME SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE SECRET
TO THIS APPARENT TARGETING IS ACTUALLY THE CHANCE RELEASE
OF HUGE METHANE GAS DEPOSITS HIDDEN UNDER THE SEABED.
GEOLOGIST MARTIN PEPPER HAS COME TO
A COMMERCIAL DIVING CENTER IN FLORIDA
TO FIND OUT IF THERE'S ANY TRUTH TO THIS THEORY.
SO THE IDEA IS THAT METHANE IS COMING
FROM BASICALLY THE DECOMPOSITION OF ALL THIS OLD DEAD MATTER.
SO IT COULD BE REALLY DEEP WITHIN THE SEDIMENT.
AND AS THE DECOMPOSITION HAPPENS, METHANE IS FORMED,
AND IT BASICALLY KIND OF RISES ITS WAY THROUGH THE SEDIMENT.
Narrator: JUST BELOW THE SEABED, THE SEDIMENT FREEZES,
AND AS THE METHANE MOLECULES RISE UP THROUGH THIS LAYER,
THEY CAN GET TRAPPED INSIDE ICE CRYSTALS.
THE RESULT IS A SUBTERRANEAN LAYER
OF GAS-RICH SNOW CALLED METHANE CLATHRATE.
WHAT IT IS IS IT'S LIKE A WATER CAGE OF ICE.
AND THIS ICE CAGE CAN ACTUALLY HOUSE 170 TIMES
THE VOLUME OF GAS INTO THIS CUBE OF ICE.
SOMEHOW, WHEN YOU DISRUPT THAT,
IT CAN CAUSE THE METHANE TO JUST BOIL OUT OF IT.
AND AS THIS RISES IN THE WATER COLUMN,
IT'LL ACTUALLY LOWER THE DENSITY OF THE WATER
AND SHIPS SAILING OVER THAT CAN ACTUALLY FALL THROUGH THAT WATER
BECAUSE OF THE DENSITY CHANGE, SUDDENLY.
Narrator: IN THEORY, THE PRESSURE OF GAS BUILT UP
INSIDE THESE ICY DEPOSITS
COULD CREATE AN EXPLOSION OF METHANE FROM THE SEABED.
BUBBLE, BOOSH, INSTANT DISAPPEARANCE.
Narrator: TO INVESTIGATE THE THEORY,
MARTIN DEVISED AN EXPERIMENT USING THE CLOSEST THING
TO RARE METHANE CLATHRATE -- DRY CARBON DIOXIDE ICE.
SO WHAT I NEED TO DO IS MAKE A BIG GAS EXPLOSION,
AND TO DO THAT, I HAVE A TWO-LITER BOTTLE,
AND WE PUT SOME OF THIS DRY ICE IN THE BOTTLE.
AND THE BEAUTY IS, IS ONCE YOU LOCK THIS CAP,
THE DRY ICE IS SUBLIMING, SO IT'S GOING STRAIGHT TO A GAS,
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IT STARTS WORKING THE PRESSURE UP.
IT'S GOING TO GET UP TO ABOUT 300 PSI
BEFORE THIS THING FINALLY CANNOT TAKE IT.
BOOM! AND THAT'S OUR BIG BUBBLE OF METHANE
THAT WE WANT TO SIMULATE TO SEE IF WE CAN SINK THAT SHIP.
Narrator: FOR SAFETY REASONS, MARTIN FIRST WANTS TO
FIRST TEST HIS EXPERIMENT USING A HALF-FILLED BOTTLE.
THIS IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD NOT TRY AT HOME,
BECAUSE IT IS VERY EXPLOSIVE,
AND IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF THIS,
IT CAN ACTUALLY TAKE OFF FINGERS, TAKE OUT AN EYE.
IT'S VERY DANGEROUS.
ALL RIGHT.
Narrator: HE PULLS THE BOTTLE TO THE BOTTOM
OF THE TEN-FOOT DEEP TEST AREA USING A WEIGHTED PULLEY SYSTEM
AND WAITS FOR THE PRESSURE TO BUILD.
[ LAUGHS ]
LOOK AT THAT!
THE WHOLE DOCK JUMPED!
Narrator: COULD TERRIFYING GAS EXPLOSIONS LIKE THIS,
BUT ON A MUCH BIGGER SCALE,
REALLY BE SINKING SHIPS IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE?
