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A very
pleasant but not outstanding site, with the greatest
attraction lying not in the Blue Hole but on the rich
sloping reef outside. Entry to the site is through a large
lagoon in the reef top, approximately 55 metres across.
This lagoon is the Blue Hole that gives the site its name.
It is fact the top of a vertical shaft which is reported
to descend over 300 metres straight down. A shallow lip
over the reef table at 6m leads out over the saddle to the
outer reef. Deep within the hole at 55-60m an archway
breaks through the reef to the outer reef.
It is the
'challenge' of The Arch that has led to so many compressed
air dives becoming fatal. It is to be stressed that Mixed
Gas diving is the ONLY safe way to reach these depths.
Recently a team from Diver magazine dived the Blue Hole to
map and measure the site. See the following links:
The
Blue Hole project
Divernet article
The reef slope is rich in hard
corals, particularly the section to the south of the
lagoon. Triggerfish, jacks, unicorns, parrotfish, angels,
grouper and surgeonfish are all part of the variety of
fish life on the outer reef.
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