The most mysterious places on our planet include natural formations in the deep sea - the so-called blue holes. They are vertical caves that are part of underwater cave systems. From above, they look like dark blue spots, contrasting with the general background of the water surface. One of the most attractive for divers is considered to be a sea well located off the coast of the Egyptian city of Dahab.
At the same time, the Blue Hole (Red Sea, Egypt) is one of the most dangerous vertical sea caves on the planet, for which it received its second name - “Divers Cemetery”. It can be called "Everest" for divers: it is both beautiful and scary. This article will tell you about this beautiful, mysterious and dangerous place for underwater diving.
Blue Hole in Egypt: How to Find
To get to one of the most dangerous “attractions” for divers, you need to direct your way to the city of Dahab (Egypt), which is located in the eastern part of the Sinai Peninsula. This city has up to 60 diving training centers, so it is a place for divers to focus.
From the city of Dahab, the cave is at a distance of 15 km. It only takes a few minutes to get to her by sightseeing bus or taxi. Like large holes in the waters of other camps, the Blue Hole (Red Sea) has a cafe, toilet and parking on a nearby coastal territory. Anyone who wants to dive for the first time has the opportunity to choose one of the nearby diving clubs, where he will be explained the basic rules for using equipment and behavior underwater.
Short Description of the Blue Hole in Egypt
The depth of this vertical cave is 130 m, the diameter is at least 50 m, and it is surrounded by coral reefs. Approximately 56 meters deep above the passage connecting the cave with the Red Sea, corals hang over, forming the so-called Arch. The traditional route allows divers to begin penetrating the cave at a depth of 6 m. In order to go through it to the sea, extensive experience and special training are required.
In addition to the immediate pleasure of diving to the depths and achieving large or small personal records, the blue hole, or blue hole near Dahab, opens up a magnificent lively underwater world for divers. Inside the cave, they can see unusual marine life.
Blue hole that has become a cemetery
Many underwater caves sooner or later become a cemetery for someone. There will always be several inexperienced divers who want to prove something to themselves or others, and the result of their outrageous arrogance will be the tragic end of their lives and a spot on the reputation of a great place for diving. Some experienced divers died here because they simply did not calculate their strength. Thus, the Blue Hole (Red Sea) buried in its waters more than a hundred divers.
The spot on the reputation of the blue hole in Egypt became especially apparent after memorial plaques with inscriptions containing the names of divers who died in the cave began to be installed near the coast. True, although this cave still sometimes becomes a cemetery for some, signs near the coastal cliffs are no longer installed. “This is a very depressing picture for tourists enriching the city and country,” the authorities probably thought, and forbade the expansion of the coastal memorial.
Than a blue hole in Egypt attracts divers
Divers from all over the world flock to Dahab to admire the beautiful cave from the inside, raise the level of adrenaline, fill every cell of the body with new sensations and improve their skills. Divers love this sea hole due to the fact that it is easily accessible from the shore. In addition, the water in this area is always calm both on the surface and in depth.
To a depth of 80 m the cave approaches directly vertically, and then, under a slight slope, it reaches the 100 m mark. The exit from the tunnel is located at a depth of 130 m. The structure of the cave is very convenient for diving both divers and freedivers.
Main routes for divers
Beginners can easily descend into the cave along a chord or coral wall, and then easily get out of the water along a wooden bridge. Due to the fact that the entrance to the cave is not deep, inexperienced divers can get acquainted with it when diving for only 20-30 meters. Coral growths and schools of bright fish will be a great sight for them.
Experienced divers diving with nitrox dive to a depth of 54-55 m and go through the arch to the sea. To descend to great depths, approaching the bottom of the cave, risk only the most experienced divers. For the inexperienced, such a dive often ends tragically. In addition to natural hazards when diving to great depths, at a depth of 50 meters, divers run the risk of encountering a hammerhead shark face to face.
Blue Hole Records
The blue hole (Red Sea, Egypt) turned out to be tough for only a few professional freedivers. Herbert Nietzscch from Austria, Alexander Bubenchikov from Ukraine, and Konstantin Novikov from Russia were able to overcome the breath-holding tunnel. And a diver from Canada named William Trabridge went through a hole not only without an oxygen cylinder, but even without fins.
The only woman who was able to get through the Blue Hole Arch while holding her breath was Natalia Molchanova. In addition, she is known for being the only woman in the world who was able to hold her breath for 9 minutes, and her deepest record in free diving - 100 m.
Legend of the Blue Hole in Egypt
There is a folk tale that describes the life and death of a young girl. They say that she was the daughter of an emir who lived on the coast, and when her father went to battle, she arranged a wild life for herself. The young people with whom she was close were drowned at sea upon the arrival of her father. So they tried to hide the truth from him.
However, in the end, everything became known to his father, and he ordered his daughter to be executed. The girl did not wait for the verdict and drowned herself in a blue hole. Before her death, she stated that she would drown everyone who was in the water at the place where she died. Some people try to explain such a large number of deaths in the cave with this story.
Why divers drown
The reason for the death of divers when overcoming the Blue Hole in Egypt is the same as when trying to overcome other large holes. At depth, the inevitable effect of "nitrogen intoxication" befalls them. The diver begins to feel mild intoxication at a depth of 60 m. At a depth of 80 m, he may lose the ability to reason, become prone to reckless behavior and lose orientation. And sinking even deeper, the diver can fall into a state of uncontrolled panic.
What caused this reaction? When on land or at shallow depths, a person does not experience any effect of nitrogen on his condition. But when it is at a decent depth, water pressure leads to a change in the properties of this substance and the penetration of a large amount of it into the blood. This is how nitrogen anesthesia occurs.
Despite its notoriety, as a magnet attracts divers and still has more than 100-meter depth of the Blue Hole (Red Sea, Egypt). Some of them use it to achieve new records, others acquire their first experience of scuba diving in this extreme place, and someone dives there only to enjoy the bewitching landscapes. With good preparation, this cave is not as scary as it seems to many.