THAT IS IMPRESSIVE.
A SIGNIFICANT CLUE LIES IN THE FROZEN WASTELAND OF SIBERIA.
IN 2014, REINDEER HERDERS DISCOVERED HUGE HOLES
BLASTED OUT OF THE ICY TUNDRA.
SCIENTISTS INVESTIGATED THE HOLES AND DISCOVERED
UNUSUALLY HIGH LEVELS OF METHANE AT THE BOTTOM.
THEY'RE FINDING THESE POCKMARKS,
AND THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES SENSE IS THAT THESE CLATHRATES,
BECAUSE OF THE RISING TEMPERATURES AROUND THE EARTH,
THEY'RE STARTING TO BOIL SO QUICKLY
THAT THEY'RE FORMING PRESSURES
RIGHT UNDERNEATH THE GROUND LEVEL,
AND SO THEY GET TO A PRESSURE LIKE THIS
AND FINALLY JUST, BOOM, THEY EXPLODE,
LEAVING THIS GIANT CRATER IN THE EARTH.
Narrator: WITH THE SAFETY TEST COMPLETE,
PEPPER PREPS A NEW EXPERIMENT,
FILLING A PLASTIC TUB WITH 33-POUND BUILDING BLOCKS.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS -- WITH THIS PLASTIC TUB
IS WE'RE SIMULATING A LOADED CARGO SHIP.
SO CARGO SHIPS ARE FILLED WITH GOODS
TO THE POINT WHERE THERE'S JUST A LITTLE BIT OF 'EM
SITTING ABOVE THE SURFACE.
Narrator: HE WANTS TO SEE WHAT EFFECT A EXPLOSIVE RELEASE OF GAS
WILL HAVE ON THIS HEAVILY WEIGHTED FLOATING TARGET.
SO WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
IT COULD GO DOWN BECAUSE OF THE DENSITY CHANGE.
IT COULD GO UP BECAUSE OF THAT VERTICAL WATER FLOW COMING UP.
OR IT COULD JUST TIP OVER ON THE EDGE OF THE BUBBLE.
ARE YOU READY TO DO THIS?
I'M READY. ALL RIGHT.
SO I'VE NOW POSITIONED THE TUB RIGHT OUT HERE IN SAFETY,
AND YOU CAN TELL THAT IT'S REALLY DEEP.
SO WHAT I WANT TO DO IS BE HERE IN THIS KAYAK
AND KEEP IT POSITIONED WHILE WE WAIT FOR THE PRESSURE
TO BUILD IN THAT TWO-LITER BOTTLE.
Narrator: FULLY LOADED AND PRIMED,
THE GAS BOMB IS DRAGGED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TEST AREA
AND THE BARGE MANEUVERED ON TOP OF IT.
A BOAT HOOK KEEPS THE TARGET IN PLACE
AGAINST THE CHANGING TIDE.
NOW WE WAIT.
LOOK AT THAT!
IT'S LIKE A MAGIC TRICK!
JUST GONE.
Narrator: THE RISING GAS RIPS OPEN THE SURFACE OF THE WATER,
AND IN A PUFF OF ICY VAPOR, THE BARGE APPEARS TO VANISH.
AW, WOW!
SLOW-MOTION CAMERAS
REVEAL WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MODEL CARGO SHIP.
FIRST, A SHOCKWAVE OF WATER TRAVELING AHEAD
OF THE RISING GAS LIFTS THE BARGE
CLEAN OUT OF THE WATER.
A CAMERA INSIDE THE BARGE
SHOWS HOW THE HEAVY CRAFT DROPS LIKE A STONE
THROUGH THE HOLE LEFT BY THE RISING GAS.
THE EXPERIMENT PROVES THAT A LARGE ENOUGH GAS EXPLOSION
COULD SINK A HEAVY FLOATING SHIP,
BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.
NOBODY HAS EVER SEEN A METHANE GAS EXPLOSION
IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.
YOU DON'T SEE THESE BIG EXPLOSIONS OF BUBBLES
COMING UP ALL THE TIME,
AND YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE THAT IF THIS WERE A REAL PROBLEM.
IT WOULD HAVE TO BE ONE HECK OF A COINCIDENCE
FOR ONE OF THESE BUBBLE FIELDS TO FORM RIGHT UNDERNEATH
A BIG SHIP AND SINK IT.
