<strong>Blue Hole dispatches:</strong> In December, the Blue Hole Belize 2018 Expedition took submersibles -- including an Aquatica Stingray 500 -- to the bottom of the hole to see what lies beneath. Now they're back with their findings.
Blue Hole dispatches: In December, the Blue Hole Belize 2018 Expedition took submersibles -- including an Aquatica Stingray 500 -- to the bottom of the hole to see what lies beneath. Now they're back with their findings.
Courtesy Aquatica Submarines/Thomas Bodhi Wade
<strong>Team of experts:</strong> The team includes Fabien Cousteau, an underwater explorer -- plus Richard Branson, Virgin billionaire (center) and a team of scientists, explorers and filmmakers from the Aquatica Foundation. CNN Travel spoke to Aquatica Submarines' Erika Bergman, chief pilot, oceanographer and operations manager (second from left) about the experience.
Team of experts: The team includes Fabien Cousteau, an underwater explorer -- plus Richard Branson, Virgin billionaire (center) and a team of scientists, explorers and filmmakers from the Aquatica Foundation. CNN Travel spoke to Aquatica Submarines' Erika Bergman, chief pilot, oceanographer and operations manager (second from left) about the experience.
Courtesy Aquatica Submarines/Gaelin Rosenwaks
<strong>Newly discovered stalactites</strong>: Bergman says the team was able to discover never-before-seen stalactites (a type of mineral formations shaped like icicles) roughly 407 feet into the hole -- right at the very bottom of the 410-foot hole. "That was pretty exciting, because they haven't been mapped there before, they haven't been discovered there before," she says.
Newly discovered stalactites: Bergman says the team was able to discover never-before-seen stalactites (a type of mineral formations shaped like icicles) roughly 407 feet into the hole -- right at the very bottom of the 410-foot hole. "That was pretty exciting, because they haven't been mapped there before, they haven't been discovered there before," she says.
Courtesy Aquatica Submarines/Thomas Bodhi Wade
<strong>Heading below: </strong>Bergman says it's incredibly fascinating to be at the bottom of the hole. "One of the crazy things about the hole is the hydrogen sulfide layer," says Bergman.
Heading below: Bergman says it's incredibly fascinating to be at the bottom of the hole. "One of the crazy things about the hole is the hydrogen sulfide layer," says Bergman.
Courtesy Aquatica Submarines/Thomas Bodhi Wade
<strong>Completely black</strong>: "You lose all of that Caribbean sunlight and it just turns completely black and it's totally anoxic down there with absolutely no life," explains Bergman.
Completely black: "You lose all of that Caribbean sunlight and it just turns completely black and it's totally anoxic down there with absolutely no life," explains Bergman.
Courtesy Aquatica Submarines/Thomas Bodhi Wade
<strong>Plastic-free</strong>: The team was also pleased to see the Blue Hole was surprisingly free from trash. "There were basically two or three little pieces of plastic -- and other than that, it was really, really clear," says Bergman.
Plastic-free: The team was also pleased to see the Blue Hole was surprisingly free from trash. "There were basically two or three little pieces of plastic -- and other than that, it was really, really clear," says Bergman.
Courtesy Aquatica Submarines/Thomas Bodhi Wade
<strong>Unidentifiable elements</strong>: The team eerily found some unidentifiable tracks at the bottom of the hole, that remain, says Bergman, "open to interpretation."
Unidentifiable elements: The team eerily found some unidentifiable tracks at the bottom of the hole, that remain, says Bergman, "open to interpretation."
Courtesy Aquatica Submarines/Thomas Bodhi Wade
<strong>Live broadcast:</strong> Broadcasting live from the very bottom turned out to be tricky, but the team still brought those interested along for the ride and filmed updates from the ship at the surface, broadcast on the Discovery Channel.
Live broadcast: Broadcasting live from the very bottom turned out to be tricky, but the team still brought those interested along for the ride and filmed updates from the ship at the surface, broadcast on the Discovery Channel.
Courtesy Aquatica Submarines/Gary Hancock