Cave Diving Instructors in Playa Del Carmen or U.S.

[boulderjohn]

Every time I take out the trash, I know it's just being driving a couple of km away to be dumped in the jungle.

About 15 years ago, I was teaching an OW class in Boulder and, as usual, I started by asking the students why they wanted to be certified. One of them was a key figure in our local recycling company, and he said he was going to be spending a lot of time in the Tulum/Akumal area dealing with the organic pollution of the reefs. He said that all the resorts in the area dump their food waste (etc.) in landfills just barely into the jungle. Since the entire region is a labyrinth of water-filled caves, all that organic waste decomposes into the flowing water and comes out into the nearby ocean, where it is killing the coral. He was being contracted to try to help them solve that problem.

Apparently not much progress has been made since then.

 

[mr_v]

I researched waste management, recycling and spent some time in developing countries around the world. Things are bad in the US, as policy varies from state by state. However, it is a nightmare in the developing countries. Essentially, trash management is mostly about finding a new site where you can dump things at the lowest cost. Certain areas are better than others, but in many cases proper recycling and waste reduction are not priorities. As everyone is looking up to the Western lifestyle things are only becoming worse.

As for Ginnie, I make picking up trash after each dive day a habit, but there is only so much a person can do... Unfortunately, it is a private property and a business that needs to attract all sorts of crowds to make ends meet.

 

[rjack321]

I researched waste management, recycling and spent some time in developing countries around the world. Things are bad in the US, as policy varies from state by state. However, it is a nightmare in the developing countries. Essentially, trash management is mostly about finding a new site where you can dump things at the lowest cost. Certain areas are better than others, but in many cases proper recycling and waste reduction are not priorities. As everyone is looking up to the Western lifestyle things are only becoming worse.

As someone who works in water quality, including wastewater treatment... I am completely dumbfounded that this entire region of millions of people is putting in a commuter train and doubling their already significant airport capacity before they have drinkable running water or any sewage treatment whatsoever.

 

[Lorenzoid]

As someone who works in water quality, including wastewater treatment... I am completely dumbfounded that this entire region of millions of people is putting in a commuter train and doubling their already significant airport capacity before they have drinkable running water or any sewage treatment whatsoever.

Precisely my thoughts. Cart before the horse? Much of Mexico, let alone the Yucatán, lacks clean public water supply, and the ancient sewer pipes can’t handle flushed toilet paper, and yet the Yucatán will have the fanciest train in the country and Tulum gets a new international airport. Most developing countries tackle those things in the opposite order. If Amlo’s gamble is that the train and airport will pay for water and sewer upgrades, I am skeptical that will ever happen.

 

[Tracy]

It just sucks eventhough I know there's more caves that are clear. I saw on facebook lately Nohoch is starting to look bad. Although Nohoch is definitely not my favorite cave, it's by far one of my favorite caves to take someone who hasn't experienced it. As you know the reactions to spots like Heaven's Gate is always fun to see from people who haven't been there.

I spent about 2.5 hours in Nohoch today. Visibility is less than 30 feet. If you get far enough off the line to see a formation, you can't see the line. It is just a white haze. The first cenote on the main line upstream where you can normally see ambient light for 100' coming up to it. I realized I was there when I saw the poop piles on the floor. There was zero ambient light coming through the haze.
We will head elsewhere tomorrow. I was really disappointed as I love Nohoch. A lazy swim for 150minutes in a set of 80s isn't easy to get anywhere else.

 

[Bowers]

Dino sabatino is a respected tech instructor who became a full cave instructor this past year. He lives in texas and teaches RAID. He travels to florida and mexico (as well as many other locations). Once you get used to his italian accent you can learn a lot from him lol

 

[Kendall Raine]

Apparently not much progress has been made since then.

It' worse. It's going backwards full speed. What's downstream of the train/airport/Tulum? The Sian Ka'an Biospehere. Mexico's ecological pride and joy which AMLO is doing his very best to destroy.

 

[Marie13]

I spent about 2.5 hours in Nohoch today. Visibility is less than 30 feet. If you get far enough off the line to see a formation, you can't see the line. It is just a white haze. The first cenote on the main line upstream where you can normally see ambient light for 100' coming up to it. I realized I was there when I saw the poop piles on the floor. There was zero ambient light coming through the haze.
We will head elsewhere tomorrow. I was really disappointed as I love Nohoch. A lazy swim for 150minutes in a set of 80s isn't easy to get anywhere else.

That makes me sad. I had two great dives in Nohoch last year after finishing full cave. So clear.

 

[34109411]

Not to continue to derail this thread anymore, but unfortunately, I am leaving Mexico and heading back to FL. There's a variety of reasons, but one of the big ones is it's just becoming too sad to see the destruction here every day and it's a difficult moral struggle to continue contributing to that destruction both by being here myself and bringing more tourists here for training. Every time I take out the trash, I know it's just being driving a couple of km away to be dumped in the jungle. My house is now surrounded by construction sites with acres of jungle being hacked down every week. Many of those construction sites are left half-built because the contractors disappeared with everyone's deposits. It's becoming an absolute horror show. For most of the past 5 years or so much of that was hidden from our normal treks out into the jungle, but now many of the sites in tulum are surrounded by residential developments. It's getting harder and harder to access training sites with all kinds of nonsensical politics with many local instructors and guides acting as saviors for the rest of us when really it's just an ego show about who can control the access. Most of the training sites are being destroyed by development and the landowners are making it harder and harder for us to access the sites. Many training sites we can't get into until after 9am and they kick us out of the water by 3. What used to be nice relaxed days of training are now very rushed and stressed because we have to pack more diving into less time somehow. And that's not to mention the rapidly increasing cost of living in the area. This will only get much much worse over the next few years with the train and airport operating. As more roads are built, more development will continue further down the coast and back into the jungle. What used to be "upstream" of the development will soon be downstream until it is all destroyed. The rate at which it is all occurring is mind-blowing. Every week I'm left in awe of how much destruction has taken place over just a few days. I just can't be a part of it anymore, it just feels massively hypocritical.

Now, Florida is not much better, especially with the nightmare that Ginnie is becoming. But at least the state and county parks are still well-managed and relatively peaceful.

totally agree unfortunately with you

 

[rddvet]

I spent about 2.5 hours in Nohoch today. Visibility is less than 30 feet. If you get far enough off the line to see a formation, you can't see the line. It is just a white haze. The first cenote on the main line upstream where you can normally see ambient light for 100' coming up to it. I realized I was there when I saw the poop piles on the floor. There was zero ambient light coming through the haze.
We will head elsewhere tomorrow. I was really disappointed as I love Nohoch. A lazy swim for 150minutes in a set of 80s isn't easy to get anywhere else.

I believe that's cenote nat geo. Or at least I think thats the one Kelvin always refers to as that since it was a man made entrance for when Nat Geo did a documentary. When it was clear you could see the ladder/structure from far away.

Sucks what's happening down there. We were going to buy a house in Tulum 10 years ago but I backed out. In retrospect it would've been a great investment. Its gotten so pricey now.