Govind Tekale
A massive sinkhole, located 60 miles off the coast of Belize is the Blue Hole. The Blue Hole (BH) was once a large cave system, & it is the world’s largest sinkhole today. The BH was explored by Jacques Cousteau in the mid-1970s & considered one of the top five diving spots on Earth.
The BH is a part of the Belize Barrier Reef, which is one of the largest portions of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. The Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole big enough to fit two Boeing 747s side by side. Perfectly circular in shape, the hole is 984 feet (300 meters) across, & 410 feet (125 meters) deep.
The Great Blue Hole is considered the world’s largest natural formation & a World Heritage Site of UNESCO. Completion of at least 24 previous dives in different locations is required to explore the BH. An expedition to the Blue Hole was embarked by billionaire Richard Branson when diver Fabien Cousteau traveled there to capture high-quality photos & videos of the mysteries hidden beneath the surface.
A two-liter plastic bottle & a long-lost GoPro with some photos of someone’s holiday at the bottom of the hole were found by the team. Two bodies of the divers who had gone missing in the cavern were also discovered by the team.
The BH has become an extremely popular diving destination, attracting experienced scuba divers from all over the world. What lies mostly in the depths of the Great Blue Hole is a mystery. A cornucopia of marine life that includes nurse sharks, giant groupers, spectacular coral reefs, & several types of Reef sharks treat the divers.
Fabien Cousteau, grandson of Jacques Cousteau, returned to the Hole, in 2018, with an Aquatica Submarine to capture high- quality photos & videos of what lies in its depths. Aquatica‘s chief Pilot & Oceanographer, Erica Bergman, led the expedition, which was broadcast live on the Discovery Channel on December 2, 2018.
The BH has a tragic past, as iris the final resting place of two missing divers. The decision of the team was to leave the bodies where they were, determining the hole to be a good final resting place.
It’s a risky endeavor to dive to great depths, requiring experience & expertise. The Great Blue Hole has intrigued & mystified explorers for decades. A marvel of the natural world, the BH continues to draw adventurers from across the globe.
