Blue holes are vertical depressions and caves in the seabed. Most often these are karst sinkholes filled with water. The blue holes owe their name to the delightful contrast of the deep blue water in them and the much lighter water around.
Scientists believe that such holes were formed in the earth seventeen thousand years ago, when the level of the oceans was one hundred and twenty meters lower than today. The rain washed out cracks in the limestone rocks, which over time turned into huge pits, and then whole caves. When the sea rose, these depressions filled with water.
The dimensions of blue holes can be very different. Until now, Dean's Blue Hole, located in the Bahamas, has been the deepest of them. Its depth is two hundred and two meters, and its diameter is up to thirty-five meters. At a depth of twenty meters, the cave expands sharply, turning into a kind of dome about a hundred meters in diameter. Needless to say, this place, teeming with picturesque marine life, is a very popular attraction among divers.
Sea blue holes vie for primacy
However, Dean's Blue Hole recently said goodbye to the title of record holder. Among the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, the Dragon Hole was surveyed, and it turned out that its depth is just over three hundred meters! Chinese coral researchers plunged into a sinkhole and discovered over twenty species of living creatures near its surface. Deeper than a hundred meters, where there is almost no oxygen, there were no living creatures.
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Despite the fact that most of us until recently did not know anything about this amazing cave, it is found in medieval Chinese legends. According to one of the legends, a real magic dragon lives in the Dragon Hole, who rules the South China Sea and all its inhabitants. Once, a monkey, unjustly expelled by his relatives, set off on a sea voyage to ask the dragon for permission to live in his kingdom. Instead (when the monkey reached the cave with great difficulty), the dragon presented her with a golden magic wand, which allowed the primate to become the leader of his people.
For the Dragon Hole to be officially declared the deepest blue hole on the planet, international experts must be convinced of this, but the catch may be that the uninhabited Paracel Islands is a disputed territory. In fact, the archipelago is controlled by the PRC, but Taiwan and Vietnam are also making claims on it. Which state will then hold the record?..
