We all crave to be special. If we were a city or a country, it´d be
no different. A doctorate in dwarf albino nudibranchs' reproductive
systems, a grand canyon, a Calatrava-built bridge, an Eiffel tower,
tall, dark and handsome...whether we are human or geographical
location, we crave something that will set us apart from the rest and
make us special, or better yet, irresistible in the eyes of the
beholder. Cozumel has its currents, Truk has its wrecks, Galapagos has
everything except warm water, Belize has its Blue Hole.
Belize is already fortunate enough to have running along its shores
the second largest reef system in the world, and if the gorgeous blue
hues of its waters or the picture perfect single coco- tree Lilliputian
islands sprinkled all over its domain weren't enough to make Belize
feel sufficiently special and pretty, it has The Blue Hole to draw
attention to it. Kinda like Cindy Crawford's distinguished, memorable
and highly differentiating mole.
If you've been around the sport or even sport practitioners,
chances are you've heard about the Blue Hole. Its fame is such, it has
practically become homologous with diving in Belize. "Hey, you're back!
How was the diving in BelizedidyoudivetheBlueHole?" And if you've been
around the sport or around Belize much you could probably expect one of
two kinds of coloring to tint the response to such a question: passion
or contempt.
Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Belize's Blue Hole's
magic is in the masked eyes of the diver who explores it. So, is it
worth it? Is it cool? What's the fuzz all about? You be the judge.
The Blue Hole is actually not that unique to Belize. Just as other
supermodels or even girls next door might have an attractive mole,
other countries have their own blue holes. Even Belize has more than
one, but the one we constantly hear about, the Big Blue Hole, is unique
because of its size and depth. But more on that later. First a bit of
geological history.
The Blue Hole is a geological oddity, so much so that in March of
1996 it was declared a World Heritage Site and later declared a
National Monument in February of 1999. The Hole used to be, once upon a
time millions of years ago, a complex system of dry caves. Scientists
believe there were a couple of peculiar events that made the Hole what
it is today. First, an earthquake of such force it might have tilted
Lighthouse Reef, the area where the Blue Hole is located, to an angle
of 12 degrees. Secondly, the melting of the last Ice Age flooded the
cave system. Eventually, the porous limestone ceilings of the caves
became incapable of supporting their own weight and they crumbled,
leaving an almost perfectly round and deep hole in the process.
The Blue Hole is almost 1000 feet in diameter and over 450 feet
deep. Its walls are almost perfectly vertical and fairly smooth, except
at a few points where there are large ledges and overhangs. It is here
that we find enormous stalactites (hanging down), stalagmites (building
up) and columns (when stalactites and stalagmites meet) dating from the
Pleistocene period. Due to the earthquake mentioned above, some
stalactites hang at a 12-degree angle, cluing scientists such an event
happened since stalactites cannot form except in a perfectly
perpendicular manner. Some formations that happened after the
earthquake are indeed perpendicular, and in some of the stalactites
that formed before the earthquake one can see the top parts being at an
angle and their bottom parts, which kept forming afterwards, being
perpendicular.
Jacques Cousteau made the Blue Hole famous in 1972, when he took
his famous research vessel, the Calypso, into Lighthouse Atoll and
traced a route that is used by dive boats to this day. In fact, it is
erroneously often mentioned that Philippe Cousteau, his son, was killed
during this trip. However, that happened while he was operating a
light-wing plane in Lisbon, Portugal a few years later.
Diving the Hole
The Blue Hole is not a dive for the hesitant and inexperienced,
since it is a dive that pushes the depth limits of recreational diving.
There are a couple of sites that are most commonly dove. One is on the
east, where the day dive operations usually moor. Another mooring can
be found north. This one is reserved once a week for the luxury
live-aboard Sun Dancer 2, when it comes to dive the Hole, and whose
crew installed it. The sharks the day boats attract by chumming also
frequent the eastern site.
