Dean's Blue Hole
| Dean's Blue Hole | |
|---|---|
 Dean's Blue Hole | |
   | |
| Location | Clarence Town, Long Island,  Bahamas |
| Coordinates | 23°6′23″N 75°0′31″W / 23.10639°N 75.00861°W |
| Depth | 202 metres (663 ft)[1] |
| Geology | Blue hole |
Dean's Blue Hole is a blue hole located in Long Island, Bahamas in a bay located west of Clarence Town.[2]
With a depth of 202 metres (663 ft),[2][3] it is world's third deepest blue hole after the Taam Ja' Blue Hole in the Chetumal Bay and Dragon Hole in the South China Sea.[1] The blue hole has a diameter of approximately 30 m but widens into a cavern with a diameter of 100 m.[3][4]
Development
It is believed that the blue hole was caused by either a fault in the limestone that allowed a corrosive solution to rise or that a buried cavern collapsed creating a sinkhole.[3][5]
Freediving
Due to its depth, Dean's Blue Hole is the site of a number of free diving world records.[2]
In April 2010, New Zealander William Trubridge broke the world record reaching a depth of 92 m without the use of fins.[4] Trubridge operates the Vertical Blue freediving school from September to May annually and the Vertical Blue annual freediving competition[6] at Dean's Blue Hole, teaching in Europe during the summer months.
In July 2025, Walid Boudhiaf, set a new Tunisian national record of 118 m at Vertical Blue 2025.[7] The 2025 competition featured 20-odd divers including Trubridge, Alenka Artnik, Alice Modolo, Arnaud Jerald, and Filippo Carletti.[7]
One free diver, Nicholas Mevoli, however, died at Dean's Blue Hole in November 2013 attempting to set a new American national record.[4][8]
References
- ^ a b Wilson, William L. (1994). "Morphometry and Hydrology of Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island". Bahamas Journal of Science. 2 (1): 10–14. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012.
- ^ a b c Orf, Darren (2024-07-09). "Scientists Are Planning on Plunging Into the World's 'Portal to Hell'". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
Called Dean's Blue Hole (named after a Bahamian fisherman), this impressive marine formation, located in a protected bay west of Clarence Town, is the third-deepest blue hole in the world, measuring at a staggering 663 feet deep.... Because of its immense stature, free divers have broken world records in its waters
- ^ a b c Quinn, Joyce A.; Woodward, Susan L. (2015-02-03). Earth's Landscape: An Encyclopedia of the World's Geographic Features [2 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 199. ISBN 978-1-61069-446-9.
- ^ a b c Ella, Trevor (February 13, 2012). "Dean's Blue Hole". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Jackson, Trevor A., ed. (2002). Caribbean Geology: Into the Third Millenium. University of the West Indies Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-976-640-100-9.
- ^ Haith, Sara-Lise (19 February 2008). "Trubridge announces first ever competition in Bahamas". Deeper Blue. deeperblue.net limited. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ a b "Vertical Blue 2025 : Walid Boudhiaf hisse la Tunisie au sommet avec un record à 118 mètres". La Presse de Tunisie (in French). 2025-07-07. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Skolnick, Adam (November 17, 2013). "A Deep-Water Diver From Brooklyn Dies After Trying for a Record". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2013.