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Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Richard Branson To Join Personal Submarine Expedition To The Bottom Of The Blue Hole In Belize

Personal submarine technology is not new to most superyacht owners. In fact, most new superyachts being commissioned these days have dedicated space to store and launch a sub just like the do for all the other "toys"-speedboats, limousines, jet skis, and of course on the largest yachts, helicopter pads and a place to store the chopper belowdecks that every billionaire needs.

But as personal sub technology evolves, I'm hardly surprised to see a submarine manufacturer such as the British Columbia-based Aquatica Submarines team up with Ocean Unite co-founder and Virgin Group founder, and philanthropist Richard Branson, documentary filmmaker and ocean conservationist Fabien Cousteau (grandson of the Jacques Cousteau), and the Roatan Institute of Deep Sea Exploration (RIDE) for an expedition to the bottom of Belize's Blue Hole in the coming months.

Aquatica has already enlisted a team of scientists, explorers and filmmakers collect scientific data, focusing on a complete sonar scan of the interior. And plans are for Branson and Cousteau to livestream from the bottom of the Blue Hole as well. Situated in the center of Lighthouse Reef off the coast of Belize, the Blue Hole is a giant marine sinkhole that is 1,043 ft in diameter and 407 ft deep. The Blue Hole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System which is a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The expedition is being led by Aquatica Submarines' Founder and President Harvey Flemming, and the company's Stingray 500 submarine will be one of the two submersibles that will participate in the expedition this fall.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in Forbes


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This is going to be soooooo Cool! Hopefully we'll have a lot of local coverage....


My friends call me Judyann

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Explorers to Dive the Depths of the Blue Hole

The Blue Hole - even if you've never been there, chances are you know what it is. It remains one of the main attractions of Belize's marine protected areas - simply put, it is magnificent and it continues to draw much interest both scientifically and for tourism. But the upcoming expedition organized by some of the top explorers in the world will take you deep inside it like never before. In a week's time, the Discovery Channel will broadcast a trip to the very bottom of the hole, 407 feet down, in two submarines. The lead explorers are Sir Richard Branson and Fabien Cousteau. This afternoon, we spoke to the men in charge of the expedition.

Brian Price, VP. Aquatica Submarines
"What we are going to be doing is two things: the first is we are going to be diving the Blue Hole and actually conducting a live broadcast from the bottom of the Blue Hole, with special guest Richard Branson and Fabien Cousteau and our chief pilot Erica Birdman. That's happening on the 2nd December and the other thing we are going to be doing is some science - very straight forward science. First thing we are going to do is we've got a sonar company partner and what we are going to be doing is from the surface and using the submarines, we are going to build a 3D model of the hole that we are also going to be giving to the government of Belize to use for research purposes. Alongside that we are going to do a survey of various of various parts of the reef and the area around the Blue Hole and we are going to conduct some observational science with the Belize Fisheries Department to have them be able to observe under water something like the fish populations on the outside of the Blue Hole. So a lot of stuff, but we got lots of time and we've got great support and the right people on the team. So I think we're going to get a lot done and this can be a great experience doing it."

Jerry Reid, Co-Founder, Aquatica Submarines
"It's going to be a 2 hour live event. We're going to be talking about the mysteries of the Blue Hole. We area also going to be conducting 2 documentaries as well and we are going to be collecting a tremendous amount of scientific data. We are going to be doing 3D sonar scans of the hole and doing that for the people of Belize. There is a lot of information that Belizean people do not have and we are happy to give that to you guys and clear up the mystery."

Reporter
"This is all out of love and science?"

Jerry Reid, Co-Founder, Aquatica Submarines
"Purely out of love and science. It's all of us here that are going to board the vessel are all knowledgeable, all new exploration nerds, but we are so excited. We don't know what we are going to find."

Discovery Channel named the Great Blue Hole the most fascinating place on Earth. Fabien Cousteau is the grandson of famous French explorer, Jacques-Yves Cousteau. As it relates to the expedition, Sir Richard will also be kite-surfing across the length of the hole, more than 1,000 feet. The broadcast is Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Belize time on the Discovery Channel. The expedition is being assisted by co-managers of the Blue Hole Natural Monument, the Belize Audubon Society, and OCEANA Belize among others, with sanction from the government.

Channel 7




The Blue Hole Expedition

Almost fifty years ago The Blue Hole in Belize was discovered. But until now there's been no detailed data on what's lies within the sink hole. Last December (2018) explorers carried out an expedition. I caught up with one submarine inventor in Honduras before he embarked on this historic first.


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Report from Aquatica Submarines - We finally made it to Lighthouse reef and are currently sitting right outside The Great Blue Hole! Can't wait to find out what's down there! Tune in December 2nd, 4-6pm EST on Discovery as we live stream our dive with special guests Richard Branson and Fabien Cousteau

[Linked Image]

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Discovery LIVE: Into The Blue Hole Broadcast times

Sir Richard Branson and Fabien Cousteau travel to the bottom of Belize's Blue Hole.

Discovery Channel
Eastern Time (ET)
SUN DEC 2
4:00PM

MON DEC 3
7:00AM

TV GUIDE
https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/discovery-live-into-the-blue-hole/tv-listings/1254936/

Streaming URL: https://www.discovery.com/watch/discovery (have to pay)

More than 80% of our vast underwater world remains unexplored. In an attempt to collect scientific data about our beautiful Belizean waters, a team of ocean advocates, including celebrity Richard Branson, will be exploring our Great Blue Hole. The Aquatica Submarines expedition will be live-streaming at 2 PM EST on Sunday, December 2nd. You can catch all the action on Discovery Channel, BBC, and National Geographic Channel. Be sure to tune in for a closer look at the mysteries that lie beneath this giant marine sinkhole!

https://aquaticasubmarines.com/2018/Aquatica-Blue-Hole-Belize-2018.pdf

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Please be informed: the Blue Hole Natural Monument will be closed as of 10:30 am today, December 2nd, 2018.

=============

The Belize Audubon Society would like to inform all stakeholders that the Blue Hole Natural Monument will be dosed as of 10:30 am on Sunday, December 2^' 2018 for the remainder of the day. This has become necessary to facilitate the international event of Discovery Channel's into the Blue" Blue Hole Expedition.

We request the cooperation of the general public to practice restraint and civic responsibility; loitering in or around the Blue Hole Natural Monument will also be prohibited. Belize Audubon Society rangers will be present on-site to monitor the activity of the Blue Hole Natural Monument in preparation for the Blue Hole Expedition. We encourage the public to participate as viewers during the live broadcast of Discovery Channel's into the Blue" Blue Hole Expedition by tuning in to their television stream, as well as a live stream on Discovery's Facebook page. For updates and more, contact us through Belize Audubon Society's Facebook page.

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The expedition will be broadcast live on Discovery Channel on Dec. 2 starting at 3 p.m.Belize Time, Local Channel 69 San Pedro, Ambergris Caye

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It looks like it is 4pm Eastern or 3pm Belize time.... Let us know if it has been changed... Looking forward to this... smile


My friends call me Judyann

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1PM for Marty....................he's a PST kind of guy smile


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But then what do I know, I am but a mere caveman
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The full depth of the Blue Hole is approximately 410 feet deep. The underwater ecosystem continues to completely change as the crew moves towards the bottom.



Prime Minister of Belize, Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow meets Richard Branson and welcomes him to Belize before he sets off to our Great Blue Hole.

Click photos for more pictures!


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