Christopher Columbus Monument
After Dean’s blue hole and trip to the southern end of Long Island, which really does seem like a LONG island, we headed home to the boats again. Seeing a grocery store that was still open, Monika and I decided we’d like to grab some fresh veggies before returning to the boats. Our plan was to have lamb curry together on Passages before turning n for the evening. It was after 8 pm when we left the grocery store and fully 9:30 before we ate dinner.
Tired as we were we had a great time and were happy to share yet another full and fabulous day with the crew of Taua.
The Deepest Blue Hole in the World – Dean’s Blue Hole
So what did we do today? We swam in the deepest blue hole in the world! I’m not sure I can adequately describe the experience but I’ll give it a try.
The first thing I should do is give you a little general information about blue holes and ocean holes. First they come in many different flavors. Most blue holes are simply crater type openings in the ground, somewhere inland of the coastline, which are filled with salt water. Some come with inhabitants such as various sea creatures that have managed to survive in the altered salinity of a blue hole.
The blue hole we went to yesterday had vivid red shrimp and small crabs. The blue hole that we went to at Oven Rock was in a cave and it had shrimp too but they were colorless ghost like creatures with antenna that were longer than their body (because they live entirely in low or no light?). There was a massive blue hole in Eleuthera, which had all manner of fish in it and some of them were huge, that hole obviously had a passage to the ocean or had been “stocked” by the locals.
An ocean hole is different in that rather than being a deep hole filled with salt water on land it is a deep hole in the ocean floor. Often these holes are charted, however, sometimes they are not. Ocean holes are only discernible by the color change on the floor of the ocean. Often the depth will go from 2 meters (about 6 ft deep) to 16 meters (around 50 ft).
Dean’s blue hole is unlike any of those mentioned above. This blue hole is just on the edge of the ocean, not technically on land, as most are, yet not out in the ocean as an ocean hole would be. At Dean’s blue hole you can actually walk to it from the beach. Coming from the beach the water is only between ankle and knee deep. However, when you reach the edge of the hole the depth change becomes evident as the water color changes from a translucent teal color to an incredible deep blue in a matter of 10 ft vertical.
Another unique feature I must describe to you about Dean’s blue hole is that the hole, while on the ocean, is not really open to the ocean. If you imagined walking from the beach into the ocean and out to a blue hole you might well imagine pounding surf (especially as Dean’s blue hole is on the Atlantic side of the island). In most cases you would be correct but in this particular case it would not be true.
Dean’s blue hole is almost entirely surrounded by a high cliff on the ocean side. This creates an unusually calm lake like environment within the blue hole. It also creates a perfect platform for “cliff” diving.
I have to tell you that this was the most incredible environment I can imagine for snorkeling. Actually, prior to arriving at Dean’s I would never have imagined that this amazing layout could exist. Close to the beach and out to the edge of the drop off there are fish of many different types, colors, shapes and sizes, as you might find on a reef. When you reach the edge of the sand where the hole begins to slope at a more extreme rate the sand from the beach literally pours off the bottom of the ocean floor in a seemingly perpetual “waterfall” of sand. It cascades down into the blue darkness of the ocean hole below.
In a matter of 15 feet or so from the shore the depth goes from ankle deep to 663 feet deep. I wish each of you could see and experience this opportunity, as I feel inadequate to describe it. The best I can do is to explain to you how magnificent it seems. While the visual impact of Dean’s blue hole is incredible other senses are stimulated as you step into the water. The temperature of the water is an immediate attention grabber. At the edge of the beach on your approach into the blue hole some of the water is a lot like bath water, surely 80 degrees or higher. As you wade into the water and when you begin to swim it is impossible not to notice the temperature differential. The water temperature must vary 15-20 degrees sometimes in the space of the length of your body.
This wouldn’t be unexpected as you would anticipate that the deeper the water the colder the water temperature. Here, for some reason, probably convection and current, the hot and cold spots are not orderly. Sometimes the coldest water would be right at the shore and as I swam out over the abyss the temperature would go up so dramatically that it took my breath away. At times I found that my face was blasted with hot “bath” water while my feet were assailed by water, which seemed barely half the temperature (I’m sure it wasn’t that dramatic but it felt that extreme).
The kids enjoyed the snorkeling as well and they added another experience to their lengthy list with cliff jumping. Since there was no risk of hitting the bottom the kids both jumped off the high walls of the outside of the blue hole. Oh, Boyd did too. I’m the only one that didn’t, I decided someone needed to stay on shore and take photos. Speaking of photos I hope you enjoy. They say that a photo is worth a thousand words so if I’ve been inadequate in my description, perhaps these photos will make up for it.
