The Blue Hole

Going out of order now. I didn't have my computer on Ambergris Caye. It's been hell catching up. As I have internet tonight I'm posting like mad. Here's a bit about the Blue Hole.

The Blue Hole was first explored by none other than Jacques Cousteau. It's an old collapsed cave that is now under water. The cave is a vertical hole in the ocean. Two days ealier we flew over it in a helicopter to get arial footage. It's a perfect blue circle in a green sea.

What I'm blowing off to catch up is, the ship wreck dive, The white faced, red footed booby bird colony, the hol chan marine reserve. Seeing a manatti (F*** spelling!)


It’s another five a.m. start. Time to stumble out with the gear to meet the boat at the dock. We are going to the blue hole. Two days ago we had flown over it in the helicopter. Now we would go to it, Keith will drive into it.

The boat heads out. As we pass through the reef, the water is violent. I’m slammed around, my arms pulled out at the sockets as I try to hold on. Up one wave the boat would go, then to go falling into a hole between the waves. The water becomes merely rough after getting through the reef.

Two hours later we’re at the blue hole. It’s in the atoll so the water is calm. Surrounded by a circular reef the water is quite calm here. Keith want’s shot the breifing of the drive by the dive master, but as soon as tape is rolling, a big boat with anoyingly loud engine starts motoring away. On the water the sound carries forever, so that’s the end of that idea. As Keith hits the water, I have fifteen minutes to go snorkling before my duties resume. The underwater camera man takes over now. I get my fins and mask on and pitch myself over the side.

The blue hole has a sandy funnel going down till it becomes a straight sided cylinder. I swim around looking at fish for awhile but that deep blue circle below me is beckoning. I can’t drive down to a hundred and thirty feet to follow Keith holding my breath. I long to see the stalactites on the over hang far below. i thought I had heard the drive master say that the rim of the Blue Hole was thirty feet down. I figured I could make that. I took huge breath and started kicking down. Half way I felt out of breath. I kept going. I was repressurizing my ears over and over again. My mask is smashing my face, I let a little air out of nose and the pressure releases. My lungs are screaming for air but I’m still not quite there. Finally, I’ve an instant at the lip to stare into the abyss. It’s a deep dark blue down there. Then I’m heading up and up. Seems a long way. My lungs don’t know that I’m surrounded by water. They want air and they’re pissed. They try to over power my command not to breath. It’s getting brighter, there’s the surface, air.

My watch says ity’stime to get out to be ready to shoot Keith getting out. He’s pumped, it was very cool down there. We then reshoot the briefing as the loud boat is gone. This time I hear the drive Master say the rim of the Blue Hole is fifty five feet down. Where did I get thirty?