In 1492, Christopher Columbus made his famous landfall in the West Indies to claim the New World. Along the way, however, he discovered something else: a mysterious region near Bermuda that has baffled sailors, pilots and conspiracy buffs for centuries.
His ship entered the Sargasso Sea, an extremely salty patch of water in the northern Atlantic Ocean bounded by currents that stretch 700 miles wide and 2,000 miles long, with Bermuda positioned on its western edge. Columbus watched his sailors quake in superstitious dismay as their vessel began slowly pushing through the enormous floating clumps of seaweed that suddenly surrounded them. Later, the explorer noticed his compass gyrating off course, and his lookouts reported a meteor and "strange dancing lights on the horizon" until the ship ultimately manoeuvred through the region.
Though scientists have now identified this sea without shores as a critical hatching ground and habitat for eels and loggerhead sea turtles, the Sargasso Sea still captures the imaginations of many who've heard its reputation as a ships' graveyard. Its location also feeds the myth of an even more popular legend: the Bermuda Triangle.
If you draw lines on a map connecting Florida's Atlantic coast, Puerto Rico and Bermuda, you'll see the outline of this infamous region (also called the Devil's Triangle), in which numerous ships and aeroplanes have supposedly disappeared under strange, unexplained circumstances. Believers have placed the blame for these incidents on a wide range of supernatural forces, from long-dormant technology on the lost island of Atlantis and UFO abductions to magic energy emanating from the gates of hell itself.
Reports of trouble in the Bermuda Triangle have fallen sharply, now that most ships and planes traversing the region rely upon satellite navigation aids and instant telecom links to stay in touch with the outside world. However, the legend lives on — bringing unusual global publicity to the island Shakespeare called the "still-vexed Bermoothes."
On the surface, the stories are compellingly spooky:
In 1812, the Patriot — a schooner that left Charleston, South Carolina, on its way to New York City with U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr's daughter Theodosia on board — vanished without a trace.
In 1881, the vessel Ellen Austin reportedly found an abandoned ship in the Triangle and sent crew members to claim it. The ghost ship sailed out of sight, returning a short while later with no crew! After the Ellen Austin dispatched a second complement of sailors, the mystery ship vanished again — and this time, it did not reappear at all.
The U.S. Navy ship U.S.S. Cyclops went missing in the Triangle in 1918 with 306 men on board, resulting in what's described as the single largest non-combat loss of life in the service's history.
Flight 19 — five U.S. naval bombers — disappeared on a calm day in 1945 during a routine training mission, after the pilot in charge reported strange compass readings in the Triangle.
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His ship entered the Sargasso Sea, an extremely salty patch of water in the northern Atlantic Ocean bounded by currents that stretch 700 miles wide and 2,000 miles long, with Bermuda positioned on its western edge. Columbus watched his sailors quake in superstitious dismay as their vessel began slowly pushing through the enormous floating clumps of seaweed that suddenly surrounded them. Later, the explorer noticed his compass gyrating off course, and his lookouts reported a meteor and "strange dancing lights on the horizon" until the ship ultimately manoeuvred through the region.
Book now and celebrate with hotel credits of up to $400 for travel through March 31, 2009. Plus get a 400 Anniversary Passport for additional savings of up to $1000 on island.
Make your Bermuda trip even more memorable with dolphins! Dolphin Quest offers fun, interactive dolphin encounter programs for all. Book your adventure today!
Have a fun-filled vacation with a cycle from Oleander. If you can ride a bicycle, you can easily ride an Oleander scooter. See all of Bermuda...reserve one today! 
