Cenote appropriate for beginner?

[JahJahwarrior]

I'm not familiar with the exact site you wish to dive, but it's a very well known fact that hundreds of people have died in caves. It's a well known fact that a large percentage of that number were open water instructors, and others with a lot more experience than you claim. It's a well known fact that the number one killer in overhead is lack of training.

I would avoid overhead situations at all costs unless you have the proper training for overhead diving.

 

[Blackwood]

It's a well known fact that the number one killer in overhead is lack of training.

I'd have thought it was water

 

[TSandM]

JahJah, I'm completely in accord with you on 90% of the overhead diving that's out there. But the cavern tours in Mexico are really about as benign as diving in an overhead environment CAN be. Mexico simply doesn't have the clay that Florida has, and the paths followed by the tours have been scoured clean, anyway. Most of the tours are kept in fairly large areas, so there isn't a real sense of "enclosure" in most places. Some of them are really swimming the light-darkness interface, so you can look one way and see open water a lot of the time. There are rules (which are unfortunately voluntary and not always followed) which add to the safety.

Thousands of people each year do these tours, and I'm not aware of ANY deaths associated with them. My advice to gain experience before doing them is based on two things: One is a profound love and respect for the caves, and my sadness in seeing how beat up the tourist areas become, and the other is the story of the woman who died in the Ginnie Ballroom (also a very benign site) because she panicked and bolted.

To the OP: Your buoyancy is probably fine. The mask thing bothers me a little, but if you are content to do your coughing and choking underwater, and don't have to fight down the urge to flee for the surface, that's probably ok, too.

The operators take very new divers on these tours all the time. It is only my own personal opinion that people should have more opportunity to know themselves underwater, before they do them. Do make sure your guide follows the rules: The guide should be full cave and at least an OW instructor and should dive in cave gear. No more than four clients should follow any one guide. Every diver must have his own light. The tour should stay on the gold line.

 

[Neuatomic]

...and the other is the story of the woman who died in the Ginnie Ballroom (also a very benign site) because she panicked and bolted.

Could you provide a link to the thread in the Accidents and Incidents forum on this? Using search I'm coming up with lots of links to Ginnie Springs but can't seem to find the one you're referring to. I've read Diver Down and several other books as I believe you can learn a lot from the mistakes/mishaps of others.

Thanks-

 

[TSandM]

Neuatomic, I'm not even sure on which board I read the story. She was a fairly novice diver, and had something happen that caused her to lose her composure and try to bolt to the surface -- but there was no surface. If I recall correctly, she embolized. I suppose the same thing could have happened to her in open water, except that perhaps, in open water, she would not have been quite so anxious.

 

[RTee]

Neuatomic,
I was in Cozumel a month ago...my second time in two years. During my stay, we had two days that we could not dive the various reefs due to very strong winds from the north and the fact that the harbormaster did not let any boat out. What was offered to us were diving packages in Playa del Carmen instead. The first day we took the ferry, went across and dove the Kukulkan and Chac-Mool cenotes. As for the second day, we did the dive with the bull sharks followed by one on a small reef (Punta del Pedra) and saw a variety of marine life ranging from all kind of fish to octopus, sea turtles, spotted and green morey eels and scorpion fish.

Cenotes...very interesting dives. A maximum of four divers per DM instead of the traditional six (sometime 8) divers per DM ratio. Very nice video by Dirty-dog...however, keep in mind that the guy who shot the video had a very bright light sitting on top of his rig. They were times when I could not see any natural light either behind or ahead of me and had to rely solely on my flashlight and those preceeding me...Therefore, it became ...night diving with an overhead. The modus operandi is that everybody dive in a single line behind the DM because, at times, this is the only way to get through some of the passages.
What also made it very interesting was going through the halocline (where fresh and saltwater mix). Visibility is either great above or below but in the 3 - 4 ft of transition...everything is blurry and at times you are stuck there for small periods of time until you either get more clearance from the overhead or the waterway gets deeper.
The first two divers in our group referred to themselves as being experienced divers (over 100 dives). One of them hit the overhead twice with his tank and his buddy hit it once.
Is it feasible...hell yes. Hundreds if not thousand of divers dive them annually. Would I recommend them to a beginner diver...not really.

 

[USMCNJ]

My wife and I had 12 dives before we did two tanks at Chac Mool.

You should have enough control over your bouyancy and trim as to be able to avoid crashing into the bottom, but you do not have to have the perfect control that is needed for cave diving. I don't know about other cenotes, but Chac Mool had no particularly narrow or tight passages. Yes, you're in an overhead environment, but you're always within sight of open water. If you're subject to claustrophobia, then it's probably a bad idea. Otherwise, go for it.

As others have mentioned, your guide can easily evaluate your skill level. But it's definately possible for a relatively new diver to enjoy the cenotes.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how much is a video worth?

Dirty-Dog your video is amazing, that place looks unreal.

 

[LazyWarg]

I did Dos Ojos and Bat Cave in The Maya Riviera as dives #7 & 8 of my "career". I didn't have any problem with them, but I am very comfortable in the water. Bouyancy control is key, and you must be comfortable in semi-claustaphobic and dark environment.

If you feel comfortable with the idea, I say go for it. The guides are good, and it's in their best interest to not let anything happen to you.

 

[Alexvizzio]

Hi! I guide in Cenotes every day and I think that, if your buoyancy is very natural and if you´re pretty confident underwater then, conduct your open water dives first and leave the cenote dives for last; that way you´ll have brushed up your buoyancy skills.
And don´t worry! It´s pretty easy diving in cenotes because there´s no current, it´s like an underground swimming pool!

 

[Allison Finch]

I think there are several cavern cenote tours that are fine for novices on rec gear. I would hope that if you decide to do this you will spend some pool time to make sure you brush up on some skills, such as;

Maintain a good horizontal position. This is not the place for vertical position and bicycle pedal kicking.

Learn to trim your weights (freshwater, remember?) and master buoyancy skills.

Master the true frog kick. NO ONE will be happy if you stir up the silt. Cenotes have sandy silt, so it's not too bad. BUT, the divers are there for that "gin-clear" vis experience.

Find a good guide and enjoy. Practice some skills before you go.