Blue hole in the red sea. Mysteries of the Dark Depths: Dean's Blue Hole
Blue Hole (Blue Hole or blue hole)
The Blue Hole is considered to be one of the best dive sites in the world. This is definitely one of the most mysterious and beautiful reefs of the Red Sea. The dive site is located 15 kilometers north of Dahab.
Once upon a time, millions of years ago, a coral that had already grown two meters into a solid wall suddenly stopped growing due to some whim of nature ... Its edges, continuing to grow, grew together only after hundreds of thousands of years. A huge coral hole formed, named blue because of its sky color.
The depth of the failure inside the "well" is about 110 meters. From 52-55 meters, the “well” connects the sea with a passage - the amazingly beautiful arch of the Blue Hole. "Passing through the arch" is only allowed for technical divers who have the appropriate certification.
Route The Bells to Blue Hole (from Bells to Blue Hole).
The Bells (Bells) is wonderful place with a unique underwater terrain, available to divers who are at least an Advanced Open Water Diver (advanced diving course) and are ready to dive in the water column along vertical walls. Located about 250 meters north of the bridge leading to the Blue Hole well.
The name of this place was not accidental, since the semi-well where divers dive is quite narrow, it often happens to “hit with balloons”, hence the association with bells. The diver will have to quickly "fall" to a depth of about 30 meters, passing two unusually beautiful rings along the way and overcoming several sheer spans.
Map. The beginning of the dive is perhaps the most exciting of all known to us in Dahab. The traditional route for recreational divers begins through the so-called Bells (The Bells) - the place of entry into the water, located a few tens of meters north of the Blue Hole.
Further along the path lies along a magnificent and majestic coral wall, replete with canopies, huge mesh corals and small caves. And if you're lucky, a moderate current guarantees a great drift dive. It remains just to enjoy the sensations and magical views passing by.
The dive ends in the "bowl" of the Blue Hole, where the diver gets from the wall through an amazingly beautiful "saddle" - a natural depression of the coral wall of the "bowl", located at a depth of about 9 meters and separating the Blue Hole from the sea.
Place of entry into the water. Coastal entry. The beginning of the route is a semi-well that goes vertically down to a depth of about 30 meters, which some jokingly call the "elevator". The diver usually puts on fins and a mask at the edge of the well.
Animal world. It is not uncommon to see turtles and, of course, curious flute fish accompanying divers along the wall during a dive. Moray eels live in the wall. Since the diver is in the water column, there are Great chance to see enough large animals passing by in blue. On the saddle of the well and inside the "glass" there is a very colorful reef, where a sea of all kinds of underwater inhabitants lives.
Photo. Sunbeams refracting into perfect clear water, are reflected from the coral wall in an enclosed space and create fantastic scenes.
The dark rumors about the Blue Hole are greatly exaggerated. This amazingly beautiful dive site is notorious for irresponsible divers and their guides who have dived through the Arch without being properly qualified or equipped. Such experiments sooner or later logically end in accidents.
Diving at the Blue Hole will leave an unforgettable experience. This site definitely has its own special majestic atmosphere, it is not for nothing that it is known to the whole world. It is here that you can subtly feel the grandeur of nature and its extraordinary perfection.
Among the most mysterious places on our planet includes natural formations in sea depths- the so-called blue holes. They are vertical caves that are part of underwater cave systems. From above, they look like dark blue spots, contrasting with the general background of the water surface. One of the most attractive for divers is a sea well located off the coast. Egyptian city Dahab.
Blue hole (Red at the same time is one of the most dangerous vertical sea caves on the planet, for which it received its second name - "Cemetery of divers". It can be called "Everest" for divers: it is both beautiful and scary. This article will tell you about this beautiful, mysterious and dangerous place for scuba diving.
Blue hole in Egypt: how to find
To get to one of the most dangerous "attractions" for divers, you need to direct your way to the city which is located in the eastern part. This city has up to 60 diving training centers, so it is a place of concentration for divers.
From the city of Dahab, the cave is located at a distance of 15 km. It only takes a few minutes to get to it by sightseeing bus or taxi. As in the waters of other countries, the Blue Hole (Red Sea) has a cafe, a toilet and parking on the nearby coastal territory. Anyone who wants to dive underwater for the first time has the opportunity to choose one of the nearby diving clubs, where they will be explained the basic rules for using equipment and behavior underwater.
Brief description of the Blue Hole in Egypt
The depth of this vertical cave is 130 m, the diameter is at least 50 m, and it is surrounded by coral reefs. Approximately at a depth of 56 meters above the passage connecting the cave with the Red Sea, corals hang, forming the so-called Arch. The traditional route allows divers to start penetrating the cave at a depth of 6 m. In order to go out to sea through it, a lot of experience and special training is required.