It is not unusual to see more than a dozen large animals of
assorted variety; grey, black tip, bull sharks and even a couple of
hammerheads might show up whenever you do, just to make sure they have
you pumping with adrenalin in case the spectacular depth and geological
uniqueness of the Hole hasn't already.
Given the extreme profile of the site, dive masters guide every
dive, setting a bottom time limit of 8 to 9 minutes. The descent is
done at an angle, heading towards the ledge and overhang that houses
the giant rock formations. These appear between 110 and 120 feet.
Obviously, buoyancy is key. You definitely don't want to plummet into
the dark.
As a rule of thumb, if you are lower than the dive master, you are
too low. If you can look up and see the dive master the size of a
thumb, you're way, way too low. And if you can see the bottom, well,
things have really gone pear shaped for you...so watch your buoyancy,
the dive master and your gauges!
Given the lack of light and topography that could help orient you,
it is strongly advised to descent and ascent looking at the wall. If
you look towards the center of the hole, into the deep blue, you could
become disoriented and even start feeling the effects of vertigo.
Something you definitely want to avoid, since you will surely have to
deal with some degree of nitrogen narcosis. Remember, this is as deep a
dive as can be made within recreational limits. Stay with your buddy,
be cautious, follow the dive master, and relax. Once you have reached
the overhangs and the formations come into sight, the dive master will
guide you through them in a slow and memorable slalom course. The
length of the stalactites can get to around 20 to 45 feet, with
approximately 15 to 25 feet in diameter. It is worth noting here that
scientists believe stalactites and stalagmites build up to the rate of
one inch per 100 years, so don't break any! But seriously, it is a
dramatic sight. If you're shooting photos or video, you will get the
best images by placing yourself close to the wall, behind the
formations, and shooting your buddy or fellow divers from below. This
will create an outline of the formations and the divers against the
lighter background. Using flash or video lights will most likely fill
your images with backscatter given the large amount of particles and
sediment in the water.
After 8 or 9 minutes, you should begin ascending, slowly, looking
at the wall and in an angle, just as you descended. Even though the
water in the Hole is constant year round, there is usually a
thermocline at around 90 to 100 feet. At 130 feet, the temperature is
approximately 72F, so coming up you'll be greeted not only by the
occasional huge Nassau or Tiger Grouper and much more light, but also
by comforting warmer water. The top border of the Hole is submerged in
approximately 25-35 feet of water. Once you swim over the border of the
Hole you'll do a safety stop for around 15 minutes at 20ft. This is the
perfect time to compose in your head that bragging postcard you'll send
to your friends and family, take a quick nap or practice your fish i.d.
skills. There are dispersed coral heads with many tiny inhabitants,
like Corkscrew anemones, Pederson's Cleaner Shrimp, schools of Jacks,
Butterfly fishies, Slender Filefishes, and various Gobies and Blennies.
And maybe, just maybe, you might even witness the fabled Blue Hole Sea
Serpent. In the late 60's a group of divers reported seeing what
appeared to be an elongated, semi-transparent eel-like creature
measuring approximately 20-25ft. Apparently such a creature could fit
the description of only a Ribbonfish or perhaps an Oarfish (Cepolidae
Family), however, these being pelagic creatures their sighting in the
Blue Hole might seem quite rare.
So how does it sound to you? Booked your flight to Belize yet?
Working as a dive instructor in Belize I had the opportunity to
dive the Hole dozens of times. Often I would hear comments coming from
the been-there-done-that diver who thinks the Blue Hole was not worth
diving again, and yet, every time I saw the enlarged eyes of a
first-time Blue Hole diver, at 115ft, as the imposing stalactite
formations the size of a 15-diver-carrying-dive-boat came into sight, I
was reminded of the vibrant thrill of my first ever Blue Hole dive. But
hey, some people think traveling into exotic lands and breathing
compressed air in shark-infested waters amidst geological oddities is
without charm. So, you be the judge.
