Devil's Hole

Useful Information

Location:	Close to the southeastern corner of Harrington Sound, Smith's Parish, Bermuda
Open:	All year daily 10-16, tours every half hour. [2010]
Fee:	Adults BMD 10, Children (0-12) BMD 5, Seniors (65+) BMD 5. [2010]
Classification:	Doline Karst Spring
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Devil's Hole, 92 Harrington Sound Road, Smiths Parish, HS 01, Tel: 293-2072, Fax: 293-8012. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1834	opened as a tourist attraction.

Description

The Devil's Hole is a tourist attraction since 1834. The hole formes a natural aquarium which is home to many tropical species, including reef fish, Green Turtles, and 2 m long Moray Eels. Some guide books say there are sharks, but according to various visitor comments there aren't. Probably a good thing for all other animals living here.

Actually it is a rather weird attraction, where visitors get cords with bait but no hook. The reason is obviously to offer some hands-on activity for the visistors and lure the animals into the reach of the visitors, while not destroying the attraction by fishing. A rather strange thing, and many visitors actually do not understand it. Comments on the tourist sites are generally negative, which is probably a result of the high entrance fee for a nice but not exceptional attraction. It is generally considered a tourist trap.

The structure was formed by the collapse of a cave and is thus a doline. The cave was probably formed during a cold phase of the Ice Age while the sea level was much lower then today. Today it is flooded by sea water. During low water the hole sometimes produces eerie sounds as the water rises and falls. This led to the name Devil's Hole.