Belize’s Blue Hole, is one of the largest submerged sink holes in the world, and has fascinated environmentalists, ocean experts and scientists for years. The hole is circular in shape, 318 m (1,043 ft) across and 124 m (407 ft) deep. The Blue Hole is located 46 miles off the coast of Belize, a popular diver’s/snorkelers paradise and is known for its abundance of sharks and sea life and also for its crystal-clear warm water.
Many divers consider The Blue Hole a “bucket list dive”, but this dive it is not for beginner divers – a prerequisite to dive the Blue Hole is having more than 24 logged dives. It is also not a ‘colourful dive’, instead, divers witness a dark cave with impressive stalactites. (icicle-shaped formation that hangs from the ceiling of a cave, and is produced by precipitation of minerals from water dripping through the cave ceiling.)
In 1971, Jacques Cousteau explored the Blue Hole, and this upcoming exhibition is the first time since then that anyone has explored it.
Sir Richard Branson; Fabien Cousteau, and Erika Bergman, the submersible pilot will be spearheading this exhibition, and this two hour presentation will be hosted by marine biologist Luke Tipple. This special, will explore The Blue Hole live and attempt to shed light on its mysteries. A second fully equipped submersible vehicle with additional lighting will allow the first crew and viewers to see as much as possible deep within the sink hole.
Vessels will continue exploring the Blue Hole for two weeks after the dive and track the site. The data collected from these explorations will help to construct real-life models of the Blue Hole’s geographical features and in turn, help scientists and researchers from across the globe determine how climate change patterns and changing sea levels affected its original formation.
The Discovery Channel in 2012, ranked the Blue Hole as number one on its list of “The 10 Most Amazing Places on Earth”.
This special from the Discovery Channel will be seen around the world and the premiere’s air date is Sunday, Dec. 2 from 4 to 6 p.m. ET/1 to 3 p.m. PT.