Cenotes - good or bad idea?

[John Mathieson]

Going to Akumal area - was wondering if some Cenote diving is suitable for NON cave divers. Hard to from the photos if this is suitable for divers such as my 2 boys (OW) and myself (AOW) - are they all involving true cave diving ie needing certification - or are some restricted to all fairly open natural light situations.

I have been in dive groups before where the group went beyond my comfort zone - the last thing I want is to go with my teenage sons and put them at risk. Are some of the cenotes nice and open? The spectacular photos I have seen seem to involve lengthy tunnels, and would need advanced buoyancy control - I would have to say my boys have variable buoyancy control at best. They were great in Cozumel but I don't want to push the envelope.

Advice?

 

[daylight]

John,
I believe that the Cenotes will be a great experience for you and your sons. Not knowing their ages or experience, it is difficult to give knowledgeable advise.
I would recommend you all take your gear with you and go to Hidden Worlds. Buddy's folks are very good and your boys will certianly enjoy riding on a "buddymobile" to the Cenotes. The folks at Hidden Worlds will do a great job guiding you and your son's on Scuba.
If you feel uncomfortable with the environment on Scuba, then you could snorkle the Cenotes. So, it's not all or nothing and your boys will have a great time either way.
I with a friend who is AOW on the Guided tour and it went great.
Enjoy and dive safe,
Larry

 

[MikeFerrara]

Never been diving down there but I that some oporators do caver/cave tours for untrained divers.

Personally, I don't think it's a good idea. It's a trust-me dive to the extreme. Since you don't know what you don't know it's hard to evaluate the risk.

There are some reputable oporations down there and there are other who will take your money any way they can get it.

I would recommend doing some research on them before going. Ask about the credentials of the guids.

If this is a type of diving you're interested in, consider taking a caver class. There are plenty of instructors down there.

A freind of mine and member of this board SLJ is part owner of a facility in Akumal. I would recommend them because I know their attitudes and they won't cheat on safety. I have NO vested interest in this oporation. Regardless of who you go with they're a good source of info and can be contacted here

 

[Charlie99]

Several cenotes, including Dos Ojos, have some cavern dives that are suitable for OW divers.

Even though you will be within 100' or 150' of open air at all times, but that isn't always obvious because the open air might be in a totally black "bat cave" or not visible because it's around a corner.

Don't do it if you or your sons are at all claustrophobic. Don't do it if you or your sons have trouble holding a 10' or 15' safety stop without a line.

http://www.hiddenworlds.com/

http://www.akumaldiveshop.com/cave.html

Charlie

 

[daylight]

Mike,
The operation I suggested to John is one of the reputable operations. There was no cave component to the dive other than the guide showed my friend where the cave entrance was located. I was very interested where the guide took us on the dive since I had dived that cave system before. This isn't even close to an demanding cave or cavern environment. When you visit that area you may appreciate how benign a situation I recommended. I would never suggest putting anyone into a situation that puts them into risk.
It was very apparent that there was direct ascent to the surface available at any point in time during my friends tour. This was not a "trust me" dive situation. All the cavern guides I visited with are certified cavern guides. The Mexicans have done an excellent job regulating this. They recognized the economic impact to having tourists not returning from Cenote dives.
I agree that John should do the research and make his decisions based upon he and his sons skills, experience and comfort level.
Dive Safe,
Larry

 

[John Mathieson]

Thanks for the info - I am not personally terribly interested in caving (or getting inside wrecks for that matter) - I love sitting on a little patch of reef watch small things emerge. I don't want to get into a tunnel or serious overhead environment - I will check out your friends and see if they can help.

Looks very interesting, and quite beautiful - just don't want to get dragged into a situation where you have to follow or get lost.

Cheers
John

 

[daylight]

John,
Glad that you got some info to help you put your trip iternary together.
Enjoy,
Larry

 

[DeepScuba]

John, I'm going to PM you some info.

I strongly urge you check this guy out. He's exactly (My thoughts) what you're looking for. You won't be disappointed if you decide to do the Cenotes.

Heck, I'm so sure I'D give you a money back guarantee if HE disappoints, How's that for a deal?

EDIT:

I'd bet you'd have a great time even if you think you're not that interested in it. It's so amazing to see all that white Limestone just gleeming back at you from your light...Ohhh man I can't wait until next year. I think I have the wife talked into me doing my Full Cave course while she suntans with the kids on a beach on the mainland. We won't get to Coz, but oh well, I'll be doing caves!!!!

 

[teamheatwave]

This post pretty much backs up a lot of what daylight said.

I cannot speak for the other cenote tours but I can tell you that Hidden Worlds runs a very safe and professional operation.

We dive them several times a year. They never rush you, always keep an eye on you and even for repeat visitors still thoroughly go over all details, safety proceedures, etc. They never pressure you into the dive, If you are uncomfortable for any reason, they agree, don't dive. Yes, some shops down there are all about the money. They are not one of them. But that's also true about shops here in the USA, and I am sure other parts of the world as well. They have too good of a reputation to risk it on your fifty bucks.

Being teenage sons, I agree they will find the ride in the jungle limos are half the fun.

Regardless of what dive you do, having them do a scuba tune up or at least practice buoyancy skills is a good idea. You can accomplish this at a local pool before you go, while there or even arrange to spend a few minutes working on buoyancy skills before the start of the dive. Hidden Worlds has a platform with a small area and should be enough room to do this.

If you have concerns, write them. Keep in mind the cenotes vs caves means that you are within a short distance of daylight / openings.

You may also consider requesting an additional guide.

Another option is go there for a snorkelling trip. If you feel comfortabale, then dive the cenote. I believe the tours go 9, 11 and 1 everyday.

This is also a good activity to save for a rainy / bad weather day.

Hey, look at it this way. . . it could be safer than a reef dive. There's no hazardous marine life or drift diving.

Seriously though, the maximum depth I think at Dos Ojos is only 27 feet. Easy entry and exit via a ladder. And Dos Ojos is very "open". You are not going through these narrow passages where you barely squeeze through. There is plenty of room all around you. Each cenote dive is really fun and we found just as exciting as the first.

Its wise to proceed cautiously and get all the facts. I am not good at posting attachments of photos but if you like I can flatbed scan their flyer and email it to you so you can read over it and get a better feel for what its all about.

 

[John Mathieson]

Thank you for the info.
I think we will do some reef diving first (one of which will be a refresher - they haven't dived since Cozumel 11 months ago).

They are actually very comfortable and "smart" divers - no problem holding a safety stop - and also observant - my 14 year old always seems to find the small things everyone else missed - I just don't want to get anywhere near tight passageways. I am aware of too many divers who are no longer with us.

Sounds like we can do this safely and cautiously - looking forward to it. Leaving on Thursday!
John