Cenote diving as a recreational diver

[ross9]

I'm going to be in Mexico in January. We're spending some time in Cozumel and Tulum and I'm thinking about a few dives in the cenotes. Me and my partner are both relatively inexperienced in the grand scheme of things, ~50-60 dives each, though in a reasonably large variety of conditions (eg. warm water, cold water drysuit, shore, boat, currents etc).

That said, I'm fully aware of the level of experience needed for full cave diving. Maybe it's something for the future but right now I'm quite happy staying alive. It seems that cenotes/cavern diving is a bit of a grey area. Some of the videos I've seen of recreational divers in cenotes looks pretty unsafe - single tank divers squeezing through gaps single file in almost completely dark 'cenotes' (aka caves). Are these videos the exception or the typical cenote diving experience?

What's the general view on recreational divers and cenotes? Can it be done safely without cave training/experience? If so, can anyone recommend a good dive shop in Tulum that doesn't push the boundaries?

P.S. I'd guess people will have strong feelings on this topic but this question is asked in good faith - I'm genuinely interested in understanding whether we should consider this or just enjoy the open water diving in Cozumel and stick to snorkelling in the cenotes.

 

[Marie13]

The cenote diving for recreational divers has a pretty good safety record. I did full cave in MX in August and was amazed at how many recreational divers I saw doing the cenotes.

A guide has to be a dive master minimum and also full cave certified. They also are in cave diving kit, whether doubles or sidemount.

How is your buoyancy control? That’s very important.

This is the rules sign that’s posted for recreational divers.

 

[halocline]

Every day hundreds of recreational divers do cenote tours, it's been going on for many years, and they are proven to be about as safe as recreational diving in general. All of the reputable shops adhere to the safety rules, which are fairly strict in terms of where you can go and how many divers/guide. That said, it is a far different experience than diving in true open water where you can simply go straight to the surface at any time. So it's really a matter of how you feel about it. I went on a cenote dive as a fairly new diver, I loved it, and now (20 years later) 90% of my diving is in Mexican caves.

The shop I really like and trust is Under the Jungle, which is located near the entrance to Tajma Ha cenote. Coincidentally, Tajma Ha has a very beautiful cavern line (that's the cenote tour route) so it's very convenient if you wanted to dive there. They book up really fast, so you'd want to contact them quickly since you're going soon. There are other cave/cavern shops in Tulum, so you have choices.

 

[Lorenzoid]

This sticky thread from 10 years ago, A Word to the Wise on Cenote Diving, is still worth a read. Fortunately, the likelihood of finding yourself with a sketchy guide or dive operator who does not adhere to the practices mentioned in that thread is much much lower these days, and is virtually zero if you use a well-known guide/op such as those that others have recommended. My first cenote dive was when the Internet was in its infancy and I just walked into a shop and asked about diving those cenotes I had heard about; the result was not optimal.

As for whether you have enough experience, see the first sentence of @halocline 's post. You would have to be a truly awful diver to be a danger to yourself. Many of these "hundreds of recreational divers" are cruise shippers, in port for the day, and probably don't do much diving throughout the year to keep their skills sharp. Divers of mere average ability do it every day. Can you control your buoyancy and body position with reasonable precision? Or are you the kind of diver who bangs into the coral reef?

It seems that cenotes/cavern diving is a bit of a grey area. Some of the videos I've seen of recreational divers in cenotes looks pretty unsafe - single tank divers squeezing through gaps single file in almost completely dark 'cenotes' (aka caves).

The sites used for these guided cenote dives can vary from those suitable for any diver to those more suitable to experienced divers, and if you pick a good shop, such as Cenote Experience or Under the Jungle (just to name a couple), and you explain you are a cenote newbie and not terribly experienced overall, they will not take you to a cenote that is beyond your ability.

As for "completely dark," it may look that way, but often if you were to turn your light off (not recommended) and let your eyes adjust, you would see a glimmer of light from an opening to the outside, and maybe even more than one. There may be several openings along the route, which is one reason some would consider these cenote dives safer than a typical "cavern dive" in other places in the world. The terrain really is fairly riddled with holes--cenotes. It has been discussed on SB threads whether there may be some section of some cenote where a diver could not see even a glimmer of light, which would mean the cenote dive does not fit the standard definition of "cavern dive," and I don't believe anyone was able to specifically identify such a place. They may exist, but they are not common. All of that said, and despite the excellent safety record of these dives over decades and thousands of participants, I cannot disagree with you that cenote diving is a "grey area."

You will be expected to dive single file, but you will not have to "squeeze through gaps." It may have appeared that way in some video, but I do not believe there are any places on the tourist cenote lines that two divers could not fit side by side if they had to. By the way, as one gains experience doing these dives--and I mean the guided tourist cenote dives--the less narrow a passage looks.

 

[boulderjohn]

Are these videos the exception or the typical cenote diving experience?

You will be expected to dive single file, but you will not have to "squeeze through gaps." It may have appeared that way in some video, but I do not believe there are any places on the tourist cenote lines that two divers could not fit side by side if they had to. B

Lorenzoid is correct. The Yucatan has plenty of safe cavern sites. Operators do not need to take you to an unsafe one.

I did my first Cenote cavern dive more than 20 years ago. I had never heard of ScubaBoard then. I asked the same questions on a different social media site, and I got much the same answers you are getting now. I signed up with a shop that took me and others on a rickety bus down a one lane dirt road into the jungle, where we clambered through the brush to the cavern opening. It's a completely different site today: Cenote Dos Ojos – Cenotes Of Mexico. I think that difference reflects the growth of the industry there over time.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

I miss Cenote diving. Maybe I'll jump over from Isla when I'm down there next.

