Had a blast in Mexico and am now getting round to telling everyone about it. I will do 2 reports, one of cenotes and the other on reef diving. This is number one on cenotes.
First things first, I am Rescue Diver qualified and currently undergoing DM training and I was a bit wary about the concept of cavern diving even though I had read and been told it was ok just for OW divers. But there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity of diving the cenotes given I was on their doorstep!
I was staying half way along the Cancun-Tulum corridor about fifteen minutes south of Puerto Morelos, which is right in the heart of cenote country.
First one I did was at Hidden Worlds. We had visited Tulum first and then went to HW for the 1pm dive before heading on to Coba.
I decided just to do a one tank dive first off to see if I took to it (can you guess the rest??). Anyhow, on arriving at Hidden Worlds, I filled in the relevant paperwork, my gear was put on a stripped down truck and we headed down the pot-holed single track road towards the cenote.
After about 10 minutes you come to the hole in the ground that marks the entrance to Dos Ojos/Bat Cave. It is a hole around 3-4 feet in diameter with a ladder going down it. You go down the ladder and the cavern opens up.
Before you go down you are given a briefing and then a fuller briefing when you get down into the cavern. Briefing covered all safety aspects that I was most interested in (e.g. we were never going to be more than 40 seconds at any point from the surface, we would always be able to see natural light if we switched off our lights, it was no deeper than 30 feet, signalling if there is a problem).
First dive I did was the Bat Cave and there were only 2 of us plus the guide. You go under and down a few feet, then you are into fabulous rooms of stalactites, stalagmites and limestone columns. Every so often you enter into an opening where you can see the surface and the way the sun streams in and lights up the space is fantastic.
At its deepest the dive was around 30 feet and it lasted 44 minutes. Temp 24 centigrade. The depth changes quite frequently and buoyancy control is important because the bottom is incredibly silty (but really fine, shiny white silt) and the top is fragile with limestone. I was really pleased with my buoyancy control and also that I didn't have any problems with dark confined spaces, of which there were a few!
Next day, another cenote, this time Tres Bocas, which is a different character of cenote from Bat Cave. It is much deeper at around 80 feet and doesn't have corridors and rooms - more like a big limestone bucket. But it has great formations and also the largest stalactite.
This time I went with Dive Puerto Morelos and it went smoothly. Again a trip through single track roads until you get to the hole in the ground. This time a much bigger hole. (Pictures attached and in my gallery). You start the dive going to the deepest point and then work your way up going around the circumference of the cenote. This time it was just me and the DM which was great as you really felt a sense of peace and tranquillity. Dive profile was 80 feet and 41 minutes. Temp 24 centigrade
A few days later and back to Hidden Worlds, this time for a 2 tank dive.
First dive this time was Dos Ojos. It takes the same entry as the Bat Cave but you go a different route once you are under. It was fantastic and I preferred it to the Bat Cave. The route we took had more big open spaces with natural light streaming in than the Bat Cave had and it just felt like heaven!! Visibility was amazing and it was just like you were flying. Not as deep as the Bat Cave, maximun at around 22 feet. Dive was for 44 minutes and temp again was 24 centigrade.
Second dive was the Bat Cave again, a slightly different route to the one I had previously gone. It didn't matter to me, I would have dived the same route again and again no problem. There were three of us this time plus DM and I was at the back as the most experienced which was quite neat as I kind of held back and took my time to look at things more closely. DIdn't take the camera this time and just wallowed in the pleasure of it all. Dive time 40 minutes, max depth 30 feet, temp 24 centigrade. Like all other dives, this was done in a 3mm full suit (no hood) and I was warm enough.
Alas 4 dives in cenotes was all I had time for. Hidden Worlds suggested I do the Dreamgate cenotes but I didn't have time. What I did have time for were fabulous experiences which I would thoroughly recommend to anyone visiting the area. Hidden Worlds is extremely well organised and managed and it is clear that safety is paramount.
I have attached a few pics and there are more in my gallery. I can understand now why some people say they go to Mexico and don't bother diving in the Carribean!!
