Exuma Properties

Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island

Great Exuma may have more blue holes (underwater caves or sinkholes) than any other place on earth. Some of them travel under entire islands, like that of the blue hole the spans the width of Stocking Island. There are three known entrances into this cave, two of which are directly beside the island, in Hurricane Hole 3. These are named Mystery Cave and Angelfish Cave. The third shows as a swimming hole (which I used to cliff jump as a teenager) is now name Bottomley’s Blue Hole after Howland Bottomley who until earlier this year lived in the house directly behing the hole (his son still lives here).

Snorkeling at the top of a blue hole is an odd experience. The water deepens sharply, the temperature drops and the water becomes dark to the point of almost zero visibility – not online diving at night. Snorkeling is exciting, diving is thrilling but certainly intimidating. In parts of a blue hole, the sides of the cave can become very tight.  Nobody has dove throughout the Stocking Island tunnels as the danger of becoming trapped is high, but another blue hole is situated in Crab Cay – Crab Cay Crevasse. This sea cave is not as easy to locate as the Stocking Island blue holes as it doesn’t show quite as clearly, but diving tours used to go into the cave until the early 1990s (I can vouch that the cave was quite intimidating, but an experience not to be missed.)

Off Rolleville is another blue hole – Devin Boston’s Caves. Currently the caves have been explored to a depth of 300 meters, with side branches. The best thing about this particular system is that the water appears to be red and the cave seems to be constantly lit up.

There are more blue holes than I can list in one posting, so I’ll add to this space with info and pictures. To stay posted, subscribe to this blog.

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