Friendship Island
In 1985, a Chilean radio enthusiast began talking with voices who said they lived on a hidden island in the southern fjords.
What was reported
In 1985, Octavio Ortiz, a radio enthusiast in Santiago, began picking up unusually clear messages on his citizens' band radio from a man who called himself Ariel. Ariel said he belonged to a group, Friendship, living on a hidden island among the fjords and channels of southern Chile.
Over the following years, other people said they had received radio messages, food and help from the group, and that their boats had met ships from the island. The story grew into one of Chile's best-known mysteries.
Explanations offered
No island fitting the descriptions has been found, despite searches of the area. Sceptics suggest a long-running hoax or a group of people inventing a story together. Some who took part still say the contacts were real.
- When
- From 1985
- Where
- Chiloé Archipelago, Los Lagos, Chile
- Witnesses
- Radio enthusiasts and their families
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.