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The Blue Hole in Belize (PIC)

neatorama.com — About 60 miles from Belize City, there is a perfectly circular 1,000 (305 m) feet across and 400 feet (123 m) wide "Blue Hole." The hole, part of the Lighthouse Reef system, was once an opening to a cave system during the Ice Age - it is now a magnet for extreme divers:

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  • ftbl52, on 10/10/2007, -2/+173Wow! 1000 feet across and 400 feet wide! Wait, what?
    • richgustavson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+16My first thought too...wtf?
    • endtwist, on 10/10/2007, -0/+55Looks like it's a typo. It's 400 feet _deep_ and 1,000 feet across.
    • jmpeagle, on 10/10/2007, -7/+11it is one of those "perfectly circular" non-circle...duh. It is obviously an ellipsis.
      • krock2883, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8...
      • dajuggernaut, on 10/10/2007, -6/+4ummm... there is a little concept called camera angle.. you might want to look it up
        • Jwoey, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2ummm... he's sarcastically referring to the typo in the summary.. you might wanna look up.
        • DarkDx, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0oWned
        • smackhero, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1yes, he was referring to the typo. however, he was still wrong about which part was a typo. it's not an "ellipsis" (sic.) the 400 feet is the depth.
          • jmpeagle, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I knew which part was the typo. It was a joke assumming there was NO typo meaning it was an ellipsis.
          • smackhero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4oh, your humor is beyond my wit.

            btw, it's called an ellipse. an ellipsis is something else...
          • yournightmare, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Clever
    • noahhoward, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12Did this remind anyone else of the 400m perfect circle on mars?
      • TheOther1, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1You mean except for the lack of water thing?
      • nfollmer, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1the world's once aligned and the aliens hit us with a frickin lazer, going through Earth AND Mars, i bet there's that hole doesn't end. It's a lie!
        • DarkDx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2It's a trap
        • theholycow, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3No, it was a docking hole; a huge peg held the two worlds together...
        • smackhero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2what?

          that sentence--and i use the term loosely--made absolutely no sense whatsoever. i hope to god you're not a native english speaker...
          • nfollmer, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1sorry grammar whore, do digg comments EVER make sense?
          • smackhero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2apparently not when they're made by retards like you who can't form coherent thoughts or sentences. i mean, c'mon...
            "the world's once aligned and the aliens hit us with a frickin lazer, going through Earth AND Mars, i bet there's that hole doesn't end."
            --seriously, what are you dyslexic?
    • Billthe4th, on 10/10/2007, -11/+2http://duggmirror.com/offbeat_news/The_Blue_Hole_in_Belize_PIC/

      Is this still comment abuse?
    • newsheatdotcom, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12From the Dive Beliz website this article links to ( http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/greatbluehole.html ):
      "The Blue Hole is a perfectly circular limestone sinkhole more than 300 feet across and 412 feet deep"
      But, in the next paragraph:
      "The diameter of the circular reef area stretches for about 1,000 feet and provides an ideal habitat for corals to attach and flourish."
      So I think the area that is considered the reef is 1000 feet across, while the hole is only just over 300.
      • zybch, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1remember, 1 metre is around about 3 feet which explains the contradicting numbers. What it doesn't explain is how the author got and has kept his job ith such glaring typos.
      • smackhero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1As already explained above, the 400 feet is the depth. also, the area of the reef is far from "perfectly circular" so i don't think the perfectly circular 1000 feet across is referring to the reef. the hole itself is 1000 feet wide and perfectly circular. this can be confirmed from a variety of sources.

        From Wikipedia:
        "The Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off of the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 60 miles from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is almost perfectly circular, over 1,000 feet across and 400 feet deep."

