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Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island
Dean's Blue Hole is one of the deepest known saltwater blue holes in the world, about 663 feet (202 metres) deep, opening from a small cove beside a white beach just outside Clarence Town on Long Island. From the sand it looks like a circle of ink in turquoise water. It is free to visit, easy to reach and safe to swim at the surface.
Visiting and swimming
A short unpaved road from the Queen's Highway south of Clarence Town leads to the beach. The hole begins a few metres from the sand, where the bottom drops away abruptly from waist depth into the dark. Surface swimming and snorkelling around the rim are easy for confident swimmers; the sheltered cove keeps the water calm. There are no lifeguards or facilities.
Freediving and scuba
The hole's depth and calm conditions make it a world centre for freediving, and the Vertical Blue competition held here each year has produced many world records. Freediving schools and scuba operators on Long Island run guided sessions and dives around the rim and upper walls. Diving the deeper sections is for trained technical divers only.
Around the hole
The hole sits in a cove enclosed by limestone cliffs on three sides, with the beach on the fourth; a short scramble up the rocks gives the classic view of the dark circle in the shallows. Blue holes like this formed as caves in the limestone collapsed during ice ages when sea levels were far lower, and were flooded as the seas rose.
Clarence Town, a few minutes north, has the twin hilltop churches designed by Father Jerome and the harbour where the mailboat calls. Further afield, Long Island offers Hamilton's Cave near Deadman's Cay, the long beach at Cape Santa Maria in the north and the Columbus monument at the island's tip. The hole makes a natural half-day stop on a drive down the island.
What to see and do
Swim and snorkel the rim
Calm, clear water from the beach, with the drop-off a few strokes out.
Vertical Blue
The annual freediving competition that made the hole famous.
Long Island beyond
Cape Santa Maria beach, Clarence Town's churches and Hamilton's Cave.
Want to visit Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island?
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Common questions
Can anyone swim in Dean's Blue Hole?
Confident swimmers can swim and snorkel at the surface from the beach. Going deep is for trained freedivers and technical divers.
How deep is Dean's Blue Hole?
About 663 feet, or 202 metres, which makes it one of the deepest known saltwater blue holes.