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The first recorded sighting of the lake was in 1870 by Mr. Watt and Dr. Nicholls, two Englishmen working in Dominica at that time. In 1875, Mr. H. Prestoe, a government botanist, and Dr. Nicholls were commissioned to investigate this natural phenomenon. They measured the water temperature and found it to range from 180 to 197 degrees Fahrenheit (82 to 91.5 Celsius) along the edges, but could not measure the temperature at the centre where the lake is actively boiling. They recorded the depth to be greater than 195 ft (59 m). Periodically, there have been fluctuations in the level and activity of the lake. It was all but empty in June 2006, however as of January 2009 the lake is full and boiling vigorously. There is no road leading directly to the lake. It is approximately a 13 kilometer hike to the lake from the nearest road, passing sulfur springs, over mountains and through gorges along the way. On July 6, 2007, adventure-film maker George Kourounis became the first person to ever cross the boiling lake from above, suspended by ropes over the most violently boiling section. This event was filmed for the TV series Angry Planet. Dominica's Boiling Lake is the second largest hot spring in the world. The largest is Frying Pan Lake, located in Waimangu Valley near Rotorua, New Zealand. |