AND YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN OTHER BUBBLE FIELDS
GOING UP IN THE -- IN THE SEA LANES ELSEWHERE
AND NOT TAKE DOWN A SHIP IF THIS WERE A COMMON PHENOMENON.
I DON'T THINK THAT THERE IS MUCH CHANCE
THAT METHYL HYDRATES ARE -- ARE SINKING A LOT OF SHIPS.
MAYBE ONE SHIP WAY BACK WHEN AS A HECK OF A COINCIDENCE,
BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S A REGULAR PHENOMENON
AND IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT.
Narrator: IF IT'S NOT ALL GAS EXPLOSIONS,
WHAT ELSE COULD BE SINKING SHIPS?
Narrator: THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE IS ONE OF THE BUSIEST PATCHES
OF OCEAN IN THE WORLD.
CARGO SHIPS, YACHTS,
AND CRUISE LINERS ALL FIGHT FOR SPACE.
ON A GOOD DAY, IT'S PARADISE.
BUT ON A BAD DAY, THESE WARM TROPICAL WATERS
CAN STIR UP THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE STORMS ON EARTH --
HURRICANES.
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI,
THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED HURRICANE SIMULATOR
GENERATES THE KIND OF WINDS THAT SLAM INTO
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE DURING HURRICANE SEASON.
Man: OKAY, WE'RE GOING UP TO CATEGORY 5.
Narrator: PROFESSOR BRIAN HAUS HEADS UP THE FACILITY.
Haus: ALL RIGHT, NOW WE'RE SEEING AN 150-MILE-AN-HOUR-WIND,
WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE AT THE OCEAN SURFACE.
I MEAN, JUST ALL THAT WATER IN THE AIR,
ALL THE BUBBLES DOWN HERE IN THE WATER.
I MEAN, IT'S WHAT THE SAILORS
WILL ACTUALLY CALL WHITEOUT CONDITIONS.
YOU KNOW, YOU JUST CAN'T SEE ANYTHING OUT THERE
IF YOU'RE ON THE WATER.
AND SO, IF YOU WERE UNFORTUNATE ENOUGH
IN A VESSEL TO BE CAUGHT OUT IN THESE CONDITIONS,
YOU CAN'T SEND OUT A SIGNAL, YOUR POWER GOES OUT, YOUR --
YOUR SHIP LOSES STEERAGE, YOU'RE DONE.
AND NOBODY IS GOING TO FIND THE PIECES.
Narrator: HURRICANE SEASON LASTS FROM EARLY JUNE
TO LATE NOVEMBER, ALMOST HALF THE YEAR.
HOT WATER VAPOR RISES FROM THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC,
SUCKING IN THE AIR AROUND IT AND CONDENSING AT ALTITUDE
TO FORM A VAST, SPINNING CLOUD SYSTEM.
THESE STORMS GAIN IN STRENGTH AS THEY HEAD WEST
ALONG A WELL-TRODDEN PATH KNOWN AS HURRICANE ALLEY.
BY THE TIME THEY REACH THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE,
THE HURRICANES CAN BE 1,000 MILES WIDE
WITH WIND SPEEDS OF OVER 150 MILES PER HOUR.
RECREATING THAT KIND OF CLIMATIC VIOLENCE IN THE LAB
TAKES INDUSTRIAL-SCALE EQUIPMENT.
Haus: WE START OUT REALLY BIG, THREE-STORY-HIGH INTAKE
SO WE'RE NOT BRINGING IN THE AIR TOO FAST,
NOT VACUUMING THE SKY.
COMES IN THROUGH, ACCELERATES,
GOES UP, GOES THROUGH SOME SOUND ATTENUATORS
SO WE'RE NOT TOO NOISY, COMES AROUND THIS BIG TURN,
AND THEN WE HAVE TO COMPRESS IT DOWN
SO WE JUST HAVE A NICE, SMOOTH, WELL-BEHAVED AIRFLOW
AS IT COMPRESSES DOWN AND COMES IN OVER THE TANK.
GOES SHOOTING THROUGH AT UP TO 150 MILES AN HOUR,
AND THEN IT EXITS THROUGH THAT LIKE TRUMPET BELL MOUTH.
AS IT GOES OUT, IT SLOWS DOWN.
