Oceans across the globe are unique in their own ways. The Mariana Trench, Bermuda Triangle,
or even The Titanic. All of these landmarks are incredible parts of planet Earth, but
there’s one incredible landmark not many people talk about. The Belize Blue hole is
an incredible, 980-foot-wide massive ocean crater. Formed over 10,000 years ago, the
Belize Blue Hole is one of the best places to scuba dive in the entire world and an iconic
landmark in Central America. While these Blue Holes are incredible landmarks to see, how
do they actually form, and what will happen to them in the future.
More than 10,000 years ago, the last ice age lead to a series of massive caves forming
underwater in Belize which caused the Blue Hole to form. Throughout hundreds of years,
a mystery surrounded the massive crater and it was unclear what was at the bottom of such
an enormous hole. Finally in 1970, a French explorer, Jackques Cousteau, set out to explore
the massive crater. Throghout his adventure, Jackques discovered that the incredible crater
was formed before oceans rose to the levels they stand at today, and that there are different
caves and tunnels that branch off from the hole. When the Ocean bagan to rise after the
Ice Age, the hole began to fill with water, which then transformed into what we see and
know today as the Great Blue Hole. Cousteu died in 1997, and it was now up to a new explorer
to solve the mystery of the enormous hole. Once Cousteau’s discovery was shown on TV
across the world, the Blue Hole quickly became a worldwide tourist destination, and a popular
scuba diving location. It became so popular that Bill Gates even visited the incredible
landmark in 2012. Things took a sudden turn when a 22 year old
diving instructor passed away after an uncontrolled descent to the bottom of the hole. Now only
experienced divers are permitted to dive in the Blue Hole. Even as the hole became the
number one diving destination, there still had not been a mission to discover what lived
below the surface, at the very bottom of the hole where humans could not dive to. Finally
in 2018, plans were made to descend to the bottom of the hole and discover the mystery
surrounding it. But there was one problem that held up the mission for nearly 20 years.
Due to the pressure of diving so deep underwater, it was very hard to plan such a intense and
life threatning mission. While we now know that the crater is 400 feet deep, the depth
of the hole was unknown at the time, and the crew had to be prepared for anything. To complete
this mission, 2 submarines descended to the bottom of the enormous hole bringing along
a 360 imaging camera to map the interior of the cretor. Shortly into the dive, the hole
became completely dark, with minimal life towards the bottom of the hole due to the
intense pressure. When they finally reached the bottom, they discovered dead marine life
that suffocated when it reached the bottom of the hole. They also discovered large amounts
of plastic swallowed by the hole. The most incredible sight was at 300 feet below the
surface. This is where a visible marking on the rocks show where the sea level used to
be, an insane 300 feet below the surface. After their close examination of the underwater
cave, they finally began their descent up to the surface. As the daylight appeared,
the pressure finally dropped and the sea life bagan to reappear.
This was the first official mission to the bottom of the Belize Hole, and much was discovered
about its origin and where it stands today. But what will happen to the hole in the future
and will it be like this forever? The Belize Audubon Society is currently in charge of
protecting the hole and preserving its incredible features but they can really only go so far.
Earth will control the Blue hole’s state and how it changes in the coming years and
decades. Craters on Earth gradually degrade over time. And since the belize hole is underwater
this makes it even worse. Scientists have discovered that over time, these underwater
caves may begin to cave in, which could damage the hole for years to come. Erosion of land
in and around the enormous crater can cause extensive damage to the well being of wildlife
inside the caves too. But there is not exactly a good way to prevent events like this from
happening. Natural landscapes change over time, but its unclear what exactly will happen
to the Belize hole on the coming years. With oceans rising across the world, it seems as
if the hole will always stay completely submerged in water, but the cave system may begin to
vanish throughout time. But Belize isn't the only place with a blue hole like this. These
Massive ocean crater are actually quite common across oceans kn earth. Located in the Bahamas
is deans Blue Hole. Standing 100 feet wide, it's 1/10th the size of the Belize Blue hole
but it's actually 250 feet deeper. This blue hole also formed during the ice age 15,000
years ago. Blue holes are much more common in earths
oceans than you may think and their all unique in their own way. While the Belize Blue hole
stands out for being 980 feet wide, Dean's Blue Hole is incredibly deep at 663 feet below
the surface. These are just two of many Blue Holes that formed around the world tens of
thousands of years ago and a lot more information is needed to truly understand how and why
these holes form, and how they will change in the future. Do you think these Blue Holes
will be like this forever? Comment below, and if you enjoyed the video, be sure to subscribe
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