Mel Clark and Mexico trouble

[JohnnyC]

Anybody know what's going on here? This facebook page (which seems to have been created VERY recently, coincidence?) is accusing Mel Clark and her local guide (Rob Bartlett from Protec) of bypassing a physical barrier and some signage at a cenote to gain access to an archeological site. It also implies that they messed with some artifacts.

https://www.facebook.com/Patrimonio-...8418432298568/

Go down a couple posts to see where the accusatory post lies. I saw the linked post in the "Cave Diving Permanent Line" facebook group.

Is anybody able to get to the bottom of this? Smell-o-scope is detecting something amiss here....

[Daedalus]

I guess Mexico put up a border fence in one of their caves and an American snuck across it?

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[Tiki_bill]

Rob is British.

I see what you did there.

[Daedalus]

When America sends its cave divers, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending divers that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with them. They’re bringing bad buoyancy control. They’re bringing lollipop spgs. They’re strokes. And some, I assume, are good divers.

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[rddvet]

When America sends its cave divers, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending divers that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with them. They’re bringing bad buoyancy control. They’re bringing lollipop spgs. They’re strokes. And some, I assume, are good divers.

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Sadly that's the assumption that's made by many guides in Mx when they see a group of Americans or Canadians heading to dive from villas de rosa. Big stigmatof crappy vacation divers that's been set by some very bad groups of divers over the past decade.

[Jim Coke]

In Mexico, and in the State of Quintana Roo, there are cenotes and caves closed by INAH due to their sensitive anthropological contents. The Hoyo Negro area of Sac Actun in Quintana Roo is one of these areas. The site was closed some years ago to all recreational cave divers. Research continues at this site using rebreathers. Silt percolation derived from OC equipment coats the bones making dating and DNA studies very difficult. Obviously touching or moving the majority of the materials is not part of the current INAH research plans.

As for the Mel Clark incident, I don't know anything concrete about this. I have heard rumor, no more. I also realize that FB is not the best place to find accurate cave diving news for Quintana Roo. If you are interested in Hoyo Negro, just do a Google search. Otherwise please respect the closed-site status for this section of the cave. We explore and dive as guests of Mexico. We don't need to make it any harder than it is to enjoy the caves there. Please be responsible. Thanks!

Jim

[LMN]

When America sends its cave divers, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending divers that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with them. They’re bringing bad buoyancy control. They’re bringing lollipop spgs. They’re strokes. And some, I assume, are good divers.

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You call them strokes, but most of those divers had no caves close to their homes to dive, and those who had could not afford to dive here. They dive hard and send beautiful pictures back home, which benefit us all. Some of the Mexican divers complain about all the Americans diving in their caves, but they would not dive there themselves anyway. And some of those divers were trained in Mexico, and dive just like all Mexican divers do.

[inverted_bear]

If you can't dive without messing up the cave then you have no business going into that environment in the first place.

I can definitely appreciate the distance factor, but they should take a refresher if their skills are really that rusty.

[kotik]

You call them strokes, but most of those divers had no caves close to their homes to dive, and those who had could not afford to dive here. They dive hard and send beautiful pictures back home, which benefit us all. Some of the Mexican divers complain about all the Americans diving in their caves, but they would not dive there themselves anyway. And some of those divers were trained in Mexico, and dive just like all Mexican divers do.

I think you may be missing a little political humor here... I believe this plays on a quote from the president elect about who is crossing our southern borders.

[LMN]

I think you may be missing a little political humor here... I believe this plays on a quote from the president elect about who is crossing our southern borders.

I thought it was obvious it was along the same lines, I was wrong. Maybe too subtle for some out there.