cenotes diving

[jim2386]

Hey,

I'm heading to the rivera maya in april and I'm looking for some good diving. I keep hearing people talk about diving the cenotes. I just want to be sure I know what I'm getting into.

Last year I dove cozumel punta sur, devil's throat etc. where you're in 6' to 8' wide coral tubes for 100' or so at a depth anywhere from 100' to 140'. I didn't have any problems following the guide etc.

I want to dive the cenotes but I'm just wondering if this is cave diving where we're talking openings that you have to squeeze to get through, can get your tank caught very easily, get stuck etc. If it's like this I know I wouldn't be comfortable. I'm a very calm diver but I'll admit very very very tight spaces can creep me out. If they're open enough to swim through 6' or wider-ish, I don't have a problem.

Also, are there places to surface in case there were an emergency at all? Air pockets or caverns that are half full of water, half air etc. I'm assuming the instructor will know how far to go in safely and know when to turn around based on air consumption etc. I understand most of the cenotes are fairly shallows so air consumption should be low.

I am AOW certified but I haven't taken a cave diving course (wearing doubles, extremely tight spaces don't thrill me). Would you still recommend the cenotes? Any suggestions? I just would like to be prepared.

Thanks Guys,
Jim

 

[rickyd]

In November, I dove the cenotes with three friends; we are all open water with varying experience from 5 to 20 years. None of us has ever dove caverns or caves. but, a cenote dive was a must do. Very glad we did.

We were staying in Cozumel, at the Iberostar, so we had Dressle divers, the house dive shop, organize the trip for us, to their sister Dressle Dive shop in one of the hotels in Playa. Our guide was Julian. We also hired a videographer, that did a great job - Roberto.

These are very controlled dives; maximum of 4 divers per guide. I believe the rules are minimum tight spot is big enough for 4 divers, either horizontal or vertical; in other words, very open. There is nothing to squeeze thru. But, be comfortable with a night dive. There are places that do go into the caverns, and you don't see light. But you are always near ( not sure, but I think the rules are 200' ), of an exit point. There are cave lines marking all the paths, and the guides are very conservative. I think he used our first dive, the easier one, as a checkout for the second.

Good buoyancy is of course a good thing, and makes for a nice easy dive, but, we were never in a spot where there was danger of a silt out; usually plenty of room below and above. Max depth was 45'. Water temp 78F. Both dives were 45min, with plenty of reserve are remaining.

We dove the Kukulkan and Choc-Mool cenotes. There is a great air pocket to surface in in Choc-Mool that incredible. If you go there, the guide will for sure take you.

These were two GREAT dives; very unique. I wouldn't miss the opportunity.

 

[jim2386]

Thanks Rick! I feel much better now For lack of a better term, sounds much more relaxing/a piece of cake especially with a good DM. I won't miss it!

In November, I dove the cenotes with three friends; we are all open water with varying experience from 5 to 20 years. None of us has ever dove caverns or caves. but, a cenote dive was a must do. Very glad we did.

We were staying in Cozumel, at the Iberostar, so we had Dressle divers, the house dive shop, organize the trip for us, to their sister Dressle Dive shop in one of the hotels in Playa. Our guide was Julian. We also hired a videographer, that did a great job - Roberto.

These are very controlled dives; maximum of 4 divers per guide. I believe the rules are minimum tight spot is big enough for 4 divers, either horizontal or vertical; in other words, very open. There is nothing to squeeze thru. But, be comfortable with a night dive. There are places that do go into the caverns, and you don't see light. But you are always near ( not sure, but I think the rules are 200' ), of an exit point. There are cave lines marking all the paths, and the guides are very conservative. I think he used our first dive, the easier one, as a checkout for the second.

Good buoyancy is of course a good thing, and makes for a nice easy dive, but, we were never in a spot where there was danger of a silt out; usually plenty of room below and above. Max depth was 45'. Water temp 78F. Both dives were 45min, with plenty of reserve are remaining.

We dove the Kukulkan and Choc-Mool cenotes. There is a great air pocket to surface in in Choc-Mool that incredible. If you go there, the guide will for sure take you.

These were two GREAT dives; very unique. I wouldn't miss the opportunity.

