Bahamas Caves
Deep Dark Secrets
The blue holes of the Bahamas yield a scientific trove
that may even shed light on life beyond Earth.
If only they weren’t so dangerous to explore.
Photograph by Wes C. Skiles
We sink into Stargate, sweeping the void with our dive lights. Fifty feet from the surface looms a pale haze, less smoky than fibrous, like a silvery net of faint, swirling cobwebs hovering motionless in the darkness. It's a layer of hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas created by bacterial colonies and decaying organic matter. Divers entering the gas may experience itching skin, tingling, or dizziness; some smell rotten eggs as it penetrates their skin and metabolizes through their lungs. The gas density in Stargate is relatively low, but I'm struck by a wave of nausea as we descend. I glance at my guide, Brian Kakuk—one of the world's foremost cave divers. He appears unfazed. My head begins to throb; clearly, I'm unusually sensitive to the toxin. In the epic poem Beowulf, "dim serpent shapes" in the depths guard the lake of Grendel and his mother, shielding their lair. The otherworldly mist in Stargate appears to serve a similar role—a poisonous curtain that protects the deeper reaches of the cave.
We sink into Stargate, sweeping the void with our dive lights. Fifty feet from the surface looms a pale haze, less smoky than fibrous, like a silvery net of faint, swirling cobwebs hovering motionless in the darkness. It's a layer of hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas created by bacterial colonies and decaying organic matter. Divers entering the gas may experience itching skin, tingling, or dizziness; some smell rotten eggs as it penetrates their skin and metabolizes through their lungs. The gas density in Stargate is relatively low, but I'm struck by a wave of nausea as we descend. I glance at my guide, Brian Kakuk—one of the world's foremost cave divers. He appears unfazed. My head begins to throb; clearly, I'm unusually sensitive to the toxin. In the epic poem Beowulf, "dim serpent shapes" in the depths guard the lake of Grendel and his mother, shielding their lair. The otherworldly mist in Stargate appears to serve a similar role—a poisonous curtain that protects the deeper reaches of the cave.
___________________________________________________________________
Blue holes
We've all heard of black holes but are unlikely to see one (unless the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland creates one that gobbles us all up). Blue holes, on the other hand, are dotted all over the planet, and available to dive into.
Submarine caves or sinkholes, they were created during the Ice Age, and their dark blue water forms a striking contrast to the land – or sea – around them. The best places to find them are the Bahamas and Belize.
The one pictured top is the Great Blue Hole at Ambergris Caye in Belize, while the one below that is Uncle Charlie's Blue Hole on the Bahamian island of Andros. Dean's Blue Hole (below) on nearby Long Island is the deepest at 663ft.
In addition to looking spectacular, blue holes offer up a fascinating world for scientists to explore. Because they are much deeper than the water (or land) around them, they have been left on their own for millions of years and have been largely unaltered by time. This means they have unique ecosystems that can teach explorers about events that happened thousands or more years ago. RM
No comments:
Post a Comment