deanme
11-18-2008, 12:38 PM
Diving the Cenotes in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico is something I had always wanted to do, but was unfamiliar with the logistics. So when my Jacksonville dive buddy Jim Holt said he was going and asked me to join him, I jumped at the opportunity. Jim had been Cenote diving twice before, knew where to stay, what guide to use, and all the other incidental things that make a trip fun. Lodging was arranged at Puerto Aventuras, and our guide was Steve Gerrard. Steve has been diving the Cenotes since 1986, and has been living in the local area since 1992 working as guide and providing cave diving instruction.
Jim and I arrived at Cancun international airport November 1st where Steve picked us up and were introduced to Steve's dog Joe T Cocker, other wise known as Spaniel. After picking up supplies at the local grocery store called Soriana at the Maya Mall located in Playa Del Carmen, we settled in to our rooms and prepared for our first dive the next morning.
Below is an itinerary and short synopses of our diving experiences:
Nov 2
CENOTE CHAC MOOL, downstream - to the Monster Room with the very long column. Lots of halocline. 70 min, 62'
CENOTE TAJ MAHAL - to the Chinese Garden with a big room; big cavern with line. all white tunnels with walls like Swiss cheese, no silt. 70 min, 51'
Nov 3
CENOTE JAILHOUSE, Tulum - low silty entrance. 3rd jump has beautiful decorations. Big animal bones in a spot on the line after the 2nd jump; 57 min, 72' feet. (my favorite Cenote dive)
CENOTE TEMPLE OF DOOM (also known as Cenote Calavera, the Skull Cenote) - Tulum - to the Coliseum Room and the Hall of Giants Room. 10-foot entry jump to the water; steel ladder exit. Beautiful decorations; 66 min, 61'
Nov 4
CENOTE VACA HA (Cow Water), Tulum - main line all the way; big rooms with huge columns were in the first 700 feet. 53 min, 72'
CENOTE TORTUGA (Turtle), Tulum - we did the circuit on the left (small tunnel) followed by a swim up the main line (wide corridor). Nice decorations in the first part of the main line. Bad visibility halfway up the main line. 58 min, 86'
Nov 5
CENOTE CALIMBA to CENOTE BOSH CHEN - long and low hanging winding path to the Paso de Lagarto line, jump left then 60 feet to the Bosh Chen line with the confusing jump left (where the accident scenario began). From the “confusing jump” to Cenote Bosh Chen and surfaced in an air dome away from the Cenote. Beautiful white decorations with a white soft and hard crystals floor. Dove with stage bottle. 37 min, 45'
CENOTE BOSH CHEN to CENOTE CALIMBA - Tons of beautiful white decorations on the Bosh Chen line too. 46 min, 45' PASO DE LAGARTOS - the beginning is low and tight with debris, then it opens up; very shallow, 14 feet average depth. We do two jumps to the right and then backtrack; 78 min, 23'
November 6th
CENOTE MINOTAURO - big circuit. Darker cave with lots of breakdown. 79 min, 50'
CENOTE CRISTALINO to THE CHAPEL ROOM - at 28 minutes we surface in an air dome, then we go to the Chapel Room - another air dome. Very pretty ceiling with hundreds of small stalagmites, and a few bats seen there. We hit thirds at the Cathedral. 40 min, 42', 79F
CHAPEL ROOM to CENOTE KANTUN CHI to CENOTE CRISTALINO - we surfaced first at an air dome, then again at Kantun Chi, a Cenote with a bunch of electric lights in the cavern, and bats. 62 min, 41'
NOVEMBER 7th
CENOTE MAYAN BLUE (Cenote Escondido) - - start at the B line; jump left to the E line, then to the F line. Wide white tunnels. Discovered in 1986 by Steve Gerrard, Hilario Hiler, Tony & Nancy DeRosa. 57 min, 78'
CENOTE CHAN HOL - tiny Cenote with restriction at the entrance. cave has mostly white walls and decorations. Swam up the mainline and took a jump to the right to the wide parallel tunnel then jump right again, back to the main tunnel. On the left before we hit thirds we see the human skeleton. At the entrance before exiting we were treated to some pottery and some animal bones. This cave was not discovered until 2004. 99 min, 40'
NOVEMBER 8th
CENOTE PET CEMETERY I (Sistema Sac Aktun) to the BLUE ABYSS ROOM - stage dive, 111 minutes. Big cavern with line. We drop the stages just beyond the King Pong restriction. Nice white decorations in the tunnels. The Blue Abyss is huge and stunning 230 feet deep and over 100 feet wide. Since we were diving 32%, we limited our descent to 130 feet. 111 min, 130'.