 

[rk1]

I just got back from there last week.
Don't hesitate to go, it was just fantastic. Max distance to an air exit is 150ft.
Dos Ojos and Bat Cave Cenote Cavern Dives at Hidden Worlds Yucatan Mexico Riviera Maya

"Info from site: Floating through this dreamland of natural formations in crystal clear water, you can feel the ancient and timeless forces of nature that carved the cavern. With a maximum depth of 30 feet (10 m) and never more than 150 feet (50 m) from air, there is 1,500 feet (500 m) of cavern to see without ever leaving the light zone making this a great first cavern tour for the new diver.

I dove with Klaus from Playa Scuba Dive Center * Centro de Buceo * Tauchbase - Playa del Carmen, Mexico and yes I am highly recomending them as they were just fantastic and their pricing is hard to beat also.This is a small dive shop out of Playa del Carmen. And they take a maximum of four divers out at a time and actually make a day trip out of it for no extra charge. I paid $85 for the diving and transportation including the loan of a light plus $10admission to the Cenote Park. We even stop for Tacos at Klaus's favorite place then go to visit the jungle air fill station then off for dives in the Cenote's (we were three when I went). All I can say is that it was just Fantastic and so was the little dive shop. Find some of my pictures linked below:

http://cenotemexico.shutterfly.com/action/

 

[fisherdvm]

I went in the Chac Mool cenote. Most openings were wide enough to drive a car through. The 2 DM were within sight most of the time. At times, it seems like we were out of sight of light, but my guess is, if you turned all the lanterns off, indirect light will lead you out. I felt safe, but did bring a pony - just in case. In all the dives I've dove, this was not the most stressful at all. It is comforting to know that you are always within 10 ft of 2 divers, and likely within 20 ft of a DM all throughout the dive. It was worth the 2 hr drive from Cancun (rush hour traffic).

 

[Peter Guy]

It is my understanding the "official" rules for a cavern (not cave) tour requires:

a. Guide who is: 1. A certified OW (or better) instructor; 2. Full cave certified; and 3. Wearing a "full cave" setup (doubles, long hose, etc.)

b. No more than 4 "tourists" per guide

c. Must stay in the "cavern zone" (variously defined as within 150 or 200 feet (length/depth) of the surface -- AND always within "sight" of natural light)

I did a couple of days of guided cavern tours last March -- one day with Danny Riordan of Zero Gravity and the other day with Mateo from Aldora Divers (Cozumel). I loved it -- went back in October and did Cavern and Intro to Cave -- going back in March and may take the next step up from Intro

 

[TSandM]

You don't have to worry about tight spaces. They're called restrictions, and even with my Intro to Cave card, I'm not allowed to go through them. Cavern tours are kept well away.

I would say the minimum you need to do cavern tours is solid buoyancy control (no hitting the ceiling or using the floor for support), the ability to dive in a roughly horizontal position (or you're going to kick up silt and ruin the cave for the next diver), and a calm, confident and relaxed attitude in the water. In almost all of the overhead, there is no ability to surface immediately in the event of problems or anxiety. This is the very essence of diving in the cavern or cave environment. You need to be able to accept, mentally, that you will have to handle any problems which arise underwater, and without panic. If you have any questions about your ability to do so, these dives are not for you.

The cenote dives are breathtakingly beautiful, magical and unique. I often recommend them, and frequently threads about doing these tours contain posts from people who don't think divers without overhead training should be in the overhead, even for these tours. I disagree with them except for two things: Divers doing the tours should have good enough skills to be able to respect the caves, and anybody going into an overhead environment needs to be able to keep his head about him if there's a problem.

 

[Daedalus]

I wish these threads about open water divers paying to do trust me dives would be posted somewhere other than the Cave Diving subforum.

 

[SteveC]

I recently dove Chac Mool also, and it was great. I think from the description of your comfort level that you would do fine. I didn’t come across any tight spots but sometimes you are a fair distance from the surface. If your in the Rivera Maya area it’s a must do dive.

 

[CenoteXperience]

Hi Jim, i guess you received enought info about cenote divig. In case you requiere further information, do not hesitate in check www.cenotexperience.com or contact me directly.
Thanks