 

[-JD-]

Depending on which Cenote you are diving, it could be, frankly, full cave.

The one that I did was a 30ish min loop from the entrance, around to the same entrance from another side. We then did it in reverse in the same continuous, hourish dive. Second dive was the same M.O. on a loop on the opposite side of the cenote. There was evidence of occasional air pockets on the ceiling and supposedly the guides knew of other exits , but except at the beginning and end, no natural light.

As a diver, the only known exit was following the line to the main cenote. If you analyze it, at tour speed, that was up to 15mins if you pick the correct direction and 30 if you don't depending on location. Sso maybe 10-20 minutes at a determined, but not, panicked pace.

The cave-certified diver ahead of me on the tour, confirmed that it was full cave to me later on. It was not in any way technical nor significantly constrained at any point. There was one guide leading with doubles and longhose. Divers were provided 2x AL80s for the 2 dives. Average depth was less than 15 ft.

Now if you were thinking that I am complaining about the conditions, you would be wrong. When I heard that a cenote excursion was an option on the trip, I researched the target, and understood that we would be beyond the cavern (light) zone (I did not appreciate before that it would be mostly outside the cavern zone, though) and would be very much a "trust-me" dive. To mitigate the risk I made sure that I would have my own redundant air source, sufficient to get me out at any point if I followed the line. I also had 2 redundant lights in addition to my primary. It was OK for MY risk tolerance, with the provisions that I made.

The one complaint that I would bring up is that the conditions were not explicitly, proactively presented to all, in advance of signing up, so they could make a fully informed choice. I am not aware of any of the other participants complaining or having issues, though. Maybe I am just a unreasonable worry wart.

My strong advice, is that you make youself comfortable with the situation of the cenote that you are going to dive. Decide in advance if you are comfortable leaving the cavern zone or not.

All that said, it was an awesome experience.

 

[Lorenzoid]

@-JD- Which cenote was that?

I would hope the guides more than "supposedly" knew of other exits along the route. That sounds like an unusally long distance to be from an exit/air at times, but then again, I really haven't done enough of these dives to know what is unusual.

Good advice to ask the guide in advance about "the situation of the cenote that you are going to dive"--how far from an exit/air at any given time along the route, etc. The guides do give what is supposed to be a fairly detailed briefing, but I wouldn't be surprised if they gloss over the maximum distance to an exit/air. I'm sure if asked they would answer. It's a reasonable question for someone trying to judge their comfort with a dive.

 

[ross9]

Thanks all, that’s really helpful. Perhaps sounds like I’m being overly cautious.

Under the Jungle look like a high quality shop so I’ll drop them an email.

 

[-JD-]

@-JD- Which cenote was that?

I would hope the guides more than "supposedly" knew of other exits along the route. That sounds like an unusally long distance to be from an exit/air at times, but then again, I really haven't done enough of these dives to know what is unusual.

Good advice to ask the guide in advance about "the situation of the cenote that you are going to dive"--how far from an exit/air at any given time along the route, etc. The guides do give what is supposed to be a fairly detailed briefing, but I wouldn't be surprised if they gloss over the maximum distance to an exit/air. I'm sure if asked they would answer. It's a reasonable question for someone trying to judge their comfort with a dive.

DreamGate. Amazing!

And so everyone knows, this is probably the most extreme "cenote" dive out there. I just wanted to put a description of the far-end of the spectrum out there so folks have an idea. Some will be attracted and some, hopefully, repulsed based on their experience and risk-tolerance.

We did get a pretty solid briefing, but I would not say that there was anything regarding self rescue planning. It was a "trust-me" dive.

Here are some (random) tour resources on DreamGate:

• Cenote Dreamgate
• Our Cenote Dive Sites // Cenote Dreamsgate
• Cenote diving in Dreamgate? you have to deserve it ! - The Cenote Guy
• Diving Tulum | Dive Cenote Dream Gate | Agua Clara Dive Shop Tulum
• Diving in Cenotes | Experienced English-speaking instructor

Embedded map from aguaclaradivingtulum.com:

Some quotes from the links above:

" Dreamgate" the best cavern dive in Tulum.

Level: Expert
... we only recommend this dive site to our experienced guests.

Do you want to try a cave dive without the Full Cave Diving certification?
...
Dreamgate is the most ‘cave-ish’ dive in our catalog. Therefore only experienced divers are welcomed.
...
However, to snake between the formations you need good buoyancy and trim control.
...
Claustrophobic divers please let us know before you sign up for this dive. Hence, this dive is a challenging one due to the full darkness and confined spaces.

Difficulty: moderate to difficult
...
Diving in this cavern is recommended for people who were comfortable in the beginner caverns because it is small, fragile, and dark in some places.

This Cenote is interesting because of its complete darkness and subsequent flowers of calcite. The dive is relatively comfortable as it lacks drops and sharp profiles. As a result, it is very suitable for entry level divers with PADI OWD certificates.

The bolds are mine.

Look at the range of skill/difficulty/environment descriptions. The last one just absolutely slays me - it admits that there are areas completely outside "cavern" and yet touts it for "entry level" folks ...

My takeaway advise - some operators are way more thoughtful about the challenges these environments may pose. Caveat emptor!