SANTA ROSA, N.M., Sept. 11, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On September 14th, 2013, 81 feet below the surface of Santa Rosa's Blue Hole, specialized divers will quite literally open a door on a mystery.
In 1976 a New Mexico State Police dive team diagramed a maze of caves at Blue Hole that go at least 225 feet deep. For safety the access to that mysterious cave system has had a locked grate blocking divers for decades. But the ADM Exploration Foundation reached an agreement with the city to open that grate, and send research scuba divers into the unexplored depths. The dive team is equipped to go as deep as 350 feet, and nearly a mile from the cave entrance if the underwater passages allow.
If the divers find there are more caves to explore and research to conduct than the five day adventure allows they might plan a return trip with even more extensive dive equipment. In addition to exploration and research, the ADM Exploration Foundation is hoping to gather materials from Blue Hole for a documentary to air on Discovery, National Geographic, or similar outlet.
The ADM (Advanced Diver Magazine) Exploration Foundation has discovered, explored, and documented thousands of cave systems throughout North, Central, and South America. ADM team members hold the highest levels of underwater cave training with a minimum of 15 to 25 years of experience. Each member has been handpicked by Curt Bowen, team coordinator, for their specific expertise, which includes, but is not limited to cave biology, survey, photography, cinematography, equipment, logistics, and multimedia. To date, the ADM team currently holds exploration records for the two deepest and longest underwater caves within North America with depths in excess of 450 feet and linear passages of over seven miles.
The Blue Hole will remain open for scuba diving and open to the visiting public during the September 12th through 19th exploratory project. Restrictions, if any are needed during the course of the project, will be posted or announced by City of Santa Rosa personnel in advance.
The exploration is a one-time event and cave diving will not become an ongoing practice at the Blue Hole. The Blue Hole is a Santa Rosa city park and the entrance to the cave system has been sealed since the recovery of the bodies of two Oklahoma State University divers who were lost in the underwater caverns. For a time during the search the bodies were feared lost forever.
For more information on the project:
www.admfoundation.org/projects/santarosa
Photos accompanying this release are available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=20884
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=20885
Richard R. Delgado, Tourism Director City of Santa Rosa 575 472 3763 575 799 0540 Email: Website: www.santarosanm.org www.srnm.org
