The Blue Hole is a mysterious body of water in the middle of the woods in Winslow Township, South Jersey. Legends say that water is as clear as glass and as cold as a tomb, even in the summer. It is rumored to be bottomless and the home of the Jersey Devil. Other legends say that there are mysterious whirlpool currents that trap swimmers and drag them under, never to be found. I vowed to go see the Blue Hole for myself.

I mentioned it to my dad, who has lived in South Jersey all his life. Much to my surprise, he knew exactly what I was talking about. When he was a kid, growing up in Blue Anchor (part of Winslow), he and his friends would go swimming in the creek about a hundred feet from the Blue Hole. My dad was told never to go swimming in the Blue Hole because it was bottomless and freezing cold. Of course, my dad and his friends immediately had to try it. One jumped in, then climbed right out. The water was indeed freezing in the middle of summer. Another one of my father’s friends did not escape as easily. He dove into the hole head first and broke his neck.

My dad (Master of Directions) knew exactly how to get there and save me ten minutes on the trip. I knew I needed a boat. Inskip Creek is about 100 before the hole. The cedar water is murky, swift and full of branches, so be careful if you're wading through it during the summer. I borrowed a boat from my friend Jim, who built it from plans he got out of a 1963 issue of Popular Mechanics. I called another friend, Russ, and convinced him to go. Taking my dad's pick up, we drove into the woods off Piney Hollow Road.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Pine Barrens, it's sandy and it’s easy to get stuck. The road was well-packed most of the way, but there are two trouble spots that fill with water. You had to stop some distance away from the creek, as the sand becomes deep and soft the closer you get to the bank. Russ and I noticed three things immediately:

1) There were signs posted everywhere not to swim, hunt or light fires here.
2) There was evidence of campfires and parties everywhere.
3) There was the constant sound of gunfire in the distance.

Undeterred, we got Jim's boat into the water and crossed the creek where there were the remains of an old bridge. After getting to the other side and pulling up the boat, we walked about 100 feet, and on the left was the Blue Hole. The hole looked to be about 70 feet across and roughly circular. The edges appeared to be raised, which was consistent with one of the rumors I had read: that the Blue Hole was actually a bottomless crater left by an ancient meteor’s impact. The bottom, at least on the edge, was only about a foot. The water had a strange, blue tinge. I took a sample of the water in an empty Frappucino bottle. I stuck my hand in. It was freezing. However, this was November and that was to be expected.

What wasn't expected was that the camera suddenly broke. Had we angered some invisible god by disturbing the peace of the tranquil lake? (Well, tranquil except for the continuing gunfire). We didn't know, but I was getting increasingly uneasy. It was time to leave. We'd have to return later and get the pictures for Weird NJ.

On the way out, I saw what looked like a large dog. When I was growing up and visiting my relatives in Winslow, they always told me to beware of the wild dogs in the area. That roving packs of wild dogs were known to attack unwary travelers and drag them into the woods to be devoured. I panicked, and nearly backed the truck into a tree trying to turn around.

I don't know how to explain the Blue Hole. Is it the hiding place of the Jersey Devil, or the bottomless impact crater of some prehistoric meteorite? How many lives has it claimed so far, and how many may still be lost in its icy depths? Why are its waters so clear and strangely blue, while a mere 100 feet away, the creek is as murky and dark as mud? All I know is, I still have the Frappucino bottle and weeks later, it is still algae free and still perfectly clear, unlike the mystery of the Blue Hole.
–Story, photos by Tony DiGerolamo

Sorry about that!

Interesting story.

If I am ever in South Jersey, I will ask around about the blue hole. I would love to swim in that, despite any legends and so forth. If I got eaten, it'd be an honor.

If that really is a picture of the place, the water is incredibly blue.

Yeh too blue!

What is it about New Jersey, with its devils, haunted ruins, derelict amusement parks, abandoned subdivisions, and other eerie phenomena?
It seems like every unsolved mysteries/urban explorer site I visit has a ton of stuff from New Jersey!

Here where I live in New Brunswick, in one of our National Parks (Fundy), is this large bottomless (and lifeless) lake. No one seems to know where it goes but it's only a few hundred meters from the bay. People think the lake goes down then it goes horizontal and connects with the sea.......

I wish divers would put on thermal wetsuits and go exploring to solve these mysteries.

The people who study carstapography (sp) will put a harmless dye in water and see if it comes out somewhere else. Maybe some could be put in the Blue Hole and see if it resurfaces somewhere along the creek.

I have just one question, if he took water samples why did he not get then checked to see what was the reason for the water being blue? And why has no one been there doing experiments, Blue water in the middle of a forest is very strange, You would think someone would be there looking for answers!!

no idea if he got the water tested! maybe he did! who knows~

There is a lake near where I'm from, Torch Lake, near Traverse City Michigan. It is supposedly one of the deepest in Michigan, and once again, bottomless. There is a story that I'm not quite sure if I believe, but it seems to be quite the legend up here...

Apparently a diver was searching its depths and disappeared, only for his body to reappear later in Lake Michigan, which is not that far away. I'll see if I can find a picture of it for ya...

torch lake aerial view
found it

so you see, to the upper left, its really close to Lake Michigan, but its not connected by any canals or direct water paths. Kinda strange... I wonder if they really could be connected under the ground.

That is a really good pic, But the lake is not as blue as the one in the first post? I still wonder why he did not have the water tested! I have lived in many states and i have never seen water that blue! Not in a forest anyway! It makes you wonder,

Is there any form of life in the waters? Because that will be a good indicator as to how close to water its consistency is. I agree with the samping suggested here though. I know that if I was anywhere near that lake I would be on all fours to get a sample to a lab.

i've heard that its the jerzy devil bath tub........................ew










alien

maybe the water is tasty

Wow looks incredibly serene. Almost as if there will be a unicorn walking past the screen anytime. Very beautiful but I don't think I would want to jump in to prove the tale.

