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'It's going to be busy': Blue Hole to reopen for swimming on Friday
Santa Rosa visitors and residents will be able to go swimming on Friday. They have not been able to go in since June, when rock collapsed inside the popular watering hole.
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The dog days of summer have arrived, and with it come high temperatures.
This is good news for people who have been waiting to swim inside the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa for several weeks.
The city announced on social media that it was reopening the Blue Hole for swimming on Friday after being closed for over a month due to a rock collapsing under water. According to its Facebook page, swimming hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Santa Rosa Mayor Nelson Kotiar told the Journal that while people still will not be able to jump into the 61-degree, over 80-foot-deep spring-fed oasis, he expects big crowds.
“It’s going to be busy,” he said. “People are going to come and enjoy it.”
Kotiar said it may not be long until scuba divers could take another plunge inside the Blue Hole. There will be another inspection this weekend, and if things are stable and the warning signs can be installed quickly, divers could come back as soon as next weekend.
This would be welcome news to people like New Mexico Scuba Center Owner Stacey Minton.
“The sooner we can get in, the better,” she said.
Minton said the last several weeks have been frustrating because of the impact the closure has had on her business.
“People are waiting to sign up for classes or to do any other diving,” she said. “We can use Perch Lake, but it’s limited because of the depth and visibility.”
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Temperatures in Santa Rosa are expected to be in the low to mid-90s through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service of Albuquerque. And Santa Rosa will not be the only place to feel the heat in the Land of Enchantment.
NWS meteorologist Nicolas Porcelli said Albuquerque International Sunport reported a high of 96 degrees Thursday, which is six degrees higher than normal, and it is likely to reach 97 on Friday.
“We’re not anticipating any records being broken,” Porcelli said. The record high for Aug. 2 is 101 set in 1979.
Up in Santa Fe, temps hit 95 degrees before falling to 75 degrees on Thursday after a storm produced pea-sized hail. However, the heat is expected to return Friday with highs back up into the low 90s.
Farther south, Roswell saw temps reach the mid-100s on Thursday, NWS reported. Temperatures will cool slightly Friday as highs are expected to be 102.
