Basin countries United States Max. depth >80 ft (24 m) Islands none Width 24 m | Max. width 80 ft (24 m) Frozen never Surface elevation 1,402 m | |
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Location Guadalupe County, near Santa Rosa, New Mexico Similar Santa Rosa Lake State Park, Route 66 Auto Museum, Great Blue Hole, Yazoo National Wildlife R, Dean's Blue Hole | ||
The Blue Hole of Santa Rosa is a circular, bell-shaped pool east of Santa Rosa, New Mexico that is one of the most popular dive destinations in the US for SCUBA diving and training. The Blue Hole is an artesian well that was once used as a fish hatchery. It is a clear blue body of water with a constant 62 °F (17 °C) temperature and constant inflow of 3,000 US gallons per minute (11 m3/min; 2,500 imp gal/min). While the surface is only 80 feet (24 m) in diameter, it expands to a diameter of 130 feet (40 m) at the bottom.
Map of Blue Hole, Santa Rosa, NM 88435, USA
Since Santa Rosa, New Mexico is at an elevation of 4,616 ft (1,407 m), it is necessary for divers to use high-altitude dive tables to compute the dive profile and decompression stops when diving in the Blue Hole.
The pool is open for public use with no lifeguards on duty. Tanks may be filled or rented as well as some equipment at a private dive shop located near the site. The shop is open on Saturday and Sunday but, by appointment only on weekdays.
On March 26, 2016, 43-year-old California diver Shane Thompson a Navy veteran from the ADM Exploration Foundation was exploring passageways where he became trapped and accidentally drowned.