From the surface, Chetumal Bay looks almost placid – just a wide sheet of water with no hint of drama underneath. But below that calm is Taam ja’, a massive underwater sinkhole, or “blue hole,” that’s turned into an unexpected mystery for scientists.
At first, the plan seemed straightforward: map it with sonar, get a depth, move on. Instead, the early readings created a bigger problem – what if Taam ja’ isn’t anywhere near as shallow as those first numbers suggested?
The most recent measurements point to a hole that drops far deeper than expected, and the true bottom may still be out of reach…
Caves, especially sink holes and cenotes in mexico actually tend to have pretty clear water. The murkyness in water comes either from organic matter or silt. If there’s no light there is no algae to limit visibility. If the cave has flow the silt is often carried away quickly. If there is no flow the silt will sink to the bottom, clearing up the visibility. Once the silt is disturbed (e.g. by a diver kicking their fin in the wrong direction) it can take a long time to settle again.