Blue Hole (Red Sea) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search
Blue Hole seen from above. The area towards the sea is not "The Arch" but a shallow bank called "The Saddle".
This article is about the famous blue hole on the Sinaipeninsula named "Blue Hole". For information on blue holes in generalor for links to articles on other famous blue holes, see Blue hole. Blue Hole is a diving location on east Sinai, a few kilometres north of Dahab, Egypt on the coast of the Red Sea.
The Blue Hole is a submarine pothole(a kind of cave), around 130m deep. There is a shallow opening around6m deep, opening out to the sea and an 26m tunnel, known as the arch,the top of which is 52m. The hole itself and the surrounding area hasan abundance of coral and reef fish.
The Blue Hole is notorious for the number of diving fatalities whichhave occurred there earning it the sobriquet, "World's Most DangerousDive Site" and the nickname "Diver's Cemetery". The site is signpostedby a sign that says "Blue hole: Easy entry". Unfortunately for some,leaving was not quite as simple. Accidents are frequently caused whendivers attempt to find the tunnel through the reef (known as "TheArch" connecting the Blue Hole and open water at about 52m depth, 60mis beyond the PADI recreational diving limit (40m) and nitrogen narcosisbegins to have an influence. Divers who miss the tunnel sometimescontinue descending hoping to find the tunnel lower down and becomeincreasingly narcotised. The "Arch" is reportedly extremely deceptivein several ways:
It is difficult to detect because of the odd angle between the arch, open water, and the hole itself.
Because of the dim lighting and the fact that most light entersfrom outside it appears shorter than it really is, divers report thatthe Arch appears less than 10m long but measurements have shown it is26m from one end to the other.
There is frequently a current flowing inward through the archtowards the Blue Hole, increasing the time it takes to swim through.
The arch continues downward to the seabed which is beyond view and there is therefore no "reference" from below.
Beach and surface of the water at Blue Hole
Divers who resist the temptation of the Arch and remain within theirtraining and limitations are in no more danger than on any other RedSea dive site. However, the Arch has proved irresistible for many andthus the site is considered unsuitable for beginners and a potentialtrap even for experienced divers.
Divers wishing to traverse the Arch should do so only afterappropriate training and experience possibly including: use of multiplecylinders (a twin set may be insufficient for the dive), mixed gases(reduced nitrogen mixtures should be used at this depth), decompression(even if the dive plan does not require decompression delays couldeasily make it necessary) and overhead environments. A perfect controlof one's buoyancy and diving weighting system is also required.
Two freedivers at Blue Hole.
The Egyptian authorities claim that 40 divers have died at this sitesince records begin; however, local dive guides frequently believe thatthe authorities are deliberately understating the numbers and thatthere have actually been twice that many fatalities - and possibly evenmore.
The adjacent shore is lined with restaurants and Snorkel hire shops. SCUBA tours are available from nearby Dahab.It is also a toilet stop on several camel treks. The access road is 4wheel drive only (the taxis in Dahab are mainly jeeps and should haveno difficulty). Not necessarily 4WD cars, a normal car will do fine ifyou carefully drive, but you will need to stop 150Meter before thediving spots and walk, because that part is impossible for normal cars.Taxis will bargain with you to take you to the Blue Hole, the normalprice should be around 50LE-80LE (Nov 2007) depending on whether you'recoming from Dahab or just from the entry point of the Blue Hole. Saudi Arabia is clearly visible across the Red Sea.
发表于 21-2-2008 05:46 PM
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connecting the Blue Hole and open water at about 52m depth, 60mis beyond the 
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