Narrator: BRIAN USES THE SIMULATOR
TO TAKE MEASUREMENTS THAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE
TO CARRY OUT SAFELY INSIDE A HIGH-CATEGORY HURRICANE.
HE'S CONCLUDED THAT IN HURRICANE SEASON,
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE IS DEADLY.
Haus: YOU KNOW, THE OCEAN SURFACE OF THESE CONDITIONS
WOULD BE INCREDIBLE TO SEE FROM THE SHIP,
BUT IT WOULD ALSO BE INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS.
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE IS SITUATED RIGHT OVER
THE HEART OF HURRICANE ALLEY IN THE ATLANTIC,
SO IT'S REALLY VULNERABLE TO STORMS.
AND YOU SEE, YOU KNOW, MANY, MANY OF THE SHIPS
THAT WERE LOST WERE LOST DURING HURRICANE SEASON.
Narrator: HURRICANES DO SINK SHIPS IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE,
BUT IT'S HARD TO FILE THESE DISASTERS AS MYSTERIOUS.
FAR MORE INTRIGUING ARE REPORTS
OF VESSELS SINKING DUE TO HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS
THAT APPEAR WITHOUT A DARK CLOUD IN SIGHT.
THESE BIZARRE, FRIGHTENING GUSTS ARE CALLED WHITE SQUALLS,
AND THEIR DESTRUCTIVE POWER IS LEGENDARY.
ONE PHENOMENON THAT HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR CENTURIES BY MARINERS
IS SOMETHING THEY CALLED A WHITE SQUALL.
THIS WAS A SUDDEN, VIOLENT WINDSTORM
WITHOUT ASSOCIATED DARK CLOUDS OR HEAVY RAINFALL
WHICH NORMALLY ACCOMPANY A SQUALL AT SEA.
BUT FOR MANY CENTURIES, METEOROLOGISTS SORT OF
DISMISSED THE IDEA AS SORT OF A MARINER'S URBAN LEGEND,
YOU KNOW, A -- A TALL SEA TALE
THAT THE OLD SALTS WOULD TELL THE --
THE POLLYWOGS TO KIND OF SCARE 'EM.
Narrator: SCIENTISTS NOW BELIEVE THAT WHITE SQUALLS ARE REAL
AND THAT THEY'RE SINKING SHIPS IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
WITHOUT A DARK CLOUD IN SIGHT.
THEIR VICTIMS ARE MOSTLY SAILBOATS.
WELL, THERE ARE SEVERAL RECENT EXAMPLES
OF SAILING SHIPS GOING DOWN IN WHITE SQUALLS.
THE FAMOUS CASE IS THE ALBATROSS IN 1961.
THERE WAS ALSO THE MARQUES IN 1984
AND THE PRIDE OF BALTIMORE IN 1986.
NOW, THESE SHIPS HAD SURVIVORS,
SO WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM,
AND THEY ALL DESCRIBED SORT OF THE SAME PHENOMENON,
A WIND WITHOUT A --
A SUDDEN VIOLENT WIND WITHOUT WARNING.
Narrator: SCIENTISTS BELIEVE WHITE SQUALLS
ORIGINATE FROM DISTANT RAIN CLOUDS
WHEN THEY PASS OVER WARM, DRY AIR.
THE FALLING RAIN COOLS THE AIR AROUND IT,
MAKING THE AIR HEAVIER.
THE COLD AIR THEN DROPS LIKE A STONE
AND SPREADS OUT OVER THE OCEAN SURFACE
IN A POWERFUL, ROLLING VORTEX OF WIND.
THIS IS THE WHITE SQUALL.
THE VORTEX CAN TRAVEL FOR TENS OF MILES
AND STILL PACK ENOUGH PUNCH TO KNOCK DOWN A SHIP.
YOU SOMETIMES GET 60,
70-MILE-AN-HOUR WINDS OUT OVER THE OCEAN,
MILES AWAY FROM WHERE THE STORM IS.
THE WHITE SQUALL WILL HIT THEM TOTALLY UNAWARES.
THEY WON'T HAVE TIME TO TAKE DOWN SAIL,
THEY WON'T HAVE TIME TO POINT THE SHIP
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION,
AND THEY'LL GET CAUGHT BROADSIDE BY THESE --
THESE GALE-FORCE AND HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS
AND JUST GET HOVE OVER AND THEY SINK VERY RAPIDLY.