We had the privilege of meeting the Pet Cemetery landowner, Arturo and his beautiful wife. Arturo has done a wonderful job paving the road and path with sand and building stairs and clean bathrooms. The accommodations and path renovations have been accomplished in such a way to enhance the natural surroundings rather then detract. Without a doubt, this dive site was the most accommodating.
Though most of the Cenotes are very shallow, ranging from a mere 20 to 40 feet, we decided to dive 32% nitrox the whole week. The average depth for our dives was about 40 feet, with only a few Cenotes reaching 60 to 70 feet, and only one dive hitting the 90-foot mark. The exception was the Blue Abyss referenced above, which is a large hole that descends 232 feet. Jim and Steve dove back mount doubles and I dove side mount with a long hose.
Water temperatures were pretty consistent at 77 degrees for the fresh water and 79 for seawater. The depth of the halocline, a visible separation of fresh water and salt water, varied depending on how far inland from the ocean we were. The sea water seeps into the ground and settle below the fresh water, causing a clear delineation between the two fluids. When ascending up from the seawater into the fresh water, one ascends through this halocline, which appears as a discreet ceiling causing a sensation of breaching the surface of a still lake. I was tempted to remove my mask and second stage, thinking I was ascending into air. Swimming through the halocline leaves a blurry trail of fresh and salt-water mixture. Once disturbed, the halocline can cause blurriness, resulting in poor visibility for following divers. Unlike silt, light penetrates the halocline, but objects even a short distance away become so blurred navigation can be challenging. Descending below or above the halocline, or swimming alongside the lead diver, results in crystal clear visibility.
Exploring the Cenotes of the Riviera Maya is an incredibly rewarding experience. Similar to Florida caves, every Cenote is different, offering a variety of depth, design, lightness of the cave walls, size of the room, length of dive, and other factors that make each Cenote is unique. For the novice, navigation can be not only challenging, but stressful. Having an experienced guide, such as Steve, not only enhances the experience, but also provides a level of safety. We left cookies at each jump and T as we traversed the line, but being unfamiliar with the topography, we would have missed many of our destinations had it not been for Steve guiding us in the right direction. In Florida, line arrows are every 100 feet with distance marked to the closest exist. In Mexico, arrows are primarily located at T’s and jump only, with no distance markings.
The morning routine was to load our dive gear and tanks into Steve's pickup truck, stop by our favorite breakfast place for some tacos to-go, and head down the road to our morning dive destination. Steve took care of the logistics of gaining entrance to the Cenote, which varied from driving into a parking lot, to picking up a key in the middle of Tulum before diving to the site entrance. All Cenotes are privately owned, so no ranger station with maps and forms. After arriving at the dive site, Steve gave Jim and I a preliminary tour of the Cenote cavern, explaining the easiest way to enter the cavern and where the cave entrance is located. We were treated to a brief history of the original site explorations, who first dove the cave and when, and other interesting incidentals about the site. Steve then discussed what route options were available to us, with explanations of each alternative. When maps were not available, Steve would draw a stick map, explaining where the T's and jumps were located, and other parochial logistics such as interesting rooms and cave characteristics. We then geared up, did our bubble and long hose checks, and started the dive.
After the morning dive, we had lunch before our afternoon dive. Depending on time, we sometimes had sandwiches and sometimes went out to lunch. When diving near Tulum, we ate at Don Cafeto's Restaurant, a favorite for locals and a favorite of mine. We never dove the same Cenote twice, always traveling to a new location. After our afternoon dive Steve dropped us off at the condo, and Jim and I walked to a variety of restaurants in the Puerto Aventuras community.
