News
Boulder Foils Plan to Explore Underwater Cave
In 1976, two college students died while exploring the “Blue Hole,” an underwater cave connected to a deep lake in Santa Rosa, N.M. Shortly thereafter, local officials poured rubble and boulders into the bottom of the pool and sealed it off with a grate to prevent any more amateur divers from entering the cave. The ploy worked — all too well.
Beginning this past Friday, a team of experienced divers attempted to enter the cave and map it for the first time, although rough sketches of the cave were made by police divers in the 1970s, said Walter Pickel, part of the current team.
The team spent several days excavating the rubble and removing the gate, and one diver was able to get into an “antechamber” about the size of a car’s front seat. But a large boulder kept the explorers from entering the cave, said Pickel, a diver and logistics officer for Advanced Diver Magazine. A connection into the larger cave was made, but the passageway is too small to crawl through, he said.
“We can see into it; it’s taunting us,” Pickel said. “But it’s impassable.”
However, there was some upside — the excavation has allowed more water to flow from underground into the Blue Hole, which pours into a spillway that provides water for local farmers. “That made them happy,” Pickel said. Now that water is flowing more quickly, the lake has also become more clear, since the current carries away sediment more quickly, he said.
“With respect to the cave exploration, our team was disappointed,” he said. “But you have to find a silver lining.”
The lake is actually a type of artesian well, in which pressurized water seeps up from below, said Richard Delgado, the tourism director for the city of Santa Rosa. Delgado said he wagers it’s connected to other caves in the area, which is known for having several deep lakes consisting of flooded caverns.
The ADM team travels to caves around the world, often getting permission from private landowners to enter their caves. In return, ADM makes maps of what’s inside them, Pickel said. The team has no concrete plans to explore the Blue Hole cavern again, but Pickel said they might come back if the town gets funding to remove the boulder blocking the way. The team next hopes to explore a cave in Belize.
The Blue Hole was formerly a sinkhole caused by the dissolution of underground limestone and gypsum, according to the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. Many of the area’s caves and sinkholes were formed by the same process. Groundwater is plentiful in the region, as it lies on the western edge of the Ogallala Aquifer, Delgado said.
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Ho Ho Ho! Vobster Quay’s recording-breaking charity Santa diving event returns on Sunday 15th December 2024 for another round of festive fundraising frivolities. Run in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Help For Heroes, this ever-popular annual fundraising event aims to raise sack-loads of cash for these two very deserving charities.
Divers of all levels are invited to grab their Santa outfits – and as much festive cheer as they can muster – and head down to Vobster Quay near Mells, Somerset for a mass sponsored Santa dive in aid of charity. In previous years, the event has attracted divers from the far corners of the UK to join in the festive merriment for a final festive dive before the Christmas and New Year break. Back in 2015, the event smashed the world record for the most Santa divers with 188 divers taking to the waters donning their festive finery – a record that remains unbeaten to this day!
Vobster Santas isn’t just about setting records – it’s also about raising some serious cash for charity. Vobster Quay encourages all divers to get into the spirit of the season to raise much-needed funds for two very deserving charities – the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Help For Heroes.
Through individual sponsorship and online donations, divers can invite their friends, family and work colleagues to sponsor them to plunge into the balmy waters of Vobster Quay dressed in full festive finery. Since the very first Santa dive in 2007, the event has raised over £52,000 for charity. “It’s been over 17 years since the very first charity Santa dive took place at Vobster Quay and every year the event just keeps getting bigger and better” enthused Vobster Quay owner, Amy Stanton.
“Vobster Santas is a great way for divers to say a massive thank you to the both the RNLI and Help For Heroes – two very deserving charities close to our hearts. We’re immensely proud of all that Vobster Santas has achieved and hope that even more divers will join this year’s event on Sunday 15th December. I’m confident that we can make Vobster Santas 2024 the biggest yet!”.
Divers wishing to participate can get involved by simply registering their attendance at
www.vobster.com/event-vobstersantas.php.
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