blue hole?

snailinpails · Feb 23, 2012

me and my dive buddie are thinking about going to ichetucknee and checking out the blue hole but not sure if its safe for open water divers. idk if anyone has been there but im curious as to how strong the currents are and is it a dangerous dive to us.

tstormdiver · Feb 23, 2012

Never been to that particular one, so I don't know the local conditions. Blue holes are basically underwater caves whose roof has collapsed. They are literally a hole in the bottom of the ocean. As long as you stay in the Open Water portion, do not go into any overhead areas (unless trained to do so) & don't go beyond the depths you are trained for, you should be fine.

diversteve · Feb 23, 2012

May want to re-think it:

October through March scuba diving is available in the Blue Hole only (you must be cave certified).

FPDocMatt · Feb 23, 2012

tstormdiver:
Blue holes are basically underwater caves whose roof has collapsed. They are literally a hole in the bottom of the ocean.

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.

diversteve · Feb 23, 2012

Each one is referred to as "the blue hole", as if it were the only one.

This is the famous "Blue Hole" - near Lighthouse Atoll off Belize. It's deep but divable:

FPDocMatt · Feb 23, 2012

diversteve:
This is the famous "Blue Hole" - near Lighthouse Atoll off Belize. It's deep but divable:

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.

DivemasterDennis · Feb 23, 2012

One one of the final trips on the Nekton Pilot liveaboard in the southern Bahamas area we dove literally dozens of blue holes, from 100 meters across to three times that diameter. I thought the interior was boring except for cool light changes. However, the rim of each proved to be a terrific dive, a "mini-reef, with a variety of wildlif, and the easiest navigation going- follow the rim!
DivemasterDennis

Hawkwood · Feb 23, 2012

Matt,

The Blue Hole in Belize is near Lighthouse Atoll. The typical dive sequence is to do the Blue Hole and then go and dive off of Lighthouse Atoll. In my opinion, the reef at Lighthouse Atoll is a great dive. The Blue Hole is most overhyped.

snailinpails · Feb 23, 2012

soooo....we wouldnt be aloud to the blue hole then?

Ste Wart · Feb 23, 2012

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.

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