Friday, August 16, 2013

MYSTERIOUS UNDERWATER RIVER

Anatoly Beloshchin is a photographer with a passion for diving. He traveled to the Yucatan in Mexico for a dive photo shoot. What he discovered was unbelievable!

CENOTE “ANGELITA”

Angelita from land

From land, Angelita looks like any an ordinary swimming hole. It’s not until you dive almost 100 feet that the underwater river becomes exposed.

Angelita is a cenote. A cenote is a deep sinkhole formed from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. Cenotes are connected to subterranean bodies of water, and often have vast underwater cave systems.

Underwater Caves

RIVER FORMING

Overtime, the deep sinkholes of the cenotes have become filled with fresh rain water. The underwater river is formed when the fresh top water meets the exposed salty groundwater.

The different density levels in the two waters causes them to layer. The result is a breathtaking convergence of two habitats.

Were it not for a diver in the photos, you would never realize the river is underwater. Rather, it looks like a nighttime photo shoot of a beautiful river.

The point where the two waters meet and causes a milky sort of effect is called halocline.