SB friends. I posted a trip report with photos on the JUE website (photos by Daniel Riordan); all copied below. We have had a really nice trip and recommend anyone interested in cave diving to take training with Dan, Chris and Fred at DIR Mexico!! I am also pleased to let you know that we will soon be expanding the variety of GUE Courses we offer in Japan!
Safe Diving,
Thomas
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Finally back in Mexico for two weeks + of cave diving! GUE friends from many countries are joining us the coming days and Chris, Dan and Fred are running several courses here during our stay so we expect to meet lots of nice people. As usual we stay in Puerto Aventura with easy access to most of the caves.
Day 1
Warm-up dives in Grand Cenote and Taj Mahal. Did two simple 90 minute dives with only one jump on each dive to get back in cave mode. Nice to be back!
Day 2
Today we shot some video at not too easy places; Carwash upstream into Room of Tears and downstream into The Drain. Good training to bring the video and lighting through the major restrictions, with no scratches on the lense or broken HID bulbs!
Day 3
No Hoch. Video of Heavens Gate, Dreamland, Jaws, and Mt. Fuji. Very nice dives. Met GUE divers Jacob and John who did 6 dives here today!
Day 4
Today 3.5 hours in the water at Taj Mahal. This cenote is nice if you jump of the main line. The cenote cavern was crowded with 20 divers... Shot some video at The Hole in the Wall and Chinese Garden. Both very beautiful places. Met up with Chris and Nicolas, and also Dennis W and Steven.
Day 5
Today only one dive. 155 minutes in Grand Cenote heading into the Box Chen parts. Beautiful cave! We are probably going back here again this trip.
Day 6
Diving two new cenotes for us; Chan Hol and Esqueleto. Both very nice dives and an excellent Christmas present! Today lots of GUE divers here and many more coming in tonight.
Day 7
Merry Christmas to everyone! Today we took it easy and did one stage dive at Naharon jumping left, left and then reaching the end of the line after the crossing. Very dark cave in the beginning with the walls absorbing your light. Excellent dive!
Day 8
Three Cave 1 classes with students from Italy started today. That means Chris, Dan and Fred will be busy busy. Today Eriko and I went to do the circuit at Ponderosa and video the halocline there. Jacob and Andreas dived there as well, and then all three cave 1 classes came in the afternoon. Good to see so many GUE divers!
Day 9
Dive 1 at Aktun Ha into Room of Tears and the Lotus Room, dive 2 some jumps at Minatauro. Both video dives, and both about 90 minutes. Aktun Ha crowded, alone at Minatauro. All in all an excellent day of cave diving!
Day 10
Today diving with Paul from Japan. Dived Dos Ojos twice 60 + 25 minutes, and then one dive in Carwash going first up and then downstreams. Nice dives! I especially liked the finish with a 1.5 m alligator and turtle couple in Carwash. Met Fred and his students at Carwash that started their 5th dive/3rd sets of doubles when we left them.
Day 11
Another great day of diving. Today dives at Tortugas and Vaca Ha. Both very small cenotes out in the jungle and noone else around except the mosquitos. These two caves are a little deeper than most and not that often dived as caves like Ponderosa and Carwash. Both excellent and clear favorites in Yucatan.
Day 12
Two dives at Naharon known as the "dark" cave. Tannic acid from a huge swamp stains the calcium carbonate into a very dark brown color. A very highly decorated cave but even the most powerful lights are absorbed in the darkness of the cave. We jumped onto the Desconocido line, jumped again onto the PT line, and then to Chuc's Room. Great dive! Andreas and Jacob come just as we came back from our second dive. On the way back we had some transmission problems with the car so needed to go to Carmen and change to another one. Same car and same color. Anyway, we got a working clean car for New Year!
Day 13
Last dive 2008! And what a dive... Went to the remote Pet Cemetery in the No Hoch system trying to find our way in this still unmapped part of the cave system. Lot of restrictions and silt. Could hardly see the line a few centimeters away on some parts while trying to squeeze through some sections. Great fun! We are absolutely going back again! Happy New Year everyone!
Day 14
Day 1, 2009. Expected many Cenotes would be closed so we sneaked in to the Ox Bel Ha system doing two wonderful dives. One at Cenote De Mare, and another dive at a nearby cenote. Ox Bel Ha is the longest cave system in the world with 172 km explored cave and still being explored.
See more at: Cave Diving in Mexico 2008 | :: Japan Underwater Explorers :: Tokyo, Izu, Kobe, Kansai, Hiroshima..
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