Researchers have now released a minidocumentary about the dive into the world’s biggest ocean sinkhole.
The Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize is the world’s biggest ocean sinkhole, measuring 1,000 feet across and over 400 feet in depth. It formed thousands of years ago as a limestone cave. As sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age, it was submerged. In the 1970s, the site was popularized by legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau. Ever since then, it has been a popular diving site—but its internal structure, features, and what lies at the very bottom remained a mystery.
In an interview with Newsweek, Bergman said the hydrogen sulfide —what we normally think of as a colorless, flammable, corrosive and toxic gas—is dissolved in water. While less concentrated than in its gas form, it is still potent, and sea life in the Blue Hole will not pass through the layer. During the dive, the team discovered the H2S layer sits at a depth of 290 feet and blankets the entire hole.
“There were...these odd tracks, crisscrossing circles right around the center of the hole with no indication of what had made them,” she told Newsweek. “Mostly it was quiet and dark down there. We also encountered the resting place for two of the divers who’ve been lost in the hole. We notified the local authorities, and everyone agreed to leave them undisturbed. They are at peace.”
“The stalactites are enormous, some are more than 40 feet long and two feet in diameter. They form due to the slow drip of water and crystallization of minerals as the water drops dry on the tip of the mineral stone,” Bergman said. “Water won't drip underwater—so this was a dry cave when the sea level was much lower. The drips are subject to gravity, so the stalactites can only form exactly vertically from the cave roof.
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