For what is perhaps the first time ever, the Discovery Channel will be broadcasting live direct from Belize on December 2, 2018. Titled “Discovery Live: Into the Blue Hole,” this two-hour live broadcast will be beamed to viewers across the United States and the world as a team of epic adventurers and scientists attempt to create the very first 3D map of the Great Blue Hole.
The Great Blue Hole, sometimes known as the Blue Hole of Belize or the Belize Blue Hole, is the world’s largest sinkhole. The Great Blue Hole is located some 45 miles off the coast of Belize and is a perfectly circular body of sapphire water that contains a huge underwater cave system.
The Great Blue Hole was created tens of thousands of years ago when rising sea levels flooded a complex limestone cave system that was initially on dry land. Long known to local fisherman, the Great Blue Hole came to the world’s attention in 1971 when renowned marine biologist and documentarian Jacques Cousteau and his crew aboard The Calypso began exploring it. And one of the members of the 2018 expedition to the Great Blue Hole is none other than Fabien Cousteau, Jacques’s grandson, who learned to dive from his legendary grandfather.
Although Jacques Cousteau used custom-built video cameras to attempt to document the submarine contours of the Great Blue Hole, much of the area has never been charted or recorded. The 2018 expedition will be using high-powered sonar and advanced underwater vehicles to create a fully three-dimensional map. The team will also be taking soil and water samples in an effort to better understand the long-term climate changes that have occurred in Belize.
The Discovery Channel has assembled an all-star team that includes Fabien Cousteau, Sir Richard Branson (the famous British entrepreneur), and Erika Bergman, who will be piloting one of the underwater vehicles provided for the expedition by Canadian firm Aquatica Submarines. The two-hour special will broadcast at 4:00 p.m. Eastern (1:00 p.m. Pacific) on December 2, 2018, and will be presented by Chris Jacobs and marine biologist Luke Tipple.
If you’re heading to Belize to visit places like the Great Blue Hole or the mainland, one of the best places to stay is Caves Branch Jungle Lodge. Located in the heart of the pristine rainforest, Caves Branch features just the right combination jungle and sea adventure vacation packages and can easily connect you with a beach stay that includes the Great Blue Hole!