The Great Blue Hole of Belize: Explore Startling Facts About The Bizarre Yet Mesmerizing Natural Wonder
This stunning natural wonder is easily identifiable from space, and sometimes referred to as the Great Blue Hole - a celebrated diving spot in Belize.
The Great Blue Hole of Belize is an iconic tourist attraction, and it lures people from around the world for its staggering beauty and remarkable diving opportunities. But this natural geological wonder is poorly comprehended by the common people and also those who buy Belize dive packages to explore this colossal marine sinkhole. Here are some startling facts that can enlighten you about the Great Blue Hole.
It is largest sea hole on the planet
The Great Blue Hole of Belize is the largest sea hole on earth. Sea holes are submerged caves that were once located on land but were later engulfed by rising seawater. The majority of the sea holes came into existence when they were engulfed by seawater nearly 10,000 years ago, during the end of the final great Ice Age.
It was discovered in 1971
The Great Blue Hole was discovered by Jacques Cousteau in 1971. Cousteau had brought Calypso, his research vessel, to investigate the depth of the sea hole. He filmed the Great Blue Hole for ‘The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau,’ his TV series, and declared the stunning underwater sinkhole one of the top ten sites for scuba diving in the world.
UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site
UNESCO declared the Belize Blue Hole a World Heritage Site. This sea hole is an extension of a gigantic barrier reef that is also considered the second-largest in the world, preceding the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Several shark species are found near or in the cave system
Biodiversity is one of the primary reasons why people are attracted to visit the Great Blue Hole. This incredible sea hole in Belize is home to numerous species of sharks like the nurse sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, bull sharks, black tip sharks, and hammerheads.
It is nearly 150,000 years old
The geological activity that resulted in the development of this stunning natural wonder began 153,000 years ago, and the process ended nearly 15,000 years ago after this sub-aquatic fissure acquired the shape it has today.
Only skilled divers are permitted to descend
While the Great Belize Hole has an open surface, it is home to a sizable cave system that requires explorers to possess excellent diving skills to carefully navigate. Only skilled divers with an experience of a minimum of twenty-four dives are permitted inside the massive sea hole.
If you are an experienced diver, you will surely love the geological wonder that came into existence almost a millennia ago.