How did this occur if the thing is supposed to be bottomless?

It looks very pretty...

great story! is that really the lake you were talking about? ( i know several people asked that already). I have seen water that blue before, but it was at yellowstone nat park, and it was caused by algae that live on the rocks, the water was clear, so you could see the bottom, and the algae caused a very eerie blue color to the water. (that MAY be a possible suggestion for the color, just thought I would throw that in). as far as the coldness of the water. there are several "bottomless" swimming areas near where I live. They are not really bottomless, but are old rock-mining quarries (sp?) which have been filled in with water. They make a sudden drop from about 10-12 feet deep, to a couple of hundred feet in a very short distance! as you swim away from the "beach" the water becomes very cold, and stays that way all year. (very nice when it's 100+ with 85% humidity!). the lake in your pic sure looks man-made too. the edges look pretty straight. if its only 70 feet across, (looks smaller than that in the pic!) I doubt that it was a rock quarry, but it could have been some sort of abandoned mine.

Very cool! I have a friend who lives in New Jersey, im gonna ask him about this and see what else i can find out.

Very cool story though.

Yeah, there are plenty of lakes and ponds made from quarries around where I live as well that appear bottomless. I like swimming in scary deep water. Being scared is great!

Honestly I thought the pic at the top of the thread looked photoshopped... by the extreme color. Anyone second that? The reflections of things on the water wouldn't be that vividly colored.

That's what I thought too, because the water's color doesn't seem to match or blend in with it's surroundings and it makes it look surreal.

I was thinking the same thing... how did he break his neck in a bottomless water filled hole?? I have to say it looks like one serene and inviting place to skinny dip.

Heck yes it does! Mmmmmm, Forbidden Pond....

That's how

man yer story gave me a dream about going here

yeah when the Jersey devil bite yer nuts off that will teach ya not to skinny dip in a forbidden pond.

err, if it was bottomless, would there be an abscence of water?

and maybe its an entrance to one of those underground networks of caves, which could explain why the water is so cold....

maybe the pond has hard water....

get it? HARD?!

HAHAHA I kill me!!

you mean, like, frozen?

thanks Hoagy, you ruined my joke

I meant like, has lots of deposits in it... minerals and such... making it HARD water... thus breaking his neck upon inverted entry.


*sigh* I think I will stick to un-funny-ness as I seem to have failed miserably

aww. i got it. (it's OK bizee, only us nerds would understand the joke.)

it is amazing this topic is so popular lol!

BTW, that photo in the original post has been re-colored right?

if it has? i have not touched it!

I knew what you meant Biz.

http://www.midnightsociety.com/web/Legends...e/bluehole.html

i got the story from! http://www.weirdnj.com/_unexplained/legend...hebluehole.html

I have changed my mind about skinny dipping in that, it looks more like a swamp than the original blue inviting pond from the first post.

yeah, those new pictures change everything. They should call in the brown hole!!

Edit: that site also says that you can see the bottom of it, and it is sandy. Now we know why he broke his neck!! the fool didn't look first!!

wow, that looks nasty, and looks almost exactly the same as the pool at Bachelors Grove in Illinois...

I would certainly not go swimming in that....

lmao...she said "hard"

I am glad you have a good man to keep you under control, which leads me to my next question, "have you guys set a date yet".... back on topic.

this very interesting. have you by any chance looked up the history in that area.

maybe looked at old newspapers for any clues. it would be an interesting research

project.

The place is enchanted, badly, be careful. It's not a good place.
Have some people seen something not ordinary from there?
Cos it is guarded. Three creatures, one floating in the middle, two at the branches of the trees, both sides. Be guided, spiritually.

The Jersey Devil song ....

Yo listen up here's a story
About a little guy that lives in a blue world
And all day and all night and everything he sees
Is just blue

I'm Blue da ba dee da ba daa
I'm Blue da ba dee da ba daa

nice read..I'd like to visit that some time..I'd be glad to take a swim

Someone need to dive the blue hole.. i am gathering a team together to scuba dive it this summer... there are so many qustions that need to be answered about it...

Guys my pond is that same color of blue a quarter of the time there several chemicals you can buy to kill algea that also give your pond a dark blue color.

Lets put this beast to rest once and for all....
There are three major aquifiers in New Jersey. The Kirkwood which is fed by the rain and is a very polluted "spot" aquifier found in certain areas. The next aquifier down is the Cohansey. Another "spot" aquifier which is protected from contamination by a layer of marl. It feed most municiple water supplies and backyard wells. The last aquifier is the Raritan which lies under 2/3rds of New Jersey and feeds the Pine Barrens. This aquifier is literally a underground lake lying on top of bedrock. If you have a "Artesian Well" or free flowing well in New Jersey it comes from the Raritan. In certain areas of the Pines if you dig deep enough you stike the Raritan and the bottom literally drops from the hole into this Aquifer which has happened to many gravel pits in the Pine Barrens. The Lumberton Pits has a river which runs out of one wall into another.
The Blue Hole was a marl pit that collapsed into the Raritan and is now constantly fed by it. The water in the Raritan stays a steady 40 degrees and because of the high acidity stays clear of algae. That is why my great uncle Joseph Wharton wanted to pipe it into Philly because it won't go bad and ship captains in the 18th century used Pine Barrens water because it would not go bad in the barrrels. Also when you are in the cedar swamps the water is always cold because cedar swamps are literally floating on this aquifier and constantly fed by it.


Lapi'che

If you scuba dive any waterhole fed by the Raritan aquifier tell me. I will throw a wreath in for your memorial.

Lapi'che