National Geographic highlighted Bermuda’s underwater world, saying “Bermuda’s centuries-old shipwrecks beckon explorers to uncover mysteries far beyond the famed Triangle.”
The story said, “They look like LEGO. Black cubes of it, scattered across the seafloor as if a toddler has thrown a tantrum and stormed off mid-play. I exhale, lowering my neoprene-clad body deeper into the Atlantic for a closer look. The blocks aren’t plastic, of course. They are, in fact, natural formations — dense nodules of manganese oxide that build up as minerals crystallise around wrecks — and which now litter the seabed like a chequerboard of shadow and shimmer.
“It’s unexpected. But then, the surprises haven’t stopped since I arrived in Bermuda a few days before. This subtropical archipelago — a string of lush, fish-hook-shaped islands marooned some 600 miles off the coast of North America — is best known for its tailored shorts, prestigious golf courses and a certain mysterious triangle. But for me, it’s what lies beneath the azure waters that holds the greatest intrigue — namely, a vast underwater museum of maritime misadventure, where centuries-old shipwrecks rest in eerie silence, each vessel heavy with secrets, stories and even this glinting array of treasure.
“Sure, manganese oxide isn’t exactly gold bullion, but it certainly glistens with a strange, otherworldly sheen. Treasure also makes more sense than scattered plastic bricks, an unlikely inventory item on The Pelinaion, the Greek cargo steamer I’m now exploring. From the moment I descend, it’s clear shipwrecks here are different. I won’t be tracking down any famous, well-preserved vessels — those that, despite their sunken states and lopsided leanings, still seem ready to power up and resume their routes at any moment. In Bermuda, shipwrecks have had it rough.”
Read the full story here on the National Geographic website.
