Cavern dive at Chac Mool Cenote

[rddvet]

??? Are you saying that someone who has been diving for over a decade shouldn't do a Cenote dive unless they are taking a full cavern diving class?

I wasn't saying that at all. I was making a joke because eventually someone usually comes by and chastizes the person who does a cavern dive in mexico without being cavern certified.

For more clarity, it is a highly debated topic. Personally I know tons of friends who have done cavern dives in Mexico. The problem is not all cavern guides are created equally. There are some I would happily trust with my loved ones' life. Others not so much. There have been deaths during mexican cavern dives including a guide leaving people behind. For me I say if you want to do a cavern dive in mexico, you've got good skills and you do your research to find a safe guide go for it. Not my business. But on the other hand there are an ass-load of cruise ship passengers who rarely dive and show up on an excursion with someone they did no research into. Those are the people who get cacked generally. It is a double-edged sword and unfortunately I straddle both sides of the argument.

As a long time cave diver, I do at times get an extra clenchy butthole when I'm in Mexico and I see some of the people going on cavern dives or I see who their guide is. But it's a free world people are allowed to make their own choices. This sounds extremely harsh, but at the end of the day all I really give a damn about is people not getting killed on cavern dives and getting diving banned. There are already too many places that no longer allow diving, and I'd prefer the trend stop. (I'm not saying I don't care that people die ps)

 

[bshmerlie]

I appreciate your clarity. I agree with you on cruise ship divers. Actually it's all vacation divers. All too often people go on a tropical vacations once every five years and decide that's the time they feel like going diving again. They struggle with their buoyancy, are often overweighted and usually have water sloshing around in their mask. I try and pair up with the guy I think has the most experience because I would just like to enjoy the dive and not feel like I have to babysit while I'm down there. I did do my research and found that Tank-Ha had a lot of recommendations on this forum and Chac-Mool is considered a beginner cenote and has a continuous line already set for a safe route. Listen, I don't claim to be a perfect diver. I'm mostly just a lobster hunter but that does mean I am really comfortable in dark situations and I don't freak out about low visibility.