wreck & cenote cozumel advice please

[driftwood]

i see. thanks for the advice. i only have 5 dives under the proverbial belt.
-during the cenote dive are you under rock/soil as well as under water or is the water exposed to the sky?
-since the water is fresh there is no plant/animal life in the cenotes?

When most of us talk about cenote dives, we mean cavern dives. You have no immediate access to the surface but can see an exit. So, yes you are under rock.

A cavern dive is all about gin clear water, amazing rock formations and incredible light play through the water. Not many critters and far fewer plants.

 

[frankmzd]

I dove the c-56 xicotencatl, which may or may not be the same wreck that the others were talking about...
the xicotencatl is alright, nice big openings, no need for a reel for penetration, just take a good light and you should be fine.
not too exciting though, not much growth nor fish.

the cenotes are very cool, but not advised if you are claustrophobic.
our trip was organized by german yanez (sp?) - a bit pricey at $150 for two dives, but definitely worth it.

 

[purcitron]

I AM USING ALL CAPS SO THERE IS NO MISTAKE.
DO NOT MISS THE CENOTES DIVE.

huh. very interesting.
so there is a roof overhead
-it doesnt get dark?
-where did you stay when you went cenote diving?
thanks

 

[ScubaDocER]

I have included some pics from my dive there in my photo album on my profile. If you care to wade through a few other pics you will see the wreck pics I took. The wreck is in about 80 feet of water in the sand I believe. This wreck was called the C38. That's what the DM said. My max depth on the dive was 71 feet. I did the dive guided, as I do most of my dives in the Caribbean. It's nice to have someone who knows where he's going and can navigate the wreck easily. We went in a group of about 8 so it was a little larger than I would have preferred, and it was a "follow the leader" dive through the wreck. Everyone did well and we enjoyed it. I would suggest a diver be an Advanced diver, but it is not a requirement. You should be comfortable with your buoyancy skills, be aware of sharp corners, and control your breathing. You do not want to be hyperventilating inside a wreck. Take your time and you can truly have a beautiful wreck. I found out how to upload pics to my profile, just not how to put them in a post. Hope you like the pics. They are mainly exterior pics.

 

[frankmzd]

if you only have 5 dives total, don't do the cenotes. enjoy the many nice open water dives in cozumel, and come back for cenotes diving when you have more experience.

 

[purcitron]

thanks.
what do you think about the wreck with the same only 5 dives?

 

[ScubaDocER]

I found a way to upload a few. YEAH!!!

 

[purcitron]

looks great

 

[agilulfo]

I dived Dos Ojos last year and there was a fairly novice diver with us. The main issues for a new diver in a cavern are air consumption and buoyancy control. If you run low on air, you have no direct access to the surface. Sure, your buddy or guide can share air with you, but it's not so much fun going through dark tight spaces side by side. If your buoyancy is not so good, it takes a minute to silt up the cavern.

I'd say do a few dives in Cozumel and see how your air consumption and buoyancy is. Ask your dive guide if he/she thinks your skills are adequate to dive the Cenotes. If so, you can just do a day trip to the mainland (no need to stay overnight). Your dive operator in Cozumel should be able to set everything up for you with a day's notice.

Have fun in Cozumel!

 

[halocline]

It's unlikely that someone with 5 dives would have the skills to effectively and safely dive in the cenotes. It is possible, but it would not be the norm. There are ALL KINDS of things that could go wrong. Consider the fact that you're in basically the same environment that cave divers spend thousands of dollars and many hours training rigorously to dive in.

The only wreck I know of in Coz is the C53 (I think) but it's the one they sunk a few years back and it's the popular one for rec divers. It's okay for a novice diver, but not ideal. You would not be wise to do any sort of penetration, although it's likely that the DM would just bring the whole group in. Currents can be pretty strong around there, that's another issue.

The thing is, I don't think it compares with the reef diving, so if this is your first trip down there, I'd just do the drift dives on the reefs. Believe me, you won't be disappointed and you'll get some experience.