        From National Geographic:
        "Approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Belize City, the almost perfectly circular Blue Hole is more than 1,000 feet (305 meters) across and some 400 feet (123 meters) deep."

        most other sources also cite the figure 1000 feet (~305 m) for the actual diameter of the hole, although i found one site that claimed it was a quarter mile wide, or .4 km (~1300 ft.).
    • NikoKun, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Yeah, unless you can't tell size visually.... It's pretty easy to see its 1000x1000.... the 400 part was about how deep it is... it was just a typo on their part.
  • richgustavson, on 10/10/2007, -4/+12That's so ***** cool.
  • joyleaf, on 10/10/2007, -17/+12Now we know where Osama's been hiding for so long.
  • TheRingmaster, on 10/10/2007, -2/+41Cthulhu calls
  • Platysquirrel, on 10/10/2007, -2/+27I thought it would be somewhat exciting to see on Google Earth. 17'18'56 N 87'32'04 W to see a blue dot. Trust me, you're wasting your time.
  • phatzo, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11dugg for the advertisement its hip ya dig retro bowling shirts
    • ayeroxor, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Praise for profiteering blogspam sites? Is this opposite day?
  • redrock34, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Finally we found a place to dump all of our dirty water bottles.
  • weijie90, on 10/10/2007, -0/+141The ocean just goatse'd us.
  • VeryBoredNow, on 10/10/2007, -4/+35possible terrorist hideout, send a tomahawk missile in there just to make sure
    • seraph82, on 10/10/2007, -14/+3retard, get your mind off of that *****
  • Sphonix, on 10/10/2007, -6/+12Wouldn't mind a HD version for a background.
    • Dunadan, on 10/10/2007, -19/+7"a"? I believe you meant "an".

      /grammar nazi
      • LordSlashstab, on 10/10/2007, -9/+3to correct the grammar nazi, "a" was correctly used. You'd use "an" if the following word began with a vowel.
        • Jwoey, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6an eulogy, eh?

          Its based on the vowel sound, not the actual vowel that leads the next word off... and as for acronyms, some people write acronyms but pronounce the whole word, so in text, both "A HD" and "An HD" are both right, (A high definition version; An HD version)
      • patterson, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10Technically, I think "an" should have been used, because "H" should be pronounced "Aitch" not "Haitch" - so if you say it like that, "An HD" sounds better than "A HD." Or at least that's how I was taught by my grammar Nazi English teacher at school.

        Edit: Also: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/galleries/belize/wallpaper2.html
        That's 1024 x 768 if that helps?
      • psyjoniz, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1holy crap you is dumb, boyah!!
      • manicallday, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11The rule is based on sound.
        • ayeroxor, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Americans say AYTCH while British say (H)AYTCH.

          Welcome to the global community.
          • theholycow, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1...which is really odd, because Americans would say "I Have a House full of Happy *****", while British would say "I Ave a Ouse full of Appy Omos".
      • nfollmer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Back to the giant hole.......................
  • Manhigh, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Isn't that similar in scale to the seven holes found on Mars?
  • MasterThief117, on 10/10/2007, -1/+50I wonder whats down there. I bet its candy.
    • n8r0n, on 10/10/2007, -1/+18Salt water taffy!
      • ffleming, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I'm hoping for Shark Bites or maybe Swedish fish
    • nfollmer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Wonka moved his factory
    • zenmasher, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I actually dove there a few years back. Lots of stalactites because it used to be an underground cave, then the oceans rose and it collapsed under the weight of the water. Was freaky though because we were down about 120 ft and you start to get high from the nitrogen and then all of a sudden three black tipped sharks rose out of the darkness below us. We looked up and there was a whole mess of lemon sharks above us. Was an interesting dive to say the least.
  • Billthe4th, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1http://duggmirror.com/offbeat_news/The_Blue_Hole_in_Belize_PIC/
  • villainousT, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12It's actually an old ufo hangar used in ancient times.
    /blatant lie
  • christian691, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Wallpaper here: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/galleries/belize/wallpaper2.html
    • SpacePirate, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7Wow, 1024x768? That'll look great on this new, modern display I've got!
  • VintageMud, on 10/10/2007, -6/+8Very cool, but a large number of deadly diving accidents have also occurred there, this is just one such example:

    http://digg.com/videos/people/Fatal_Diving_Accident_Caught_on_Tape
    • megabit, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5This video is at Dahab's Blue Hole... this one is at Belize.
  • AustinGoodchild, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1IT'S EXPANDING!
  • brockpetrie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Direct link: http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/greatbluehole.html

