Blue Holes

Natural Wonders: Dean’s Blue Hole is a record-setter

One of the best-known geographic features of the Out Islands is Dean’s Blue Hole. Located in a bay northwest of Clarence Town, Long Island, Dean’s is the second-deepest ocean blue hole in the world at 663 feet. Only Dragon Hole in China is known to be deeper at 987 feet.

Dean’s is also well-known as the site of the annual Vertical Blue Freediving International Competition, where numerous records have been set over the years. Enclosed on three sides by cliffs, Dean’s opens into an azure lagoon with white-sand beaches. It is completely calm, and a school of tarpon is frequently visible from the surface. If you’re truly adventurous, Vertical Blue offers freediving courses for the beginner. verticalblue.net

There are more than 1,000 blue holes in The Bahamas, of which fewer than 20 percent have been seriously explored by divers. They formed in the huge limestone plateau that makes up these islands, initially by rainwater erosion at the surface during long-ago ice ages, when sea levels were more than 300 feet lower. During those periods, numerous calcite stalactites, stalagmites, and other formations developed and are visible today to cave divers. Well below the surface, the caves usually branch out with long horizontal passages, some of which link up to other holes.

Biologist’s Dream

Blue holes come in two varieties: those connected to the ocean at the surface or deep underwater which are flushed by tidal flows and where sea life is similar to the open oceans, and inland blue holes that are fully or partially isolated from the open marine environment. Although they are less well-known, the latter is of more interest to scientists in terms of their biology, geology and chemical environment.

These contain a lens of fresh water from rainfall floating on the surface and typically extending down 30 to 60 feet. This floats on top of the denser salt water that fills the lower levels of the cave, closing it off from atmospheric oxygen. As a result, unique bacteria, fish, and other aquatic life have evolved here, which closely reflect the earliest forms of life that developed on Earth billions of years ago before the atmosphere contained oxygen.

The calcite formations are also of interest, as the layers created during growth provide a window into climatic conditions tens of thousands of years ago. There is even evidence of recent life; skeletal remains of the Lucayan people are frequently found and are well-preserved because of the oxygen-free environment.

For additional information, check out Bahamas Caves Research Foundation. bahamascaves.com

By Rex Noel, Southern Boating February 2017

Island life and tings

The Bahamas National Trust installed new signs around Conception Island to help cruisers enjoy the island, stay safe and respect the wildlife. The three moorings in West Bay have been reset and inspected. Boats over 100 feet are strongly encouraged to use these moorings; the southernmost mooring is a 3,000-pound Danforth for vessels up to 200 feet.

Sea Turtle Network

Sea turtle nesting season runs roughly from April to September. Reports of nesting activity are especially important in The Bahamas because there are so many nesting beaches scattered throughout the islands and only a few people regularly monitor them. The Department of Marine Resources has partnered with several non-governmental organizations (NGO) to form the Sea Turtle Network, the purpose of which is to reduce the illegal harvest of sea turtles that continues despite the complete ban in 2009. The Network also provides an important means of disseminating information and receiving important sea turtle observations. All cruisers are asked to report sightings of mating or nesting turtles, injured turtles, turtles found with tags, and any violations of the ban on the harvest of turtles. Reports can be made on Facebook: Bahamas Sea Turtle Network.

The Island School

Parents and grandparents interested in a rewarding experience for high school students should visit the Island School in South Eleuthera. The school and its partner, the Cape Eleuthera Institute, are located within walking distance of the Cape Eleuthera Marina.
Founded by Chris Maxey, the Island School offers full semester programs for about 50 students and offers special scholarships for Bahamians. The organization also runs a middle school in Deep Creek for local children. Spend time investigating the school’s extraordinary opportunities at islandschool.org.
The Cape Eleuthera Institute is a research facility where senior scientists conduct important oceanographic research and involve the Island School students in their projects, including ongoing studies of sharks, rays, sea turtles, lionfish, conch, and bonefish.

Left to right: Maria Cartwright, Molly Dean and Hermie Cartwright talkin’ Bahamian at the Outer Edge in Clarence Town

Talkin’ Bahamian

The Bahamas’ linguistic treasures are part of a rich culture. Here are a few of our island-lingo favorites we’ve learned over the years:
• Day clean: first light, dawn
• Me-one/you-one: by myself. “Who sailed here with you?” “Nobody. Just me-one.”
• I ain’ know, you know: answer to any question with an unknown answer.
• God spare life: answer to remarks like “See you tomorrow.”
• Done reach: has arrived, “The mailboat done reach.”
• One time ago: sometime in the past
• Tief: steal, “Someone done tief ma boat last night.”
• Owned: used with the name of the owner, “That Pam-owned car.”
• Next: another, “You want a next beer?”
• Tingum: all-purpose designation of an object the listener is supposed to know. “Fetch me another tingum.”
More Talkin’ Bahamian by Patricia Glinton-Meicholas has an excellent collection of words and phrases with good explanations of meanings and usage. Glinton-Meicholas’ How to Be a True-True Bahamian explains much of the context of these gems.

Stolen dinghies

Dinghy theft continues to rise throughout The Bahamas. There is no absolute way to prevent your dinghy from being stolen, but basic seaman’s preparedness may surely help especially as the season of thunderstorms and hurricanes is upon us. At the end of the day’s activities it is good practice to secure the boat for the night and ensure that all equipment is stowed, anchor is holding, dinghy is on deck, and so on. Be ready to react quickly to surprises that may come in the night. If you tow a larger center console boat, invest in an alarm/tracking system such as the SeaTrax II from AtlasTrax (atlastrax.com). To report theft and other crimes to the Bahamian Police, dial 911 or 919.

Dean’s Blue Hole

Dean’s Blue Hole just north of Clarence Town, Long Island, is one of the most exciting natural features in The Bahamas and is now a major location for freediving training and competition. At the annual Vertical Blue competition on Saturday, April 30th, William Trubridge broke the world record in the free immersion category of freediving. More incredible is that on Monday he went down again and added another 2 meters to his record; he reached 124 meters on a single breath lasting 4 minutes 34 seconds.
NOTE: Freediving to extraordinary depths is dangerous and should not be practiced without considerable instruction and extensive safety precautions. verticalblue.net

Navigation and safety

As everyone knows we are now well into hurricane season and the season of severe thunderstorms and water spouts. Be extra careful when selecting your anchorages as sudden squalls with shifting winds can ruin more than a good night’s sleep. Choose marinas that have good protection, always keep a short list of hurricane holes on hand, and make sure that you pay close attention to forecasts to access one of these holes in plenty of time if need be. Be sure to call these protected marinas well in advance as many marinas do not allow boats at their docks if there is a hurricane threat.
Remember how much trouble it was for meteorologists to predict Hurricane Joaquin last year? That hurricane was expected to be a category 1-2 but quickly became a category 3-5 and caused as much or more devastation than many memorable hurricanes. As the English proverb goes, “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

By Stephen Connett, Southern Boating Magazine July 2016

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