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There’s a massive stretch of the North Pacific Ocean where ships almost never go - but why In this video, we uncover the real reasons behind this strange maritime mystery. Is it because of extreme weather? Isolation? Hidden dangers? Or something even more mysterious Whether you're into geography, ocean science, or maritime myths, this story will leave you thinking twice about the open sea.

Have you ever heard of this ocean zone? Share your theories in the comments! Animation is created by Bright Side.
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Transcript
00:00In some regions of the Pacific Ocean, ships sink very easily, which is why it is feared by many
00:07sailors. Although there are many routes in that area, there are some that few dare to risk because
00:13crossing them can mean facing extremely dangerous forces of nature. If you need to travel from Asia
00:20to America by ship, the most obvious route would be the shortest and quickest, that is, a nearly
00:26straight line under the North Pacific Ocean. But instead, it might be better to avoid crossing
00:32this place and opt for longer and more expensive, but much safer routes. There is not one, but several
00:41reasons. The Pacific is home to some of the most dangerous waters in the world. When we open a world
00:47map, we usually see that the Pacific Ocean is kinda divided, which prevents us from realizing how big
00:54it is. But in reality, this giant covers almost a third of Earth's surface. It's about 10 times larger
01:02than the smallest ocean in the world, the Arctic Ocean. In other words, when crossing it, the chances
01:08of being cut off from any landmass are very high. And in cases of emergencies, mechanical failures,
01:16or even storms, help might take days or even weeks to arrive. This significantly increases the risk of
01:24serious accidents, the possibility of cargo loss, and, in more serious cases, something even worse.
01:33Now, think about it. A ship journey from Santos, Brazil, to Cape Town, South Africa, covers a little more
01:39than 3,400 miles. To get from Kalao, Peru, to Shanghai, China, you need to travel around 10,000 miles.
01:49Another major problem that prevents sailors from crossing the Pacific is storm systems,
01:54whose name already indicates what they contain. Unpredictable, and therefore, dangerous storms.
02:02In addition, near the equator, there is a chain of winds called trade winds that directly influence
02:07the climate in the tropical region, and occasionally cause rain. Trade winds are strong and constant
02:14winds that act like a whirlwind that rotates without stopping. And although they are extremely
02:20important for nature, as they spread moisture through forests and even influence the formation
02:25of deserts, they pose a problem. Their intensity changes depending on the season. In winter, for example,
02:33they can be much stronger. And since these winds are responsible for moving the ocean waters,
02:39they also create strong sea currents that could make the journey much more dangerous.
02:45In 2015, researchers came across a series of extremely strong winter trade winds that caused a surge of
02:53short but intense waves in the Pacific Ocean. They observed that those waves began to hit the ship
03:00with constant force, as if they were repeatedly punching it. As a result, the hull structure was
03:07completely twisted and deformed. And in the end, they confirmed what they had already known.
03:13Those waves, caused by winter trade winds, could be a real threat to vessels.
03:19And by the way, do you remember that help in the middle of the Pacific can take a considerable
03:24amount of time to arrive? So, now there is much more than one reason behind the hostility of the
03:32winds. Such a large ocean doesn't have many geographical barriers, such as mountains or large
03:39islands. It means that there are no land structures around it that could hold back or slow down the winds
03:45and currents. So, the trade winds and ocean currents have complete freedom to gain strength and speed.
03:53This explains why the Pacific is the scene of powerful storms and giant waves.
04:00This is different, for example, from the North Atlantic, where North America, Europe and Africa help to
04:06contain and redirect the atmospheric and maritime systems.
04:10It is now very common for scientists to see the bottom of the Pacific Ocean as a giant jigsaw puzzle
04:17because it's literally full of moving pieces. It's home to the largest number of tectonic plates
04:24on the planet. And one of them, the Pacific Plate, is the largest maritime plate that science has
04:30ever identified. This particularity makes the region extremely unstable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
04:40Even though the ocean may seem calm at first glance due to its geology, things can change very quickly.
04:47This makes it unpredictable and treacherous. For example, in 2022, the cargo ship 1 Apis was crossing the
04:55ocean, 1,600 miles northwest of Hawaii, when it was caught in a torrential storm. As a result,
05:03more than 1,800 containers were damaged, falling to the bottom of the sea. Hundreds more collapsed on
05:10the deck, turning into a real-life steel domino due to the force of the wind. The captain managed to
05:17steer the ship to Japan. The journey lasted about a week, and it was only when they got there that
05:23they understood the extent of the loss. But it wasn't just the one Apis. The following year,
05:30the ship Maersk Essen lost about 750 containers, while the Maersk Eindhoven lost more than 260.
05:38In both cases, the routes were bound for Asia. These three alone have already accounted for much more than
05:45the global annual average of containers lost at sea, which is about 1,382 per year. And the most curious
05:54thing is that these events happened in winter. Speaking of winter, it was in the winter of 2020
06:02that the Pacific made history. Scientists recorded a 58-foot-high wave in the ocean, which is equivalent
06:09to the height of a five- or even six-story building. In general, a wave is considered
06:16giant or extreme when it's more than twice the height of the others around it. This one, however,
06:22was almost three times bigger than the rest. Now, it's important to remember that despite being rare
06:30and scary, these waves are not a tsunami, as they're caused by wind. Tsunamis, on the other hand,
06:37usually occur after underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Another big monster of the
06:44Pacific are typhoons, and the 2024 typhoon season confirmed this. One of the highlights was Hurricane
06:52Christie. It did not touch the crust, meaning it did not cause direct damage, but we cannot underestimate it.
07:00Christie reached Category 5 on the Saphir-Simpson scale, which is the maximum level. A hurricane of
07:07this degree is considered catastrophic, so it's no wonder that it was powerful enough to generate
07:13huge waves and extremely dangerous rip currents. In addition to this, there was also Super Typhoon
07:20Yagi, which hit the Asian continent with such force that it gained the reputation of the most powerful
07:26in the last 70 years. When it arrived in Vietnam, it caused around 1.6 billion US dollars in damage,
07:35destroyed infrastructure in several cities, and left a trail of victims wherever it went.
07:42As if that weren't enough, the Pacific is also home to one of the most unstable regions on the planet,
07:48the famous Pacific Ring of Fire. It's a huge, crack-shaped area that's home to intense volcanic
07:56and seismic activity. It's the most tectonically active place in the world, as the plates of the
08:01Earth's crust are constantly moving there. They move apart and collide or grind against each other,
08:08which causes the region to experience earthquakes and volcanic eruptions all the time.
08:14Seismographs record some type of tremor there every five minutes. This dangerous region is
08:20responsible for about 90% of the planet's earthquakes. So, 9 out of 10 tremors occur within this ring,
08:29which stretches across the northern Pacific. And the worst part is that it doesn't just affect North
08:35America or Asia. In 2023, tremors linked to the Ring of Fire were felt in several Latin American countries,
08:43such as Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. There was a trail of destruction and the lives of around 15
08:51people were lost. There's no shortage of reasons for ships to avoid the shortest route across the
08:57Pacific and opt for longer routes. As the popular saying goes, prevention is better than cure.
09:05That's it for today. So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it
09:10with your friends. Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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