    (Contains diagrams and more information)
  • Mikesnav, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10omg, the silver surfer is preparing the planet!
  • Zoltair, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2aaaaw man.... All the good comments are taken.....So have to fall back on the Gumpster,,, "That's my hole...."
  • kungfumaniac, on 10/10/2007, -0/+41000 feet wide 400 feet deep and other measurements as well!
  • Zammo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5This was an awesome dive, 158 feet (very dark down there), my underwater housing survived the dive (rated to 100 feet)! We must have seen about a dozen sharks.
    • zybch, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2You can see more sharks than that on CSPAN every 1/2 hour!
  • KyMcMan, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Hole-y moly! That's pretty cool.
  • chadrm9, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5(stolen comment from blog)

    Did you know the hole's only natural enemy is the pile?
  • jbus, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5This reminds me of a smaller "Blue Hole" that divers use for training and recreation year round in the desert near Santa Rosa, New Mexico. A very cool place to stop if your driving the old Route 66.
    http://www.pbase.com/rfrank999/blue_hole_nm&page=all
    Diameter-80' at surface, 130' at bottom
    Depth-over 80'
    Temperature-constant 64°
    Visibility-80' when undisturbed
    Flow-3,000 gallons per minute; water recycles every six hours
    Altitude-4,600' above sea level making the bottom equivalent of over 100' of depth in the ocean
  • thcobbs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2OMG! It's Zues' Eye on Earth!
  • nils, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Buried because this is just a blatant rip-off of the original article
  • mobtek, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Looks like a freedivers wet dream :)
  • daxsymbiont, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1underwater volcano or extraterrestrial blast probably.
    • CatalystGhost, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Megatron must be pissed that he missed Optimus :/
  • Travisx2, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Ah.. Yes.. Finally, A Fish Tank large enough to hold the Kraken when I finally capture it.
  • HubbertWins, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Nifty! Kinda gives me the creeps though.
    • Harbinger67, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'm the same way...it's cool, but if I were out on a boat and suddenly floated above that thing, I'd flip out.
  • an7agonist, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/greatbluehole.html

    "Blue Hole Monster Appears ???????"

    I don't believe that there really is a monster !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You ????????
  • deeboe, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I'd hit it!
  • mz00m, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2I, for one, welcome our giant water worm overlords...
  • themarq, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Google Maps has a rather low res shot of it: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=17.312694,-87.526915&z=13&hl=en&t=h
    • soil, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1blast it all, i was hoping for a geographic skull shape or something interesting...

      but alas, it is...a hole.
  • visions2007, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11hehe....this is awesome...hi guys i'm from Belize...and it's really awesome to dive there....i'm glad this got some attention...you guys should come and visit it....cheer! have a great day!
  • edlowe0, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1its an anus
  • MatchesMalone, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Looks to me like someone is preparing for Galactus
  • xjeffx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Been there. Great place to visit.
  • reqage, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Too bad I didn't see this when I was there a few months back. Since I was on a cruise ship, I only had so much time to see some of the country. I went hiking through a tropical rain forest and cave tubing instead, which I recommend.
  • linuxmage, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Went there on a dive trip a couple years ago. It was really sort of a let down. It is big and it is deep but that's about it. It's much prettier from the air than it is up close.
  • xtlosx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1absolutely marvelous looking.... nature is great!
  • rmmcclay, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1An awesome feature of our planet! Thanks MrBabyMan for posting this.
  • WasabiBomb, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I love coincidences like this- I'm actually going to be in Belize all next week (I leave tomorrow morning), and the Blue Hole is going to be one of our dive excursions.
  • Aslan72, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3It was put there by the Silver Surfer!
  • h3ndrix, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7This is SPARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
  • tim507, on 10/10/2007, -1/+11WOW thats unbelizeable!
  • m2paper, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I wonder whats down there
  • ckbliss, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Off the coast of Belize... it's one of my favorite places in the world.
  • nthomas, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I wouldn't exactly call it extreme. My wife and I did the dive last year, and it was a bit anti-climatic. The other dives that day were much better - blue hole has very little wildlife. One "extreme" thing though - idiot divemasters chumming the water with bait to entice the reef sharks for the divers to see - no thanks.
    • icednines, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1ditto on the idiot divemasters... another boat did the same thing when we were at Shark/Ray Alley. Ambergris Caye FTW.
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