Move over, Dean’s Blue Hole! Scientists in China claim to have found the deepest blue hole in the world, one that surpasses the current record holder by more than 300 feet. The newly dubbed Sansha Yongle Blue Hole is said to be 987 feet deep, almost the height of the Eiffel Tower, and 100 feet longer than the Titanic.
The Sansha Ship Course Research Institute for Coral Protection has been hard at work since August of last year, exploring Sansha Yongle Blue Hole and taking measurements. At 426 feet wide, it has a smaller entrance than the famed Great Blue Hole in Belize, but is far deeper than any other watery sinkhole mapped to date.
Far beyond the reach of scuba divers, the group used an underwater robot called the VideoRay Pro 4 to plumb the depths of the hole. So far they have discovered more than 20 species of marine life near the surface. Additional sea life below 330 feet is unlikely, because the water does not contain oxygen at these greater depths. The farthest reaches of the hole could contain bacterial life or even ancient fossil records.
Known to locals as the Eye of the South China Sea, it has also been called the Dragon Hole, and is believed to have been featured in an iconic Ming Dynasty-era literary tale, Journey to the West. In this ancient tale, considered one of the four pillars of classic Chinese literature, the Dragon Hole leads to the palace of the Dragon King, where the protagonist of the novel, the Monkey King, was given his greatest weapon.
While the city of Sansha plans to promote this area as a tourist destination, don’t start packing your dive gear just yet. The location of this massive hole is in a disputed area of the sea with China, Vietnam, and Taiwan all claiming rights of ownership. Here’s a short clip with an aerial view of this incredible marine phenomenon and a glimpse at what researchers are finding beneath the surface.