Long Island and Taua
Yesterday around 5:30 we arrived at Long Island and reunited with Taua. We also found Liberty and Side by Side, although nearly as soon as our anchor was down Side by Side’s was up and they were off to a dinner reservation a couple of towns over. Liberty apparently has plans to leave today. It was nice though yesterday to get to meet Liberty and their two boys Chris and Jason. Nice, smart, well- behaved kids, like most boat kids we’ve met. It was nice also to talk to their parents Dave and Nancy; I hope that we run into them again up the coast somewhere. They may be headed north about the same time we are or maybe just a week later.
It was also nice to reunite with Taua. Nicole had made a pin for Claudia that said “my best friend” and before we left Georgetown we found it on the beach, apparently it had fallen off one night while we were having a barbecue. Claudia was so relieved to get it back, and of course Nicole was happy to give it to her again. We ended up having dinner on Taua with the Liberty crew as well. It was a record-breaking event with 12 (5 under the age of 18) people on their 44 ft boat. What a nice time, mmm and Spetzle again!
Today we plan to check out one of the many blue holes here on Long Island. It turns out that there is one just across the island from where we are now that we may be able to get to without renting a car. It sounds worth looking into. I also have to figure out how much it will be to rent a car and where we can do it. On the islands everything is so much more expensive that I have to wonder what car rentals cost.
I expect we’ll just end up exploring today and then going to the big blue hole tomorrow. The weather for next week by Tuesday or Wednesday looks like it’s going to turn ugly so we’ll have to leave for Georgetown a little early if that turns out to be accurate. Our guest leaves early Wednesday morning and he can’t miss that flight.
Track Data – 4/7/2010
Comings and Goings
We have been in Georgetown now for at least a week. I have to confess that time passes here easily and sometimes I have to check the laptop to see what day it is so it’s entirely possible that we’ve been here more than a week. We have picked up guests at the airport and now we have dropped of the first guest for their return to “civilization” and we are on to our second guest.
We’ll be taking him for a ride to Long Island and all I can do is hope that the trip goes well. He’s definitely the type that gets seasick, I’m not throwing stones I have gotten seasick a fair number of times too but he basically gets seasick looking at the water so this might not be the easiest trip for him. Why do we go then? Well once we get to Long Island we can rent a car and do a day trip to the blue hole and that would be more land based than going anything we could do in Georgetown.
Diving in the blue hole should be an amazing experience as it is the largest documented blue hole in the world. It is also the 6th largest cave in the world and 660 ft deep. Even though it is open to the Atlantic Ocean I’m told that it is incredibly calm and an amazing experience. I’m looking forward to it. Okay I’m looking forward to it with some trepidation. Seems like I have some nervousness over things that I haven’t done before nowadays, I can’t remember if that’s something I’ve always felt or if it’s new.
Well I guess perhaps it’s conditional and depends on what the new thing is. Back in Maine, on dry land it’s not so much like this. Here things like anchoring always in new spots that are untested in winds that are close to 30 knots, with tons of boats around makes me nervous. Go figure. I think I’ve gotten better about some of it but there’s still some residual anxiousness when we go someplace new.
I told Boyd just yesterday, “You like the going somewhere, and I like the being somewhere” so at least one of us is always happy. I’ve finally realized that there isn’t much he likes better than going someplace especially someplace new. For me I’m not really happy until I’ve settled in to the some place, then I’m fine.
The Inevitable Re-Departure of Taua
Today the worst thing imaginable happened. Taua left again. It was inevitable. We still wish it weren’t. Taua has to continue their travels south. They are now on their way to Long Island and then The Turks and Caicos to put up their boat for the season. Likewise we will soon be turning towards home to exit this area and the “hurricane zone”.
We may try to jump over to Long Island next week if all goes well. Peter and Monica plan to spend at least a week at Long Island and once we have sent off our current guest and received our next guest on Monday we may try to jump over and rent a car on Long Island to go to the blue hole on the Atlantic side of the island.
I have read that it is one of the biggest blue holes in the world. It is the deepest and 6th largest cave in the world. Sounds pretty amazing. It might be a good idea since our next guest gets seasick, therefore land excursions makes sense. Besides I’m not just sure how to cook for just 4 people anymore.
Whether we see Taua, Monica, Peter and Claudia any more this trip or not we certainly have enjoyed their company for the last month. The two boats were nearly always together and the girls were together as much as possible even sleeping over and swapping boats for transits when they could.
If we don’t see them again this trip we will all be very sad, we do plan to keep in touch and perhaps the girls can get together again another time and place. We have invited Claudia to come to Maine for the summer and Taua has invited our family to come to France for a visit.
I’d love to think we could make at least one of these opportunities work. Until then, goodbye Taua, safe sailing.
Track Data – 4/3/2010
Track Data – 3/30/2010
Track Data – 3/29/2010