The Blue Hole

In the Caribbean off the coast of Belize is what was, in prehistoric times, a gigantic cave. It now is a 300m deep perfectly round hole that is submerged, surrounded by magnificent coral reefs and one of the best dive sites in the world. The water around the blue hole is the most amazingly clear, iridescent blue, filled with fish, dolphins and all sorts of incredible sea creatures. The sky competes against the sea with its own brilliant blue and the stunning sunlight saturates everything. It is an amazing part of this world. 

But the experience of the blue hole itself is different. In it lies something we all have within us, something that some may be more familiar with than others, a deep dark black nothingness hole. 

As soon as I swim over the abyss the water gets colder, the visibility diminishes and the sea life disappears. My breathing rate increases and I stop to let my eyes adjust. Beneath the top ring the steep walls fall back into a cavern, blocking the brilliant sunlight. I sink down and under the lip of the cave I find Stalactites. I swim between them, some as big as telegraph poles. They seem to reach, achingly down into the darkness. I look down into the dark space below, there is nothing to gauge if I'm moving, just all encompassing darkness. the feeling of being lost in a dark void encroaches. A dark void with no light, no life, no hope. A void that seems to be bottomless. The dark space beneath seems to beckon me. It seems so familiar in my mind yet absolutely terrifying. Terrifying because I don't know how deep it goes, how dark and convoluted my thoughts can get, how dark the deep hole within my mind is. Is it bottomless? Will I get lost in the darkness forever?

I swam into the black hole and made it out. I have done so theoretically several times in my life. I don't know how deep it goes but I know it is there tempting me with its familiar all consuming darkness. Which every so often, seems better than the harsh blinding sunlight.

Shadows in the surf

Although it had predicted to be onshore today, the light winds meant the sea was glassy smooth. 2ft waves peaked and rolled across the beach. Perfection! I slapped on my shortie and a ton of sunscreen, the water was clear and the sun was fierce. I paddled out among the other surfers. Only 4 guys were out, probably due to the onshore forecast. One of my great loves of surfing is floating among the waves. There is something so serene about being a buoy in the water, floating where the currents take you, feeling the surge of the swell as it passes beneath you. I looked back at the land and saw people rushing about. Driving kids to soccer games, going to work, shopping or some other inane task. As I bobbed about the swell, I drifted into my daydreaming, zen state. Which to be fair, is probably why my surfing is not what it should be – too much zen, not enough actual surfing. Out here it was as if you could hit the pause button. No phone, no watch, no interruptions. 

Just then a dark shadow passed underneath my board. FARK!!!! A high pitched squeal emerged from my mouth as I sat frozen on my board. I don’t have anything against sharks, but there is no way I’m going to be fish food! What do I do? Paddle furiously or stay still? What did they do in Jaws?
I turned to the beach, deciding to desperately remove myself from the water. Immediately a shape came out of the water in front of me. This was it, it was all over!!
Then it savagely blew spray into my face… Hangon, spray?
Woah! It was a dolphin. The bastard scared the crap out of me!


As I regained my composure I discovered it was a pod of around seven. They were playing among the waves, just like me. I forgot the waves and watched them swirl through the water, spiraling together, flicking their tails as they shot through the surface, showing me their pale underbelly. I made eye contact with a young dolphin, his eyes were sparkling with excitement and mischievousness. It was as if he was saying, “Check this out.” A set wave came through and they claimed it as their own. They rode in the wave, twisting along the unbroken section, inches from breaking the surface. The young dolphin powered through the face of the wave, shooting a good 2 meters through the air and giving a playful call as he did so.

If you’ve ever gotten close to a wild dolphin, it’s a magical experience. They are graceful, playful and mesmerizing. But at the same time, these are wild animals. They are solid creatures weighing up to 200kg  of solid muscle.
As they skimmed through the water, their thick tails barely moved. I paddled closer and thought about the comparison between their movements in the water and mine. The power that must be in that tail is remarkable, one accidental knock and I’d be unconscious!
In comparison by arms felt slow and sluggish as they pushed through the water causing a wash behind me. A dolphin behind me blew out and took a breath of air, I turned and saw nothing, no wake, just still water. The two dolphins wrestling next to me pushed up towards the surface, one shot out of the water, its silver gleaming body close enough for me to touch it. Then with a flick of its tail and a lot of water sent my way, they were off.