Narrator: THESE SURPRISE WINDS HAVE ALSO BEEN IMPLICATED
IN CASES OF LIGHT AIRCRAFT
THAT HAVE GONE MISSING IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.
A SMALL AIRCRAFT HAS NO DEFENSE
AGAINST ONE OF THESE ROLLING VORTICES THAT --
THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A WHITE SQUALL.
YOU DON'T SEE THESE DARK CLOUDS APPROACHING.
YOU'RE GIVEN VERY LITTLE WARNING.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU'RE IN A VIOLENT WINDSTORM,
AND ALL THEY CAN DO IS TAKE THE BLOW.
Narrator: EXTREME WEATHER OFFERS A RATIONAL,
SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION FOR THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF SHIPS AND PLANES WITHIN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE,
BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE CONVINCED
THESE REPORTS ARE JUST A CONVENIENT COVER STORY,
PART OF AN ELABORATE GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY
TO CLOSE OUR EYES TO THE REAL REASON
BEHIND THE DISAPPEARANCES --
ALIENS.
FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, THIS HAS BEEN A LOCATION
THAT HAS BEEN HOST TO MANY STRANGE LIGHTS,
PHANTOM FOGS,
SHIPS THAT GO MISSING WITH NO WRECKAGE,
PEOPLE THAT DISAPPEAR INTO THIN AIR.
EVEN THOUGH THERE'S PLENTY OF LOGICAL
AND RATIONAL EXPLANATIONS FOR THESE DISAPPEARANCES,
THE MOST COMMON ONE SEEMS TO BE UNDERWATER ALIENS,
"U.U.O.s," UNIDENTIFIED UNDERWATER OBJECTS.
Narrator: IT SOUNDS INCREDIBLE,
BUT REPORTS FROM THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
SUGGEST THE CASE FOR UNDERWATER ALIENS
IS STRONGER THAN YOU IMAGINE.
THE CONTROVERSIAL REPORTS
CENTER ON SUBMARINE COMMANDER YURY BEKETOV,
WHO PATROLLED THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
DURING THE 1980s.
BEKETOV CLAIMED THAT THE INSTRUMENTS
ONBOARD HIS SUBMARINE WOULD SUDDENLY MALFUNCTION.
AT OTHER TIMES, THEY WOULD JAM,
AS IF BEING BLOCKED BY A POWERFUL TECHNOLOGY
EMANATING FROM OUTSIDE THE CRAFT.
[ SPEAKS RUSSIAN ]
ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, BEKETOV'S SONAR
IS SAID TO HAVE PICKED UP UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS
SPEEDING AT OVER 260 MILES PER HOUR UNDERWATER.
[ BEEPING ]
HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?
THE COMMANDER BELIEVED THESE INCIDENTS
WERE EVIDENCE OF ALIEN ACTIVITY.
Beketov: IT WAS LIKE THE OBJECTS DEFY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
THE CREATURES WHO BUILT THEM FAR SURPASS US IN DEVELOPMENT.
Narrator: BUT IF THE CARIBBEAN SEA
IS REALLY PACKED FULL OF ALIENS,
WHY DON'T WE SEE THEM TODAY?
BIZARRELY, SOME PEOPLE ARE CONVINCED
FLYING SAUCERS ARE HIDDEN AWAY IN A NETWORK
OF UNDERWATER TUNNELS CALLED BLUE HOLES.
THESE BLUE HOLES, PEOPLE ARE THEORIZING,
MIGHT BE PORTALS TO ANOTHER WORLD,
ANOTHER DIMENSION.
THIS MIGHT BE WHERE THE ALIENS ARE BASED.
IT COULD BE A FOLD IN TIME-SPACE.
WHATEVER IT IS, IT SEEMS LIKE SAILORS
AND OTHER VESSELS ARE UNWITTINGLY
WANDERING INTO THESE AREAS AND POTENTIALLY DISAPPEARING.
Narrator: BLUE HOLES ACTUALLY DO EXIST.
THEY CAN BE FOUND DOTTED AROUND THE SHALLOW WATERS
OF THE BAHAMAS.
THEY CAN DESCEND TO OVER 600 FEET BELOW THE SEABED
AND BRANCH INTO NETWORKS OF SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGES.
BUT WERE THESE TUNNELS REALLY BUILT BY ALIENS?
GEOLOGIST MARTIN PEPPER ISN'T SO SURE.
