Blue Hole in Middle Caicos (Turks & Caicos Islands)

[Genghis_khan]

Hi!

Any of you have info/experience in the Blue Hole located in Middle Caicos. At the moment I'm living in South Caicos and in about 2 weeks I'll have the chance to go and dive there, the thing is I cannot find any info about it apart from the blue hole being 1/4 of a mile wide and 220ft deep.

Any information or advice will be greatly apreciated, thanks in advance.

Cheers.

 

[baitballer]

Hi, (this should be in the caribbean section really but anyway) The blue hole has been dived by various people and the best person to chat to would be Fifi at caicos Adventure since he has dived it numerous times.

I was going to dive it since I live on Provo and I have a jetboat so I am one of the few people that has a shallow enough draft (less than a foot) to get to it but after talking to Fifi it is not worth the effort really.

The water is very murky till you go through a very dark layer at about 20 metres which is basically hydrochloric acid from what I under stand which burns your face and taints anything metal on your dive gear. This is apparantly about 10 metres thick and on the other side is fresh water that is so clear it is like there being no water but it is pitch black due to the layers above so you will need a good torch.

Due to the acid layer there is no life at all in the actual hole although in the magroves etc and on the bank there is lots of life from rays to coral heads to some very tasty tiger sharks!

If you want any more infop' give Fifi a ring at Caicos Adventures and he can tell you all you want to know.

 

[Genghis_khan]

Thanks a lot foir the info! Now I have more to think about!

Maybe I'll give Fifi a ring and then hear from him all about it. What you say abut the mangroves is very interesting and maybe more worthy than the whole itself. Since here we have boats that can go there with no problems it stars looking like a very nice option.

Thanks again and cheers! (oh! and sorry about posting this in the wrong forum)

 

[Caicoseagle]

Hello Guys and Gals:

I live on Middle Caicos and have not had the opportunity to dive the hole with tanks, we just snorkel the immediate area and fish for Bonefish which peruse the area by the thousands.

We are currently looking into the possiblilty of building a road to the south side which will give us immediate access to both the Blue Hole and some of the greatest Bonefishing in the world.

I was unaware of the acidic layer although we saw the murky water but didn't have tanks to peruse the depths with. I will correct that in the near future as soon as we complete our Townhouse project on Middle Caicos and get my life back... I am an avid diver, fisherman and underwater photographer but the ease of getting to the natural beauty of the North Shore and the tremendous lure of easy Lobster and Conch, precluded the further exploration of the Blue Hole, one of the three in the hemisphere ??

Back to you with further news as soon as time allows. In the meantime, you can check our construction progress on by searching Caicos Properties or Eagle Land Developments Ltd and its assorted links.

 

[david4w]

A small group of us are planning to dive the hole this Wed, July 6. I had not heard anything about HCl acid being in the hole from other divers who have done it, but just that is was murky, dark and filled with lobster on the shelf at about 80ft. -, and very large sharks below that. Truths, myths, legends .... all will be revealed in a few days.

 

[DandyDon]

It's probably sulfuric acid, from the hydrogen sulphide that comes from organic debris in the water. Pretty common in some Mexican cenotes, leading to a layger of purplish bacteria that lives off of it. I've read of some experiencing discomfort, but I've not felt any.

Is this a freshwater or brackish hole?