Bizarre Natural Phenomena Vol. 38 - A Hole In The Water (The Great Blue Hole)

In Greek we have the expression "make a hole in the water" which is used when we want to say that an action was taken in vain as it didn't fix a problem. Today I want to show you a real hole in the water, a beautiful place in the Caribbean Sea.

(Image from: commons.wikimedia.org)

This sapphire blue underwater "pond" is  about 100 kilometers away from the shores of Belize, Central America. Situated in the middle of Lighthouse Reef atoll, this giant and almost perfectly circular hole has a diameter of 300 meters and a depth of 125 meters. It was formed during the last glacial period and went through various changes (153,000 - 66,000 - 60,000 and 15,000 years ago). The hole was initially a limestone cavern, but as ocean levels began to rise, water started coming in and flooded it. Unable to hold its weight, the cavern collapsed into a sinkhole that today is a famous divers' attraction.

The Great Blue Hole belongs to the Barrier Reef Reserve System of Belize and got its name from Ned Middleton (a British diver and author). It was also declared one of the World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The Lighthouse Reef is quite unique in its formation, along with Glover’s Reef and the Turneffe Islands. Going back about 70 million years, the atolls of the Caribbean started forming over enormous fault blocks; unlike most atolls that form as volcanoes subside over time. Deep trenches covered in limestone provided space for corals to grow on. As the last ice age was ending, water levels started rising and "built" the outer walls of pits and lagoons that measure depths from 3 to even more than 100 meters.

What's in there?

Stalactites and stalagmites adorn the interior of the hole, some of them may reach 9-12 meters in length. Closer to the bottom divers can see bedrock ledges and underwater dunes. But geological formations are not the only thing you can find in it as various marine creatures have their home in the hole. A few shark species, neon gobies, purple sea fans, angelfish and groupers have set their own neighborhood. 

(Image from: commons.wikimedia.org - Author, Albert kok - License)

Beauty kills

Accidents are not something unusual in the Hole. Although the waters are tranquille enough and no dangerous currents flow, incidents of nitrogen narcosis have been reported. Nitrogen narcosis can occur as a numbing sensation or euphoria that may lead to death. More controversial reports have mentioned the presence of "monster" dwellers in the hole, but no evidence has been presented to support these statements.

Famous people that dived in it

A person I admired in my childhood, Jacques Cousteau in his Calypso (a nymph from the adventures of Ulysses; not the feminist who turned men into pigs, the one who kept Ulysses for seven years on her island) explored the underwater cavern and in 1971 he put it among the 10 best diving spots on the planet. Coustaeu's work confirmed the theory that the hole was created from a limestone cave.

The lesser know Blue Hole

There is another hole which is not as famous as the Great Blue Hole. St Herman's blue hole is a sinkhole about 20 kilometers from the City of Belmopan and was created when an underground river channel collapsed and resulted in a beautiful, 10-meter deep pool of turquoise waters surrounded by the trees of the rainforest. 

(Image from: commons.wikimedia.org - Author, Haakon S. Krohn - License)

Cenotes

Cenotes or sinkholes are not a rare phenomenon, especially on the Yukatán Penisula. They form when limestone bedrock collapses and groundwater fills the pit they leave behind. Cenotes are common on islands and coastlines in low latitudes. They can be either on the mainland or in the sea and you can find some in Australia, America (Central, US and Canada) and there is even one in Zimbabwe.

This is a photo of a cenote in Chichén Itzá (Yucatán, México). Such cenotes are formed when the bedrock dissolves and the upper layers collapse, often unveiling a cavern system lying below. Cenotes form either fully exposed sinkholes or holes partially covered with a piece of rock.

(Image from: commons.wikimedia.org - Author, Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez - License)

Have a taste of what it looks like to dive in the Great Blue Hole

References

atlasobscura.com
wikipedia.org_1
wikipedia.org_2
cahalpech.com
belize.com
marineinsight.com
geocaching.com

Thank you so much for reading today's post. I 'm waiting to see your comments below. If you want to see some more of my work, follow the links below:

• 5 Facts About Me (Expose Yourselves)
• Let's Cultivate... Crystals! (Part 1)
• The Red Raven - A Short Story Of Fiction
• You Left Me - A Short Story Of Romance
• Let's Learn Something Cool - Meteor Showers

Until my next post,
Steem on and keep smiling, people!