APPARENTLY A BLUE HOLE IS A PORTAL
WHERE ALIENS ARE ABLE TO COME FROM AND ABDUCT BOATS
AND PLANES AND OTHER THINGS.
SO IT'S A CAVITY THAT ALLOWS THEM TO HIDE,
AND THAT'S WHERE THEY MAKE THEIR ATTACK.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE A FUNNEL SPIDER.
THEY WAIT DOWN IN THE BLUE HOLE, SOMETHING COMES OVER,
AND GOT IT!
Narrator: PEPPER THINKS THERE'S A NATURAL EXPLANATION
FOR THESE MASSIVE UNDERWATER SINKHOLES,
AND IT INVOLVES LIMESTONE, ACID RAIN,
AND A WHOLE LOT OF TIME.
Pepper: SO HERE WE HAVE A CHUNK OF LIMESTONE,
AND THIS IS THE SURFACE OF OUR EARTH, BASICALLY,
AROUND THIS AREA.
AND WHAT HAPPENS IS SEA LEVEL CHANGES A LOT, HUNDREDS
OF FEET THROUGHOUT THOUSANDS, MAYBE MILLIONS OF YEARS.
AND SO WHAT WE NEED IS WE NEED SEA LEVEL TO DROP.
THAT'S IN A COLD TIME,
THAT'S BECAUSE POLAR ICE CAPS REMOVE WATER,
DROPPING OUR SEA LEVEL.
Narrator: WHEN THE SEA LEVEL DROPPED OVER THE BAHAMAS,
THE EXPOSED LIMESTONE WAS OPEN TO ITS DEADLY ENEMY --
ACID RAIN.
Pepper: ONCE THE LIMESTONE COMES OUT OF THE WATER,
WE CAN ACTUALLY APPLY ACID RAIN,
AND THIS HAPPENS OVER THOUSAND OF YEARS.
THE SURFACE OF THE LAND HAS CRACKS, DIPS.
SO THIS ACID RAIN, WHEN WE ACTUALLY POUR THAT ON,
YOU CAN SEE WHAT IT'S DOING TO THIS LIMESTONE.
THOSE BUBBLES ARE TURNING THIS INTO CARBON DIOXIDE GAS
AND LIQUID AND IT'S JUST RUNNING AWAY,
AND SO THAT ETCHES THROUGH THE VALLEYS
AND THE PUDDLES, AND OVER TIME,
THAT'S GOING TO CAUSE A MATRIX OF CAVES.
Narrator: THE WALLS OF THE CAVES BECAME SO THIN,
THEY COLLAPSED, CREATING A LONG VERTICAL SHAFT.
EVENTUALLY, THE SEA LEVEL ROSE BACK AGAIN,
LEAVING BEHIND A BLUE HOLE HUNDREDS OF FEET DEEP.
AS A GEOLOGIST, THESE ARE FASCINATING.
THEY'RE MYSTERIOUS.
BUT WHEN YOU FIGURE OUT HOW THEY FORM,
IT'S REALLY MAGICAL IN A SENSE WHERE IT TAKES A LONG TIME
FOR THEM TO FORM
AND IT'S A BEAUTIFUL SERIES OF EVENTS.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE SEA LEVELS CHANGE.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE ACID RAN OCCUR.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A WHOLE SCENARIO
FOR IT TO FINALLY DROP DOWN AND FORM YOUR BLUE HOLE.
Narrator: IT'S NOT JUST GEOLOGISTS
WHO FIND BLUE HOLES FASCINATING.
THEY'RE NEAR THE TOP OF EVERY SCUBA DIVER'S BUCKET LIST.
THAT MEANS THE BLUE HOLES OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
ARE SOME OF THE MOST WIDELY EXPLORED UNDERWATER HABITATS
IN THE AREA.
THE CHANCES OF ALIENS BEING HIDDEN FROM
SO MANY PRYING EYES SEEMS VERY UNLIKELY.
BUT IF ALIENS AREN'T ABDUCTING SHIPS,
WHY DO SO MANY OF THEM SEEM TO DISAPPEAR WITHOUT TRACE?
THERE'S NOTHING MYSTERIOUS ABOUT THE FACT
THAT WE HAVE TROUBLE FINDING THE WRECKAGE.
