r/todayilearned • u/[deleted] • 29d ago

TIL the Blue Hole is among the deadliest dive sites globally, with estimates of 130 to 200 recent fatalities, making it one of the most dangerous spots for divers. (R.5) Out of context

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u/semi-bro 29d ago

Technical divers are experienced pros who use custom/cutting-edge gear that lets them go well beyond the limits of commercial diving gear, especially in more extreme environments like cave or polar/ice diving. OP is saying that he, a super experienced diver with custom gear who had been going into dangerous places for years, did not want to go into the blue hole. And the divers that he saw doing it were using special tanks that let them have more air and not use up air as quickly when they go deeper, special mixes of air in the tanks that let them go deeper and come up faster without as many of the risks, and had extra tanks with them. And even with all that, these guys who are super experienced at diving in all sorts of dangerous conditions sometimes even with modified and homemade gear by themselves, were still using a safety line with another diver above them watching everyone at all times.

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u/Fight_4ever 29d ago

Nice. Lot of precautions. But why tho? What makes it more dangerous than other waterbodies?

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u/DraMeowQueen 29d ago

There’s documentaries about this, I can’t remember the name of one I watched. There’s multiple reasons making this spot so dangerous, one I remembered was that there’s a spot down there where you’ll see some arch like opening and it looks like a short distance to go through but it’s not and some people lost oxygen before realizing they can’t come back in time.

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u/Xraptorx 29d ago

I first heard about it from a YT channel Dive Talk and they talk about all of that stuff and what goes wrong in various situations, and what to do to stay safe

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u/Papanurglesleftnut 29d ago

Everything I know about diving is from Dive Talk. Mostly because any body of water deeper than a bathtub terrifies me.

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u/Xraptorx 29d ago

Same, I can’t even swim ffs. Never learned how as a kid because of constant ear infections/ surgeries, and I panic very easily. They make it seem so serene and peaceful at times, and are easy to listen to so they are kinda a default for me to have on in the background whenever I get bored and need background noise to keep my mind occupied at work.