Dean's Blue Hole
In a sheltered bay in the Bahamas, the shallow turquoise water suddenly gives way to a dark circle that drops straight down for 200 metres.
What was reported
Dean's Blue Hole, on Long Island in the Bahamas, is one of the deepest known marine blue holes in the world, plunging about 200 metres. At the surface it's only about 30 metres across, surrounded by a sandy beach and cliffs, but below, it widens into a vast chamber.
Islanders long told stories about blue holes, saying they were the lairs of monsters, such as the Lusca, a creature half-shark and half-octopus. Today it's a famous site for freediving competitions.
Explanations offered
Blue holes are sinkholes, formed in limestone during ice ages, when sea levels were much lower and rainwater dissolved the rock. When the seas rose, they flooded. Their sudden darkness and depth explain the old fears.
- When
- Known for centuries
- Where
- Long Island, Bahamas
- Witnesses
- Freedivers and islanders
- Status
- A real place
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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