Cenotes Diving (Caverns)

An hour and a half from our resort there is a collection of caves that the Mayans found many, many years ago. Accessible in only a few locations, these caves are mostly filled with water, providing divers with yet another underwater experience. Known as "cenotes", the entrances are actually a result of sinkholes causing exposure to the underground caves beneath. Mayans used these areas for sacrificial ceremonies, many of which sound quite awful.

To dive the cenotes, you need a sense of adventure and no fear of either the dark or confined spaces. We were provided with powerful torches so we could always see around us, but there are times when no natural light can be seen. The spaces and caverns were usually quite large but swimming between some rocks were tight on occasion. We were kept out of the official caves, though, as our group did not have that experience. Yet (this is one of my diving goals).

I did well. I didn't panic or get scared, but afterward I thought that its a good thing no one did because it could have been interesting getting us out I'd some of those caverns quickly. It's definitely a different feeling to know you can't just pop up if something happens because you are surrounded by rock. Hanging from the overhead rocks we saw stalagmites, and in areas the water appeared to dance as our bubbles and seepage from above glistened on the ceiling.

The coolest part of the dive was coming up into a sinkhole and feeling absolute seclusion. The water begins about 20-25 feet down from the level ground above, and you see trees and vines all around. As these sinkholes have dark cave-like juts, the areas are also filled with bats. We didn't see much life in the caverns, a disappointment, but the helioclines were pretty neat - this is where salt water meets fresh water and the mixture makes visibility very blurry for a few feet, until water evens out again.

As a fresh water dive, the cenotes were very interesting to see. Maintaining my buoyancy was challenging and I think I was overweighted. With such tight spots and the warning to not touch any of the limestone, buoyancy is very important. But, Bryan says I did well. Our group was small, only 4, but we didn't feel as though the dive master gave us much of a lesson on cavern diving. He asked few questions and told us to stick together. We were given torches and away we went. It's a totally different experience from open water so more information might have been good. But we are all still here so I guess it was enough?

I'm glad I dove this area today but once is enough. We had a two tank dive, probably because of the distance traveled to get there, but I think I would have been good with one tank. Great experience though!!

Bryan's Tidbit: Don't drop your flashlight in an area with big crevasses underwater! Next time, stay at an adults-only all-inclusive. And choose iced coffee that's blended rather than poured over a bunch of ice, because its tough to drink and just turns to slush.

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