However, I did dive in the Carribean and will provide a report of that in due course. :11ztongue
And I will definitely be back at the cenotes some time soon.
First things first, I am Rescue Diver qualified and currently undergoing DM training and I was a bit wary about the concept of cavern diving even though I had read and been told it was ok just for OW divers. But there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity of diving the cenotes given I was on their doorstep!
I was staying half way along the Cancun-Tulum corridor about fifteen minutes south of Puerto Morelos, which is right in the heart of cenote country.
First one I did was at Hidden Worlds. We had visited Tulum first and then went to HW for the 1pm dive before heading on to Coba.
I decided just to do a one tank dive first off to see if I took to it (can you guess the rest??). Anyhow, on arriving at Hidden Worlds, I filled in the relevant paperwork, my gear was put on a stripped down truck and we headed down the pot-holed single track road towards the cenote.
After about 10 minutes you come to the hole in the ground that marks the entrance to Dos Ojos/Bat Cave. It is a hole around 3-4 feet in diameter with a ladder going down it. You go down the ladder and the cavern opens up.
Before you go down you are given a briefing and then a fuller briefing when you get down into the cavern. Briefing covered all safety aspects that I was most interested in (e.g. we were never going to be more than 40 seconds at any point from the surface, we would always be able to see natural light if we switched off our lights, it was no deeper than 30 feet, signalling if there is a problem).
First dive I did was the Bat Cave and there were only 2 of us plus the guide. You go under and down a few feet, then you are into fabulous rooms of stalactites, stalagmites and limestone columns. Every so often you enter into an opening where you can see the surface and the way the sun streams in and lights up the space is fantastic.
At its deepest the dive was around 30 feet and it lasted 44 minutes. Temp 24 centigrade. The depth changes quite frequently and buoyancy control is important because the bottom is incredibly silty (but really fine, shiny white silt) and the top is fragile with limestone. I was really pleased with my buoyancy control and also that I didn't have any problems with dark confined spaces, of which there were a few!
Next day, another cenote, this time Tres Bocas, which is a different character of cenote from Bat Cave. It is much deeper at around 80 feet and doesn't have corridors and rooms - more like a big limestone bucket. But it has great formations and also the largest stalactite.
This time I went with Dive Puerto Morelos and it went smoothly. Again a trip through single track roads until you get to the hole in the ground. This time a much bigger hole. (Pictures attached and in my gallery). You start the dive going to the deepest point and then work your way up going around the circumference of the cenote. This time it was just me and the DM which was great as you really felt a sense of peace and tranquillity. Dive profile was 80 feet and 41 minutes. Temp 24 centigrade
A few days later and back to Hidden Worlds, this time for a 2 tank dive.
First dive this time was Dos Ojos. It takes the same entry as the Bat Cave but you go a different route once you are under. It was fantastic and I preferred it to the Bat Cave. The route we took had more big open spaces with natural light streaming in than the Bat Cave had and it just felt like heaven!! Visibility was amazing and it was just like you were flying. Not as deep as the Bat Cave, maximun at around 22 feet. Dive was for 44 minutes and temp again was 24 centigrade.
Second dive was the Bat Cave again, a slightly different route to the one I had previously gone. It didn't matter to me, I would have dived the same route again and again no problem. There were three of us this time plus DM and I was at the back as the most experienced which was quite neat as I kind of held back and took my time to look at things more closely. DIdn't take the camera this time and just wallowed in the pleasure of it all. Dive time 40 minutes, max depth 30 feet, temp 24 centigrade. Like all other dives, this was done in a 3mm full suit (no hood) and I was warm enough.
Alas 4 dives in cenotes was all I had time for. Hidden Worlds suggested I do the Dreamgate cenotes but I didn't have time. What I did have time for were fabulous experiences which I would thoroughly recommend to anyone visiting the area. Hidden Worlds is extremely well organised and managed and it is clear that safety is paramount.
I have attached a few pics and there are more in my gallery. I can understand now why some people say they go to Mexico and don't bother diving in the Carribean!!
However, I did dive in the Carribean and will provide a report of that in due course. :11ztongue
And I will definitely be back at the cenotes some time soon.
