Info Warning about Cenote Chac Mool and Kukulkan

[fates13]

These two cenotes are in the same area and they have banned cameras. They have their own photographer who tries to charge you $60 USD/person for his photos/videos of you diving and says he "lowers" it to $40/person for groups. Avoid this site if you have your own cameras you want to use on your dives and don't want to get price gouged. It's a shame because they were such beautiful dives and we don't even have documentation of it because we didn't want to contribute to their racket.

 

[rick00001967]

this is a very helpful post.
on our last trip we heard some of the property owners of the cenotes were banning divers from using cameras. as you said, the idea being that they will try to sell their own to visitors.
i guess if they own the land, we have to follow their rules.
although i don't know who would stop you if you pulled out a gopro during a dive.
you will never see me pay them for any photos. although when i did my first sm dives in one of them, the guy had shot some very cool video of our group. i was tempted to buy a copy until i watched it and saw i was never in frame.
i was at the back of the group (as usual) and he said he thought i was one of the guides. so he did not bother to film me.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Thanks for posting. I'll be sure to ask the dive centers I use about this issue with cenote sites I may dive.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I wonder if divers will pay the $60? What will "the market" bear?

 

[KDAD]

I dove there twice. The first time the photographer was not there. Actually, there were no other divers there. I brought my camera.

The second he was which I was glad for as he took stills and video of my daughter's very first ever cenote dives. They were very good quality along with bonus information on the cenotes. The (negotiable) price was well worth the record of the dives that I have. Pictures were way better than anything I could have taken with my gopro.

I believe that this is the only cenote with that restriction.

 

[js1221]

My wife and I did our first Cenote dive there and we paid for the pictures. They were well worth the $60 we spent.

 

[emoreira]

Last November we visited Cenote Dos Ojos. I went down with my Sealife Micro 2.0. It is said that if you dive with a DSLR and lights they will charge you for the camera. No worry for a PS camera like Sealife or Gopro.
There was a guy with a big rig in the middle of the cenote taking pics to every diver. He was the cenote photo guy.
We talked to him after the dive if he could make a price for all the group (we were 12 divers). He said ok. We paid the agreed price. After a few days back at home, we received the pics. Only 4 pics. He didn't answer any e-mail complain.
There was no language misunderstanding, we both speak spanish as mother language.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Last November we visited Cenote Dos Ojos. I went down with my Sealife Micro 2.0. It is said that if you dive with a DSLR and lights they will charge you for the camera. No worry for a PS camera like Sealife or Gopro.
There was a guy with a big rig in the middle of the cenote taking pics to every diver. He was the cenote photo guy.
We talked to him after the dive if he could make a price for all the group (we were 12 divers). He said ok. We paid the agreed price. After a few days back at home, we received the pics. Only 4 pics. He didn't answer any e-mail complain.
There was no language misunderstanding, we both speak spanish as mother language.

I think I'd hand him a compact flash or SD card. Those are fairly universal for cameras. Note to self to take spares.

 

[flymolo]

If people start willingly paying those prices other cenote owners will start raising their rates as well. It’s best not to pay.

 

[emoreira]

I think I'd hand him a compact flash or SD card. Those are fairly universal for cameras. Note to self to take spares.

I'm still so naive that I still believe in people, even more when I'm outside diving.