Jump into the abyss. Jacob's Well underwater cave in Texas.
A karst cave north of Wimberley, Texas.
This underwater karst cave is located in Hays County, USA. It is famous for the fact that its photo, which was widely circulated on social networks, was seen by almost all visitors, and 99% of them thought it was a photomontage. Meanwhile, it is simply a good shot from a good angle. Here it is in front of you.
Jacob's Well - a jump into the abyss, photo.
And here are a few more photos of Jacob's Well and the surrounding area, so you can understand what we're talking about. Everything here is actually much more prosaic and modest than it seems in the photos.
Karst spring - Jacob's well.
Among the limestone rocks, at the bottom of a small river, a failure, 4m wide and up to 24m deep. To be completely honest, it was once a seemingly inexhaustible artesian source with the purest water, gushing for many centuries from under ancient stones. It received its name - "Jacob's Well" from pious settlers, under the influence of biblical stories.
Jacob's Well - A Leap into the Abyss, Viewed from a Different Angle.
Americans, unfortunately, like Russians, did not respect their land very much in the recent past, the area around was being developed, underground channels were collapsing, blocked by construction, the flow of the purest artesian water from the well gradually weakened. However, this is what allowed first divers, and then diving enthusiasts, explore this karst spring - Jacob's Well. Then the caves came under the watchful eye of cave explorers - divers.
Underwater karst cave in Hays County, USA.
It turned out that at a depth of 10 meters, Jacob's Well is divided into 4 caves with a narrow isthmus at the entrance to each. The total length of the caves is also only about 40 meters - indeed a well, not a cave or lake.
Underwater karst cave - in the depths.
The first underwater cave is the most harmless place for divers - here, due to its shallow depth, the entrance is at a depth of about 9 meters, there is good lighting and enough space for a company to be able to observe beautiful fish and algae without interference.
Karst spring - Jacob's well.
The second submarine karst cave is located at a depth of 24 m and has a very narrow entrance with a pass, in which it is naturally easy to get stuck. This entrance has become a trap for divers, it is easy to get into the cave, but very difficult to get out. From this cave there is an entrance to a third underwater cave, which is located even lower.
Jacob's Well is a popular recreation area in Hays County, USA.
The last, fourth underwater cave, was nicknamed "Virgin" for a reason; not only is it almost impossible to get there, only a few have ever gotten out of it. There is a thick layer of silt at the bottom of the cave (mud), having stirred up which, it is already impossible to find a way back out. The cave has destroyed many lives, according to the chairman of the local diving club, its bottom is strewn with bones. Naturally, this cave is practically unexplored.
But enough about the sad stuff, Jacob's Well really amazes with its beauty and purity. From above, it seems that there is a bottomless underwater abyss below and there are always enough people willing to dive into the dangerous well. Considering that Jacob's Well is now a popular recreation area and educational ecological resource protected by the state, there are always many visitors here.
Jacob's Well is a bottomless underwater abyss.
And the boys in the photo really are jumped into the abyss of the well, At their age I did the same. We loved to relax on the shore of a bottomless pit and jumping from the "bulls" into its depths was a matter of honor for any teenager. But more on that in the next article.
