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What is so special about Dean’s blue hole of Bahamas ?

deans blue hole

Blue Holes are always a mystery for the travelers. Here i am sharing one of the gorgeous blue hole which is very famous for diving.

Dean’s Blue Hole is the world’s second deepest known salt water blue hole with an entrance below the sea level. It plunges 202 meters in a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas.

There exists a broad term “blue hole” describing any deep, water filled, vertical caves. A blue hole is a water-filled sinkhole with the entrance below the water level. They can be formed in different karst processes, for example, by rainwater soaking through fractures of limestone bedrock onto the water table.

“Blue hole” is a term applied to some of those sinkholes which are filled with water irrespective of their mechanism of formation. It seems that the decisive factor in the use of this term is the beautiful deep blue color of water in these formations.

There is no shortage of blue holes on the planet, but Dean’s blue hole is the deepest and considered one of the most beautiful ones as well.

The Dean’s Blue Hole

Dean’s Blue Hole is named after the family name of local landowners. It is located in a small bay, divided from the open sea with small peninsula.

At the very tip of this small bay in the depth of 6 m starts entrance into this vertical cave. Entrance is 25 x 30 metres wide. Here starts the sinkhole – it’s walls are not just vertical but overhanging. There can be observed a constant “sandfall” – small rivulets of sand are streaming down into the hole.

Further down the blue hole becomes larger and larger, until the diameter reaches approximately 100 meters.It is widely considered to be one of the world’s best diving and snorkeling site.

The water is very clear as its visibility reaches up to 30 meters. The blue hole’s deepest point is 202 meters but if you pass the hole and swim around, the depth of the water will be only waist-deep.

Because of its enclosed nature, wind does not reach it and there are no big waves either, making it an ideal place even for beginner swimmers.

Typically, blue holes look like ponds, but Dean’s blue hole is a different one in many ways. It is connected to the Atlantic through an inlet on one side and framed by cliffs and white sand beaches on the other.

This color is created by high transparency of water and bright white carbonate sand. Blue light is the most enduring part of spectrum: where other parts of spectrum – red, yellow and finally the green – are absorbed during their path through the water, blue light manages to reach the white sand and return back after the refraction.

Besides being one of the best spots in the world to dive and swim, it is also a marvelous sight in itself. Beaches around the blue hole are also clear and excellent spots to tan in the sun.

Cave has seen many incredible world records in diverse disciplines of free-diving by the best freedivers of the world, including Natalia Molchanova, Herbert Nitsch, William Trubridge.

Getting There

It is best to search for flights at http://www.kayak.com with Nassau airport (NAS) as your destination.

Once you have established that route, there are 2 airlines who fly daily to Deadman’s Caye Airport (DMC), Long Island from Nassau.

Bahamas Air
Southern Air

Deadman’s Caye airport is about 5-10′ from the Blue Hole. DO NOT get off the plane if it makes a stop at Stella Maris airport in the north of Long Island (which is an extra hour’s drive).

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