I MEAN, THE OCEAN IS A VAST DEEP
AND IT'S REALLY HARD TO FIND SOMETHING ON THE BOTTOM FLOOR
EVEN IF YOU HAVE THE GENERAL IDEA
OF WHERE THE SHIP WENT DOWN.
SO, BLUE HOLES, THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL,
THEY'RE FASCINATING, THEY'RE MYSTERIOUS.
ALIENS? I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT.
Narrator: WE'VE SEEN HURRICANES, TIME-SHIFTING FOG,
AND EXPLOSIONS FROM THE DEEP.
BUT THERE'S ONE MORE POTENTIAL EXPLANATION,
AND IT COULD BE THE MOST TERRIFYING YET.
Narrator: FOR OVER 70 YEARS, BOATS HAVE BEEN GOING MISSING
IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, INCLUDING VAST CARGO SHIPS.
A BUSY ROUTE FOR THESE FLOATING GIANTS
PASSES BY THE ISLAND OF BERMUDA,
AND IT'S THE SETTING FOR ONE OF THE MOST
MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES OF THEM ALL.
OCTOBER 24, 1980.
A VESSEL CALLED THE SS POET,
HAULING A LOAD OF CORN TO EGYPT.
THIS IS A VESSEL THAT IS LARGER
THAN THE SIZE OF TWO FOOTBALL FIELDS,
AND IT GOES MISSING WITHOUT A TRACE.
Narrator: THE COAST GUARD SEARCH THE ATLANTIC FOR TEN DAYS,
BUT DIDN'T EVEN FIND A TRACE OF THE 11,000-TON SHIP.
OKAY, THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF ADVERSE WEATHER IN THE AREA
AT THE TIME, BUT NOTHING THAT SHOULD HAVE CAPSIZED A --
A BOAT OF THIS SIZE, SO WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?
WHERE DID IT GO?
Narrator: A CLUE TO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE POET
IS THAT THE CAPTAIN DIDN'T ISSUE A MAYDAY MESSAGE.
THIS WOULD SEEM TO SUGGEST THAT WHATEVER HAPPENED
TO THAT VESSEL HAPPENED SO QUICKLY,
THERE WAS NO TIME TO REACT.
Narrator: SOME SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE POET
MAY HAVE BEEN A VICTIM OF A RARE BUT INCREDIBLY VIOLENT
FREAK OF NATURE CALLED A ROGUE WAVE.
ROGUE WAVES ARE INCREDIBLY RARE WAVES
THAT RISE UP MUCH HIGHER THAN THE WAVES AROUND THEM.
THEY CAN SWEEP AWAY SHIPS WITHOUT WARNING.
WHEN YOU HAVE A BIG STORM OR YOU HAVE HIGH WAVES
AND YOU GET ONE OF THESE WAVES THAT'S JUST MUCH BIGGER
THAN THE OTHER WAVES, THAT'S A ROGUE WAVE.
THEY'RE NOT COMMON, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT
A LARGE SURFACE, IF IT'S A BIG STORM,
MAYBE IT COULD BE ONE OUT OF 500 WAVES --
BIG WAVES THAT GOES BY MIGHT BE THAT REALLY BIG ONE.
Narrator: ROGUE WAVES ARE RARE BECAUSE THEY REQUIRE
A SPECIFIC SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES TO FORM.
ARE YOU READY TO TURN ON THE COALESCING WAVE PACKET?
YEAH, WE'RE GETTING READY.
FIVE MINUTES. NO, I'VE GOT IT IN FIVE.
Narrator: BRIAN SIMULATES THIS PROCESS IN A LAB
BY FIRST CREATING A SLOW WAVE
AND THEN A FASTER WAVE WHICH CATCHES UP TO THE FIRST
AND MERGES WITH IT,
CREATING A MUCH LARGER ROGUE WAVE.
SCALED UP TO THE OPEN OCEAN,
ROGUE WAVES CAN BREAK WITH INCREDIBLE FORCE.
IT CAN KNOCK GIANT HOLES INTO LARGE SHIPS.
IT CAN TWIST THEM INTO -- TO INCREDIBLE ANGLES
BECAUSE IT'S JUST SUCH A HUGE AMOUNT
OF ENERGY BEING IMPARTED.
Narrator: THE BROKEN GEOLOGY OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
IS PERFECT FOR COOKING UP ROGUE WAVES.
IN A STORM, WAVES BEND INWARD AS THEY PASS SMALL ISLANDS.
