During a descent to the bottom of the Great Blue Hole, divers stumbled upon a chilling find.
The Great Blue Hole is an intriguing natural wonder, or perhaps “seamark” is a more fitting term.
The stark color difference itself is enough to evoke curiosity and make one ponder about what lies beneath its waters.
This curiosity is intertwined with the enigma of the sinkhole.
Divers and scientists remain captivated by this site, and in 2018, an unsettling discovery prompted them to notify the Belize government.
Situated in Belize, this geographical marvel is a massive submerged sinkhole.
It ranks among the world’s largest marine sinkholes, measuring approximately 300 meters (984 feet) in diameter and around 125 meters (410 feet) deep.
Although it appears intimidatingly deep, when compared to the ocean’s deepest parts, it is relatively shallow, akin to a pond.
Nonetheless, it is still too deep for casual scuba divers to reach the bottom.
In fact, it exceeds the training limits for recreational scuba divers, who are typically trained to a maximum depth of 30 meters.
In 2018, Richard Branson and a team from Aquatica Submarines undertook a mission to reach the bottom of the Great Blue Hole.
Despite the presence of life at much greater depths in the open ocean, they observed that life dwindled beyond 90 meters.
Erika Bergman, who participated in the expedition, explained that a layer of hydrogen sulfide across the sinkhole, which is both toxic and blocks oxygen, inhibited life at its deepest points.
Speaking to Business Insider at the time, she stated: “We found conchs and conch shells and hermit crabs that had fallen into the hole and suffocated.”
There is insufficient oxygen for life to persist at the bottom. X/@Discovery
Tragically, the expedition encountered the remains of two divers who had gone missing in the Great Blue Hole on a previous dive.
Bergman noted: “We found the resting place of a couple folks, and we very respectfully let the Belize government know where we found them.”
“Everyone decided that we would just not attempt any recovery. It’s very dark and peaceful down there, just kind of let them stay.”
The team also discovered further evidence of human presence when they came across a two-liter soda bottle at the bottom of the sinkhole.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case, as trash has also been discovered at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, Earth’s deepest point.