Apart from the immediate pleasure of diving deep and achieving big or small personal bests, a blue hole, or blue hole near Dahab, opens up a magnificent living underwater world for divers. Inside the cave, they can see unusual marine life.
Blue hole turned graveyard
Many underwater caves sooner or later become a cemetery for someone. There will always be a few inexperienced divers who want to prove something to themselves or others, and the result of their outrageous arrogance will be a tragic end to their lives and a stain on their reputation great place for diving. Some experienced divers died here because they simply did not calculate their strength. Thus, the Blue Hole (Red Sea) has already buried more than a hundred divers in its waters.
The stain on the reputation of the blue hole in Egypt became especially obvious after memorial plaques with inscriptions containing the names of the divers who died in the cave began to be installed on the coast near it. True, although this cave still sometimes becomes a cemetery for some, the tablets coastal rocks stop installing. “This is a very depressing picture for tourists enriching the city and the country,” the authorities probably thought, and forbade expanding the coastal memorial.
Why the blue hole in Egypt attracts divers
Divers from all over the world flock to Dahab to admire the inside beautiful cave, raise the level of adrenaline, fill every cell of the body with new sensations and improve your skills. Divers love this sea hole because it is easily accessible from the shore. In addition, the water in this area is always calm both on the surface and at depth.
To a depth of 80 m, the cave approaches straight vertically, and then at a slight slope it reaches the mark of 100 m. The exit from the tunnel is located at a depth of 130 m. The structure of the cave is very convenient for both divers and free divers.
Main routes for divers
Beginners can easily descend into the cave along a chord or coral wall, and then get out of the water without any problems using a wooden bridge. Due to the fact that the entrance to the cave is not deep, inexperienced divers can get acquainted with it when diving only 20-30 m. Coral growths and schools of bright fish will be a great sight for them.
Experienced divers diving with nitrox dive to a depth of 54-55 m and go out to sea through the Arch. get down on great depth approaching the bottom of the cave, only the most experienced divers are at risk. For the inexperienced, such a dive often ends tragically. In addition to natural dangers when diving to great depths, at a depth of 50 meters, divers run the risk of coming face to face with a hammerhead shark.
Records in the Blue Hole
The blue hole was tough enough for only a few professional freedivers. Herbert Nietzsch from Austria, Alexander Bubenchikov from Ukraine, Konstantin Novikov from Russia were able to overcome the tunnel while holding their breath. And a diver from Canada named William Trubridge went through the hole not only without an oxygen tank, but even without fins.
The only woman who was able to pass through the Blue Hole Arch while holding her breath - In addition, she is known for being the only woman in the world who was able to hold her breath for 9 minutes, and her free diving depth record is 100 m.
Legend of the Blue Hole in Egypt
There is a folk tale that describes the life and death of a young girl. It is said that she was the daughter of an emir who lived on the coast, and when her father went to battle, she arranged a wild life for herself. Young people with whom she had an intimacy were drowned in the sea by the time her father arrived. So they tried to hide the truth from him.
However, the father eventually became aware of everything, and he ordered the execution of his daughter. The girl did not wait for the verdict and drowned herself in a blue hole. Before her death, she declared that she would drown everyone who was in the water at the place where she died. Some people try to explain this with this story. a large number of death in the cave.
Why divers drown
The cause of divers' deaths while crossing the Blue Hole in Egypt is the same as when trying to overcome others big holes. At depth, they are comprehended by the inevitable effect of "nitrogen intoxication". A diver begins to feel a state of slight intoxication at a depth of 60 m. At a depth of 80 m, he may lose his ability to reason, become prone to reckless behavior and lose his bearings. And going even deeper, the diver can fall into a state of uncontrollable panic.
What caused such a reaction? When on land or at shallow depths, a person does not experience any effect of nitrogen on his condition. But when it is at a decent depth, water pressure leads to a change in the properties of this substance and the penetration of a large amount of it into the blood. This is how nitrogen anesthesia works.
Despite its notoriety, the Blue Hole (Red Sea, Egypt), which still has more than 100 meters deep, still attracts divers like a magnet. Some of them use it to achieve new records, others acquire in this extreme place their first experience of scuba diving, and someone dives there just to admire the mesmerizing scenery. With good preparation, this cave is not as scary as it seems to many.
The top ten most dangerous places for diving on the planet include the Blue Hole, located in the Red Sea, not far from the resort of Dahab.
