Enormous blue hole discovered in the Great Barrier Reef

By AG Staff October 3, 2017
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Thanks to Google Maps, marine biologist Johnny Gaskell was able to locate a large blue hole, which he says has protected delicate corals for decades.

AFTER EXAMNING satellite imagery of the Great Barrier Reef through Google Maps, marine biologist Johnny Gaskell came across a large blue hole, located just off the Whitsunday Coast, which he says has shielded large colonies of coral for decades.

Following the discovery through Google Maps, Johnny and team of divers decided to head out in search of the blue hole, which has since been dubbed ‘Gaskell’s Blue Hole’, to see what may lie within.

“What we found inside was hard to believe considering 5 months ago a catergory 4 cyclone went straight over the top of it,” Johnny said in an Instagram post

At around 15 m to 20 m deep Johnny sighted large colonies of birdnest and staghorn corals, both of which were among the most “delicate” he’d ever seen.

“The position of this deep hole within the lagoon walls has obviously protected these corals for decades,” he said.

“We may very well be the first to ever dive Gaskell’s Blue Hole as it was so far offshore and hidden deep within one of the Great Barrier Reef’s biggest lagoons,” he added.

Johnny told SBS World News that he will not be sharing the exact location of the blue hole. 

“Hopefully it will be left alone. An influx of divers would severely damage the coral colonies, as they are more delicate than usual.”

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