I would highly recommend diving the Cenotes of the Riviera Maya. These Cenotes are world class caves with spectacular scenery, providing a rich experience of scuba diving, adventure and exploration. Jim was a wonderful dive buddy and Steve was an incredible Cenote guide. I can’t wait to return.
dean
some pictures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30721494@N02/
Jim and I arrived at Cancun international airport November 1st where Steve picked us up and were introduced to Steve's dog Joe T Cocker, other wise known as Spaniel. After picking up supplies at the local grocery store called Soriana at the Maya Mall located in Playa Del Carmen, we settled in to our rooms and prepared for our first dive the next morning.
Below is an itinerary and short synopses of our diving experiences:
Nov 2
CENOTE CHAC MOOL, downstream - to the Monster Room with the very long column. Lots of halocline. 70 min, 62'
CENOTE TAJ MAHAL - to the Chinese Garden with a big room; big cavern with line. all white tunnels with walls like Swiss cheese, no silt. 70 min, 51'
Nov 3
CENOTE JAILHOUSE, Tulum - low silty entrance. 3rd jump has beautiful decorations. Big animal bones in a spot on the line after the 2nd jump; 57 min, 72' feet. (my favorite Cenote dive)
CENOTE TEMPLE OF DOOM (also known as Cenote Calavera, the Skull Cenote) - Tulum - to the Coliseum Room and the Hall of Giants Room. 10-foot entry jump to the water; steel ladder exit. Beautiful decorations; 66 min, 61'
Nov 4
CENOTE VACA HA (Cow Water), Tulum - main line all the way; big rooms with huge columns were in the first 700 feet. 53 min, 72'
CENOTE TORTUGA (Turtle), Tulum - we did the circuit on the left (small tunnel) followed by a swim up the main line (wide corridor). Nice decorations in the first part of the main line. Bad visibility halfway up the main line. 58 min, 86'
Nov 5
CENOTE CALIMBA to CENOTE BOSH CHEN - long and low hanging winding path to the Paso de Lagarto line, jump left then 60 feet to the Bosh Chen line with the confusing jump left (where the accident scenario began). From the “confusing jump” to Cenote Bosh Chen and surfaced in an air dome away from the Cenote. Beautiful white decorations with a white soft and hard crystals floor. Dove with stage bottle. 37 min, 45'
CENOTE BOSH CHEN to CENOTE CALIMBA - Tons of beautiful white decorations on the Bosh Chen line too. 46 min, 45' PASO DE LAGARTOS - the beginning is low and tight with debris, then it opens up; very shallow, 14 feet average depth. We do two jumps to the right and then backtrack; 78 min, 23'
November 6th
CENOTE MINOTAURO - big circuit. Darker cave with lots of breakdown. 79 min, 50'
CENOTE CRISTALINO to THE CHAPEL ROOM - at 28 minutes we surface in an air dome, then we go to the Chapel Room - another air dome. Very pretty ceiling with hundreds of small stalagmites, and a few bats seen there. We hit thirds at the Cathedral. 40 min, 42', 79F
CHAPEL ROOM to CENOTE KANTUN CHI to CENOTE CRISTALINO - we surfaced first at an air dome, then again at Kantun Chi, a Cenote with a bunch of electric lights in the cavern, and bats. 62 min, 41'
NOVEMBER 7th
CENOTE MAYAN BLUE (Cenote Escondido) - - start at the B line; jump left to the E line, then to the F line. Wide white tunnels. Discovered in 1986 by Steve Gerrard, Hilario Hiler, Tony & Nancy DeRosa. 57 min, 78'
CENOTE CHAN HOL - tiny Cenote with restriction at the entrance. cave has mostly white walls and decorations. Swam up the mainline and took a jump to the right to the wide parallel tunnel then jump right again, back to the main tunnel. On the left before we hit thirds we see the human skeleton. At the entrance before exiting we were treated to some pottery and some animal bones. This cave was not discovered until 2004. 99 min, 40'
NOVEMBER 8th
CENOTE PET CEMETERY I (Sistema Sac Aktun) to the BLUE ABYSS ROOM - stage dive, 111 minutes. Big cavern with line. We drop the stages just beyond the King Pong restriction. Nice white decorations in the tunnels. The Blue Abyss is huge and stunning 230 feet deep and over 100 feet wide. Since we were diving 32%, we limited our descent to 130 feet. 111 min, 130'.