But despite the fact that the vertical, deep, underwater cave is dangerous for inexperienced divers, it is incredibly popular with diving enthusiasts and is a cult place for technical divers who aspire to dive in this place.
About the Blue Hole
If you look at the Blue Hole from a height, then in the expanse of the sea there is a karst failure surrounded by beautiful coral reefs, will look almost like a black hole, because its depth is 130 meters. This underwater hole called Blue, because the walls of the coral tunnel are painted blue due to the reflection in the water of a bright southern sun. The azure reflections that color the walls of the tunnel make an indelible impression on divers, and everyone who has been here talks about it with admiration. amazing creation nature. A 50-meter-diameter cave is connected to the sea by a narrow strait, and the depth of the strait is approximately 55 meters. At the strait, massive rocks hang over the abyss, which they called Arka. Another outlet to the open sea is located at a depth of seven meters and is a dense coral garden. In the tunnel, at a depth of six meters, there are small holes called "saddles".
The attraction attracts both casual divers who dive for pleasure and techno divers who dive for the purpose of setting a personal best or winning a diving competition. There are also recreational divers near the Blue Hole who try again and again to experience unforgettable sensations when passing the route leading to the huge Arch. For any category of divers it is great place For active rest, since entry into the water is convenient, the cave itself is located near the shore, the waves on the sea surface are not high and there are no currents under water.
The traditional route for diving enthusiasts There are two ways to enter the Blue Hole: through the nearby Bells drive site and from a wooden bridge, from which a stunning view of the inside of the deep-sea bowl opens up.
Most tourists pass through Bells - it is a narrow well, about thirty meters, leading to the Blue Hole, divers swim along the amazing coral wall to the cave, and go around it, admiring the beauties underwater world. This dive takes place at a depth of 20-30 meters.
Depths are of interest only to experienced divers, while techies using nitrox know the route - diving to a depth of 54 meters and passing through the Arch. By the way, hammerhead sharks are found at a depth of 50 meters. It is very dangerous to dive even deeper without special training, but, unfortunately, not everyone heeds the warnings, as evidenced by the body of a nameless diver who died here lying at a depth of 111 meters.
The blue hole has glorified Russian freedivers who dive into the beautiful abyss only with a snorkel and mask, this dive is called "in one breath". In the deep-sea cave, divers have set many records for deep technical diving, and it was here that the world record for trimix diving was set.
Mystical speculation and reality
There is a legend that the padishah drowned his depraved daughter here, who managed to curse it before her death. beautiful place, but the deaths in the Blue Hole of divers are not caused by an ancient curse, but only by the neglect of tourists binding rules security. For example, the passage of the Arc "in one breath" usually leads to a tragic ending.
There are mystical speculations that at a depth of about a hundred meters, when their deep well exits, the fish turn over and swim about their business upside down, and the diver, turning upside down, begins to move in the wrong direction that he planned. It is really difficult to say whether this is so, but without the appropriate equipment and without sufficient qualifications, it is not advisable to dive into the Blue Hole without the accompaniment of an experienced and professional diver. As a rule, the depletion of the oxygen supply in the cylinder during ascent and nitrogen anesthesia leads to death.
About those killed by negligence and as a result tragic accident Divers remind tourists of a memorial installed on the shore. Dozens of plaques with the names of the dead are fixed next to the memorial.
Infrastructure
On the shore there is everything to make tourists feel comfortable here: parking lots, cafes, shops and paid toilet. There are also trailers in which those who wish can spend the night. Prices, of course, are higher than even in the most average Egyptian eatery, but overpriced price tags do not interfere with many tourists to relax and swim quietly. In Dahab, you can get quality diving equipment and a few lessons in numerous diving clubs. For example, renting equipment for four dives will cost a tourist 120 euros.
How to get to the Blue Hole
Dahab is only fifteen kilometers from the Blue Hole, and they get to the place either by taxi or by sightseeing bus.
One of the most mysterious phenomena of our planet are blue holes. Many of them appeared millennia ago, and now they are very popular among divers and amateurs. extreme recreation. Today you will learn about Dean's Blue Hole.
Mystery of the water depths
blue holes beautiful and mysterious by its nature, because scientists still cannot agree on the origin of such a phenomenon.
There are several theories of the origin of such phenomena, among which the most popular is the formation during karst changes.
What is it?
Blue holes are vertical depressions that look like large water funnels. Funnels have karst origin and are below sea level. In some cases, they take the form of an underwater cave. The funnels got their name because of the difference in the color of the water in the middle of the hole and along its edges.
Formation of unusual funnels
Blue holes have been around since ice age in the course of washing out by rain and melt waters of calcareous rocks. At that time, the water level was lower than the current one by 150-300 meters.