AND SOMETIMES, THE TWO CONVERGING WAVES
COMBINE PERFECTLY TO CREATE MONSTER ROGUE WAVES.
ROGUE WAVES CAN ALSO FORM
WHEN A STRONG CURRENT BENDS WAVES
IN TOWARDS EACH OTHER,
ANOTHER FEATURE COMMON TO THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.
GOING RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT CURRENTS,
THE GULF STREAM,
WHICH HAS TREMENDOUS CURRENT VELOCITIES
AND HAS LARGE SHEARS THAT CAN FOCUS THE WAVES.
Narrator: IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE,
WAVES CAN SOMETIMES RUN INTO STRONG CURRENTS.
THESE CURRENTS ALTER THE SHAPE OF THE RUSHING WAVES,
MAKING THEM MUCH LARGER.
THE STRONGER THE CURRENT,
THE BIGGER THE WAVES IT CAN PRODUCE.
IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT A -- A SHIP SUCH AS THE POET,
WHICH WAS IN A STORM -- IT WAS IN STORM CONDITIONS
AND IT WAS IN AN AREA
ON THE NORTH WALL OF THE GULF STREAM
WHERE THIS KIND OF FOCUSING IS KNOWN TO HAPPEN,
AND SO THAT -- THAT'S AN ENTIRELY
PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION FOR SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE
CAUSED THAT SHIP TO BE LOST.
Narrator: FOR NEARLY A CENTURY, WE HAVE SOUGHT ANSWERS
TO THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES
OF BOATS AND PLANES INSIDE THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.
ANY NUMBER OF THEORIES HAVE BEEN RAISED,
FROM ALIEN ABDUCTIONS
TO KILLER BUBBLES FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.
BUT THE MORE SCIENTISTS LOOK INTO THE MYSTERY,
THE MORE THEY REALIZE THAT MAYBE THERE'S NOTHING SPECIAL
ABOUT THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE AFTER ALL.
SO THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE HAS THIS IDEA
THAT THERE'S AN INORDINATE NUMBER
OF MISSING PLANES AND SHIPS AND ACCIDENTS
AND THINGS LIKE THAT IN THIS LITTLE TRIANGULAR AREA,
IN A HIGHLY TRAFFICKED AREA.
AND SO WHEN SOMEBODY SAYS,
"WOW, IT'S AN UNUSUAL NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS
AND DISAPPEARANCES," UNUSUAL COMPARED TO WHAT?
Narrator: SURPRISINGLY, STATISTICS SHOW THAT
THERE ARE NO MORE ACCIDENTS IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
THAN IN ANY OTHER HEAVILY TRAFFICKED TROPICAL SEA
IN THE WORLD.
IF YOU WERE TO TAKE A --
A TRIANGULAR AREA OF ANY PART OF THE OCEAN,
YOU WOULD FIND MYSTERIES THERE,
AIRCRAFT AND SHIPS THAT DISAPPEARED
FOR UNKNOWN REASONS.
YOU WOULDN'T ASSUME THAT EVERYTHING
THAT HAPPENED WITHIN THIS ARBITRARY TRIANGLE
WE PICKED OUT WOULD BE DUE TO ONE PHENOMENON.
Narrator: THE WORLD'S OCEANS ARE DANGEROUS PLACES.
IT'S JUST THAT HERE IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE,
THE DISAPPEARANCES GET MORE PUBLICITY.
THERE'S NOTHING AT ALL UNUSUAL ABOUT ANYTHING IN THE AREA.
THE ONLY THING UNUSUAL IS
IT'S BEEN EMBELLISHED OVER THE YEARS BY WRITERS.
PEOPLE LIKE TO HEAR GHOST STORIES,
LIKE TO HEAR MYSTERY STORIES, AND SO IT'S PERSISTENT.
I MEAN, YOU CAN NEVER DISCOUNT
THE STRENGTH OF THE LEGS OF ANY BAD IDEA.
I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK THAT PEOPLE WANT TO GET
TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE MYSTERY,
BECAUSE THE MYSTERY ITSELF, THE SEARCH,
IS WHAT KEEPS THE IMAGINATION GOING.
IT KEEPS PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THIS STORY.
AND IF WE FOUND ALL THE ANSWERS,
THERE'D BE NO STORY LEFT TO INVESTIGATE.