blue hole?

[BDSC]

The reason the Blue Hole in Belize looks like an atoll is because Jacques Cousteau blew open two inlets so he could get the Calypso inside.

From what I have read, that story is a myth.

 

[swim deep]

The Blue Hole at Ichetucknee Springs is for cave divers. I do snorkel there, and have worn scuba gear down the length of the park's river run many years ago. If you want to do that, you need a weekday, and/or colder season, or there are too many tubers on the river. IMHO It is best enjoyed by snorkeling as it is not deep enough (11-15ft max) to make it worth the effort with the scuba gear.

Florida State Parks has a good web site.

 

[DandyDon]

Wow, I didn't know that. No wonder there are so many "blue holes" in the world. Each one is referred to as "the blue hole", as if it were the only one.

Some inland springs are also called Blue Holes. The one in Santa Rosa NM was first made famous in Grapes of Wrath and now is a booming scuba sites. The one in San Antonio TX is not diveable I don't think.

Now just a minute here. This looks like an atoll, not a cavern on the bottom of the sea with the roof caved in.My understanding of an atoll is that it started as an island surrounded by coral reefs. As the island sank into the ocean, the reefs continued to grow upward, keeping pace with the sinking of the island, until eventually all that was left is a ring-shaped coral reef.

There are cave features in some small pocket caverns on the wall around 140 ft. Boring dive.

Some outfits take divers fresh from the OW class to the Blue Hole. I met a girl in Roatan who'd just done it. Scared the bejesus out of her, but they let her go.

Money money money. Boring and dangerous dive, and some will take anyone there. I don't know of a lot of accidents there, but when one happens - it's a very long boat ride back to a chamber on Ambergris.

 

[DiveNeptune]

When you say Blue Hole, i thnk of this one in my back yard

Blue Hole (New Jersey) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bunch of them in the Pineys

 

[farsidefan1]

It is not an atoll. The reason the blue hole in Belize is so famous is that it is a near perfect circle and looks cool from the air. Also because it is such a large hole, nearly a quarter of a mile across. And of course becaus Coustou was so interested in it and he publisized it. That said I was a newly certified diver on my first dive trip. We did the blue hole about my 3rd day there so I had hmm, 4 dives after certifying. The boat hung tanks down at about 15 feet so we could deco. Honestly I thought the first 30 feet were pretty cool, lots of fish. From 30 feet down to abut 140 feet not much to see. There were a couple sharks down there along with the stalctites. I pretty much felt like it was one of those dives you have to do if you are there. Not one I would repeat. However some of the other dives in the area were exceptional.

 

[Bombay High]

so I had hmm, 4 dives after certifying. The boat hung tanks down at about 15 feet so we could deco.

.

Thats got to be an interesting course you did ....

 

[farsidefan1]

Actually I certified in Utah in a fairly normal class, pool and lake with no vis experience. Then I went to Belize as a newly certified diver.My experiences in Belize reflect upon me rather than my instruction. I just went solo with some a random group. On my first dive we dropped down, wandered around a few minutes then the divemaster went into a tunnel. I thought WTH? Everyone went in after him in single file. As I watched nervously I figured I didn't know where the boat was up on the surface and I didn't want to be left alone on the bottom of the friggin ocean so like an idiot I followed them. The only redeeming fact is that I did have a light in my pocket so I was not totally in the dark (literally and figuratively). When we popped out my computer showed us at 92 feet. My thought at the time was, "Oh great, on my first dive I go into an overhead environment and pass 90 feet. I wonder what I'll do for my second dive. Well the blue hole was my 5th dive. By the way, I no longer feel obligated to follow anyone anywhere. The list of my stupid mistakes on that first dive trip are amazing. God must love a fool. My insta buddy had about 5 dives more than I did. We did a poor predive check and did not discuss anything about the dives. Just listened to the briefing and followed the "leader". Jim Lapenta, where were you when I needed someone to teach me that is is ok to NOT just follow blindly Oh yeah, you don't teach in Utah. I have learned a lot since then. Much of it from this board, thanks all.

 

[Dr Dog]

Or a single breath


William Trubridge freedives THE ARCH at Blue Hole, Dahab - YouTube

I have been obsessed with freediving since discovering William Trubridge, you want to see him break the world record, watch him single breath 111 m at Deans Blue Hole Bahamas, over 4 mins of dive time on a single breath, no fins, no weights.

 

[FPDocMatt]

I have been obsessed with freediving since discovering William Trubridge, you want to see him break the world record, watch him single breath 111 m at Deans Blue Hole Bahamas, over 4 mins of dive time on a single breath, no fins, no weights.

I watched both those videos the other day, and was totally blown away. The thing that gets me is, it's so lonely down there. He just goes straight down and down and down, into the blackness. Very scary.

My wife said she watched a similar video of a woman who on rising from the bottom suddenly went limp. The scuba divers swam to her and brought her to the surface, but were unable to revive her. Presumably she blacked out (and then of course drowned).

There are 2 causes of loss of consciousness in free diving--one deep and the other shallow. But I can't remember what they are.

I've read that the trick to free diving is to learn to ignore the urge to breathe. Sounds unpleasant. I'll take scuba.

 

[Bombay High]

God must love a fool.

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