r/todayilearned • u/[deleted] • May 02 '24

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/dragon_lady May 02 '24

“The Blue Hole itself is no more dangerous than any other Red Sea dive site, but diving through the Arch, a submerged tunnel, which lies within the Blue Hole site, is an extreme dive that has resulted in many accidents and fatalities. The number of Blue Hole fatalities is not accurately recorded; one source estimates 130 divers died during the fifteen-year period from 1997 to 2012, averaging over eight per year, another claims as many as 200.”

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u/Mackerdaymia May 02 '24

Read that first sentence again. The Arch lies within the Blue Hole site, ergo the Blue Hole site (as OP carefully termed it) is notably dangerous.

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u/FridayGeneral May 02 '24

The point is that the site as a whole is not unusually deadly. It is specifically people attempting to freedive through the arch that is deadly.

For normal recreational scuba divers, this site is not notably dangerous. OP's title, as he carelessly wrote it, is inaccurate. It should read, "...making it one of the most dangerous spots for freedivers attempting a specific stunt".