Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island
Plunging 202 metres into the earth just off a sheltered white-sand cove on Long Island, Dean's Blue Hole is the deepest known marine blue hole on the planet. The almost perfectly circular opening, about 25 metres wide at the surface, widens into a cathedral-like chamber below — a place that simultaneously thrills freedivers and humbles everyone who simply floats above it.
A Freediving Mecca
Dean's Blue Hole hosts the annual Vertical Blue freediving competition, drawing world-record holders from across the globe each spring. Watching athletes descend on a single breath into the dark blue void below your feet is one of the most surreal spectacles in adventure sport.
Even if you never dive below the surface, snorkelling the rim of the hole is extraordinary. The water transitions from sun-warmed shallows to an inky, bottomless indigo within a few fin kicks, and the visibility in the surrounding cove regularly exceeds 30 metres.
The Cove and Practical Access
The blue hole sits inside a small, protected bay called Clarence Town Bay near the hamlet of Simms on Long Island's western shore. A short sandy path leads from a roadside pull-off down to the beach — there are no entrance fees, no ticket booths, no crowds; just the hole, the sky and the sound of the wind.
Long Island is reached by a 45-minute Bahamasair flight from Nassau to Deadman's Cay Airport (LGI). Car hire is essential on the island; the blue hole is roughly a 25-minute drive north from the airport.
Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island on video
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