The Blue Hole - even if you've never been there, chances are you know what it is. It remains one of the main attractions of Belize's marine protected areas - simply put, it is magnificent and it continues to draw much interest both scientifically and for tourism. But the upcoming expedition organized by some of the top explorers in the world will take you deep inside it like never before. In a week's time, the Discovery Channel will broadcast a trip to the very bottom of the hole, 407 feet down, in two submarines. The lead explorers are Sir Richard Branson and Fabien Cousteau. This afternoon, we spoke to the men in charge of the expedition.
Brian Price, VP. Aquatica Submarines
"What we are going to be doing is two things: the first is we are going to be diving the Blue Hole and actually conducting a live broadcast from the bottom of the Blue Hole, with special guest Richard Branson and Fabien Cousteau and our chief pilot Erica Birdman. That's happening on the 2nd December and the other thing we are going to be doing is some science - very straight forward science. First thing we are going to do is we've got a sonar company partner and what we are going to be doing is from the surface and using the submarines, we are going to build a 3D model of the hole that we are also going to be giving to the government of Belize to use for research purposes. Alongside that we are going to do a survey of various of various parts of the reef and the area around the Blue Hole and we are going to conduct some observational science with the Belize Fisheries Department to have them be able to observe under water something like the fish populations on the outside of the Blue Hole. So a lot of stuff, but we got lots of time and we've got great support and the right people on the team. So I think we're going to get a lot done and this can be a great experience doing it."
Jerry Reid, Co-Founder, Aquatica Submarines
"It's going to be a 2 hour live event. We're going to be talking about the mysteries of the Blue Hole. We area also going to be conducting 2 documentaries as well and we are going to be collecting a tremendous amount of scientific data. We are going to be doing 3D sonar scans of the hole and doing that for the people of Belize. There is a lot of information that Belizean people do not have and we are happy to give that to you guys and clear up the mystery."
Reporter
"This is all out of love and science?"
Jerry Reid, Co-Founder, Aquatica Submarines
"Purely out of love and science. It's all of us here that are going to board the vessel are all knowledgeable, all new exploration nerds, but we are so excited. We don't know what we are going to find."
Discovery Channel named the Great Blue Hole the most fascinating place on Earth. Fabien Cousteau is the grandson of famous French explorer, Jacques-Yves Cousteau. As it relates to the expedition, Sir Richard will also be kite-surfing across the length of the hole, more than 1,000 feet. The broadcast is Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Belize time on the Discovery Channel. The expedition is being assisted by co-managers of the Blue Hole Natural Monument, the Belize Audubon Society, and OCEANA Belize among others, with sanction from the government.
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