Funnels have different depth, shape and diameter. The most visited blue funnels are located:
- V Egypt;
- on ;
- on Bahamas.
Dean's blue hole - photo
Until recently it was considered deepest of all known blue holes in the world.
Dean's Blue Hole got its name from the name of the landowner of the territory next to which the funnel is located.
Where is?
Dean's blue hole is located near the town Clarence Town in the lagoon of Long Island, part of the Bahamas.
You can get to the ground as if by plane (there is its own airport), and by water - there are several ferries from the central island of Nassau.
Characteristics
Depth funnel is 202 meters. On the surface, the diameter of the funnel is 20-30 meters, at a depth it increases to 100 meters, thereby forming a kind of dome. Also on the surface, the funnel has the shape of an oval.
Historical information
The first dive to great depths was made Jim King("King Jimmy") in 1992, shortly before his death. And in 2010, W. Trubridge dived to 101 meters, thereby breaking the record of J. King.
Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas is extremely popular with divers and is the training and training base for all freedivers. Gives here every winter master classes W. Trubridge himself, as well as festivals and competitions.
Features of local diving
The passion for diving is fashionable and popular business for a couple of decades now. For diving to great depths, there is nothing better than a blue hole.
What attracts divers?
Dean's Blue Hole attracts hobbyists for many reasons:
- possibility of diving great depth;
- beautiful underwater landscapes;
- safety diving;
- opportunity acquaintance with like-minded and outstanding divers;
- freediving base on the coast.
Is diving dangerous?
Compared to other blue holes, this one can be considered safe- there has not been a single death officially recorded in it.
It is always worth remembering that diving without the appropriate knowledge and equipment can be deadly.
But, for example, in the blue hole Dahab there is a so-called "divers' graveyard", where, according to official figures, about forty people died. There are memorial plaques on the shore for the dead.
See exciting video Dive into Dean's Blue Hole:
This article will focus on the so-called blue holes, which are underwater vertical caves that go down to great depths. From a bird's eye view, such caves most of all resemble dark blue, and sometimes almost black holes on the water.
soundwaves.usgs.gov
On this moment several dozens of such caves are known, but the most famous of them are the Great Blue Hole ( Great Blue Hole), located in the center of the atoll known as Lighthouse Reef (Belize), and the Blue Hole ( blue hole), located near Dahab, in Egypt.
The Great Blue Hole became widely known after the exploration of Jacques Yves Cousteau and his team. It was Cousteau who first explored this underwater cave, the ceiling of which collapsed several millennia ago. The diameter of the blue hole is about 300 meters, and the depth of the cave reaches almost 120 meters. Due to its size, this blue hole is considered the largest in the world and is listed world heritage UNESCO.
The Great Blue Hole formed over 10,000 years ago, at a time when sea levels were much lower. Soon the ocean began to rise and the cave was flooded. Its ceiling could not withstand the pressure of the water and collapsed ...
Today this place is incredibly popular among divers. Even Jacques Yves Cousteau, while studying the cave, made several notes of places where, in his opinion, it is best to dive. You can get to the Great Blue Hole either by boat or motor boat or by signing up for one of the many tours.
Visiting the Great Blue Hole is already interesting in itself, but you will get the most vivid impressions from diving into its depths. Divers dive to a depth of 30-40 meters, where they can fully enjoy all the beauties of the underwater world. Colorful exotic fish scurrying back and forth, and the most beautiful underwater landscapes - all this awaits you at the bottom of the Big Blue Hole.
Another equally famous blue hole is located near Dahab, but it gained its fame because of the many tragedies that happened here. Many inexperienced divers underestimated the complexity of the underwater route, and this led to sad consequences ...
The Blue Hole in Dahab, also known as the “Diving Cemetery”, is a fairly large lagoon surrounded on all sides by coral reefs. The depth of this blue hole is about a hundred meters. The cave is connected to the sea by a small strait, the depth of which reaches about 55 meters. From the side of the strait, rocks called the Arch hang over the Blue Hole.
Not far from the underwater cave, on the shore, there is a memorial, which contains dozens of tablets with the names of the divers who died here. Recently, it has been forbidden to place new signs, as the Egyptian government considered that this could negatively affect tourist attraction this unusual but deadly natural object.
Dmitry Kuznetsov
At the moment, the list of people who have overcome the arch in freediving mode (that is, holding their breath) is very short. There are only a few names here, among which there are such professional divers as Bifin (South Africa), Herbert Nietzsch (Austria), Natalya and Alexei Molchanovs (Russia). It is worth noting that Natalia Molchanova is still the only woman who swam the arch in one breath!