We had the privilege of meeting the Pet Cemetery landowner, Arturo and his beautiful wife. Arturo has done a wonderful job paving the road and path with sand and building stairs and clean bathrooms. The accommodations and path renovations have been accomplished in such a way to enhance the natural surroundings rather then detract. Without a doubt, this dive site was the most accommodating.
Though most of the Cenotes are very shallow, ranging from a mere 20 to 40 feet, we decided to dive 32% nitrox the whole week. The average depth for our dives was about 40 feet, with only a few Cenotes reaching 60 to 70 feet, and only one dive hitting the 90-foot mark. The exception was the Blue Abyss referenced above, which is a large hole that descends 232 feet. Jim and Steve dove back mount doubles and I dove side mount with a long hose.
Water temperatures were pretty consistent at 77 degrees for the fresh water and 79 for seawater. The depth of the halocline, a visible separation of fresh water and salt water, varied depending on how far inland from the ocean we were. The sea water seeps into the ground and settle below the fresh water, causing a clear delineation between the two fluids. When ascending up from the seawater into the fresh water, one ascends through this halocline, which appears as a discreet ceiling causing a sensation of breaching the surface of a still lake. I was tempted to remove my mask and second stage, thinking I was ascending into air. Swimming through the halocline leaves a blurry trail of fresh and salt-water mixture. Once disturbed, the halocline can cause blurriness, resulting in poor visibility for following divers. Unlike silt, light penetrates the halocline, but objects even a short distance away become so blurred navigation can be challenging. Descending below or above the halocline, or swimming alongside the lead diver, results in crystal clear visibility.
Exploring the Cenotes of the Riviera Maya is an incredibly rewarding experience. Similar to Florida caves, every Cenote is different, offering a variety of depth, design, lightness of the cave walls, size of the room, length of dive, and other factors that make each Cenote is unique. For the novice, navigation can be not only challenging, but stressful. Having an experienced guide, such as Steve, not only enhances the experience, but also provides a level of safety. We left cookies at each jump and T as we traversed the line, but being unfamiliar with the topography, we would have missed many of our destinations had it not been for Steve guiding us in the right direction. In Florida, line arrows are every 100 feet with distance marked to the closest exist. In Mexico, arrows are primarily located at T’s and jump only, with no distance markings.
The morning routine was to load our dive gear and tanks into Steve's pickup truck, stop by our favorite breakfast place for some tacos to-go, and head down the road to our morning dive destination. Steve took care of the logistics of gaining entrance to the Cenote, which varied from driving into a parking lot, to picking up a key in the middle of Tulum before diving to the site entrance. All Cenotes are privately owned, so no ranger station with maps and forms. After arriving at the dive site, Steve gave Jim and I a preliminary tour of the Cenote cavern, explaining the easiest way to enter the cavern and where the cave entrance is located. We were treated to a brief history of the original site explorations, who first dove the cave and when, and other interesting incidentals about the site. Steve then discussed what route options were available to us, with explanations of each alternative. When maps were not available, Steve would draw a stick map, explaining where the T's and jumps were located, and other parochial logistics such as interesting rooms and cave characteristics. We then geared up, did our bubble and long hose checks, and started the dive.
After the morning dive, we had lunch before our afternoon dive. Depending on time, we sometimes had sandwiches and sometimes went out to lunch. When diving near Tulum, we ate at Don Cafeto's Restaurant, a favorite for locals and a favorite of mine. We never dove the same Cenote twice, always traveling to a new location. After our afternoon dive Steve dropped us off at the condo, and Jim and I walked to a variety of restaurants in the Puerto Aventuras community.
I would highly recommend diving the Cenotes of the Riviera Maya. These Cenotes are world class caves with spectacular scenery, providing a rich experience of scuba diving, adventure and exploration. Jim was a wonderful dive buddy and Steve was an incredible Cenote guide. I can’t wait to return.
dean
some pictures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30721494@N02/