Cenote diving without an operator?

[kwinter]

what do you think about the idea of grabbing some tanks and weights from an LDS, tossing them in the car, and heading off to some cenotes? Dumb or awesome?

Dumb. Very, very dumb. Incredibly dumb.

 

[driebel]

Sounds good. Thanks for the info, especially those able to reply to a simple question in a courteous and respectful manner.

 

[Wookie]

Sounds good. Thanks for the info, especially those able to reply to a simple question in a courteous and respectful manner.

So, folks with local knowledge, what do you think about the idea of grabbing some tanks and weights from an LDS, tossing them in the car, and heading off to some cenotes? Dumb or awesome?

Dumb. Very, very dumb. Incredibly dumb.

He didn't say you were dumb, he said your idea was dumb. You did ask....

 

[MalibuJerry]

The problem everyone is referring to is that these cenotes are deceptive. They look straightforward and all of a sudden you are lost with no sense of how to save yourself. I would take a cavern course and then go with a guide, or do Dos Ojos or Grand Cenote on snorkel. These are beautiful caverns and you don't have to worry about being lost or running out of air. The areas you can snorkel in have great indirect light and are really very cool. It is a great substitute to diving in the cavern zone and a lot cheaper. You don't need a guide for them as I recall.

TS&M, I disagree about Mayan Blue. I really enjoyed my dives there -- but you are right, it is full cave basically start to finish, and it has been deadly.

 

[Token]

I've been in a few cenotes, and I find they vary a lot in degree of challenge. Nevertheless, I'd never venture into one without a guide, no matter how much experience I had.