kristenbriggs
New
We hired Dennis Weeks of Diablo Divers to be our guide. He was recommended on the Scuba Board and now we can also highly recommend Dennis for your next cenote diving adventure. He ensured that we had a terrific and safe adventure. In addition to providing transport to and from our hotel and guiding us through four excellent cenote dives, he toured us around Tulum, loaned us shortys for diving in Cozumel (we're dry suit divers), took us to Cozumel (where he was an excellent dive buddy for our 14-year-old son), provided DVD viewing for said son, and kept all of our gear overnight.
Taj Mahal Cenote, Yucatan
We dove three cenotes last weekend; Ill describe one. We hired Dennis Weeks (http://diablodivers.com/), a certified cave diver, cavern diving instructor, and transplant from Alberta, to be our guide. He provided transportation, tanks, and weights (full gear rental was available). We pulled off the highway at a painted cinder block sign that anchored a rope gate, then slowly negotiated a 2-mile long, rough road hacked out of the jungle by a construction company trying to find a good quarry site; this fortunately passes by the cenote. The road was a fine, white gravel with frequent limestone outcroppings that rocked the truck like the wake of a passing cruiser. In places the road was covered with upright leaves that fluttered aloft as we approached revealing yellow topsides to the wings of a huge population of butterflies. Where three large tables had been built we stopped and jumped down from the air-conditioned cab. Water from the hot, humid air condensed on our cool skin and fogged our sunglasses. The forest rang with the whistles, squawks, and cackles of birds. The mosquitoes were small and slow but they overwhelmed you with numbers. We didnt put insect repellent on before the dive, to avoid contaminating the water. We walked over to the cenote and down the steep, stone steps to the wooden dive platform. Dennis pointed out how the cenote had been carved by acidic rainwater dissolving the limestone to form huge caverns connected by underground rivers that flow, almost imperceptibly, to the sea. Caverns that expanded toward the surface eventually collapsed in the center, often forming an island or an isthmus that stretched from one edge of the hole to beneath the center of the dome. These natural wells, or cenotes, were the only sources of fresh water for the Mayans, who believe the gods use them as a portal to ascend from the world below.
We geared-up at the tables, sweating so profusely that drops sprayed with each turn of the head. We trudged back down to the platform, slapped on fins and mask, and took a giant stride into cool, fresh water. The sounds of each splash echoed around the chamber as waves of yellow light flickered off the walls. Dennis reviewed the plan then we dropped into 10 feet of water, belly-down and using the frog-kick to avoid stirring the bottom. I couldnt see any difference in visibility caused by the water. There were no suspended particles or haze. The only sign of life was a small, black catfish meandering along the white, sandy bottom that was littered with twigs and leaves.
We turned on our lights and followed Dennis toward the base of the cavern wall. I saw that the floor of the cavern was really the top of a large rubble pile from the cave-in that created the cenote. We glided down the slope and off into the unlit, main chamber of the cavern. Yellow nylon rope was permanently strung taught between rock features to mark the direct routes. Dennis led us along one route toward a neighboring cenote. Pointing to the side, our lights revealed dark caves that stretched off hundreds feet into the darkness; some had large, black-and-white signs with the image of the grim reaper. We came to a wall that blocked our way. The cavern here looked like car-sized blobs of meringue, cream colored except for a rusty glaze that covered the top sides of reticulations that repeated their shape at ever decreasing size. As we floated up and over the wall I realized that such delicate structures could never be walked on. We dropped back down and soon saw columns of light about 40 feet above and beyond where we were. We covered our lights for a moment. We were looking up into another cenote that had a few 1-foot diameter holes in its roof; they let in light beams that reversed their angle when they entered the water. We passed through more caverns. Some appeared to be made of white wax that had melted and then hardened in place, with floor-to-ceiling columns from as thin as spaghetti to 6 feet in diameter. Most of the columns rose only part way to the ceiling; the ceiling itself held clusters of great, pointed icicles.
We rose up and surfaced in a cenote that was open at the top, with an ancient rope hanging down for an emergency exit. Three Mott-Mott birds flew in and eyed us from their perches on the wall. They were large with a long, extraordinary tail that has no feather in the third quarter of its length. They were blue, with a yellow breast. The Mayans believe the gods gave them the Mott-Mott to lead them to cenotes. We dropped down and entered the next cavern. Descending through the cavern, my vision was suddenly obscured by Schleiren patterns in the water, like when hot and cold water mix. I remembered Dennis had said we may hit haloclines (it was actually warmer in the lower layer). I moved to the side, to swim through undisturbed water, which remained crystal clear. I noticed that light at a shallow angle reflected off the halocline, so it appeared to be a rippling mirror overhead. I rose through it (the boundary appeared to be 6 inches thick) and I saw that the mirror effect occurred when above the halocline, too. Suddenly, I saw lights flash from the ceiling but when I looked there was no one there. Then I realized we had another mirror above us, caused by bubbles that had been trapped on the ceiling; they coalesced like mercury and reflected our lights. We emerged from the hall of mirrors and rose into the green and golden light of our entry point.
Dive time: 57 min.
Visibility: >200 ft.
Max depth: 46 ft.
Water temp: 75 F
Taj Mahal Cenote, Yucatan
We dove three cenotes last weekend; Ill describe one. We hired Dennis Weeks (http://diablodivers.com/), a certified cave diver, cavern diving instructor, and transplant from Alberta, to be our guide. He provided transportation, tanks, and weights (full gear rental was available). We pulled off the highway at a painted cinder block sign that anchored a rope gate, then slowly negotiated a 2-mile long, rough road hacked out of the jungle by a construction company trying to find a good quarry site; this fortunately passes by the cenote. The road was a fine, white gravel with frequent limestone outcroppings that rocked the truck like the wake of a passing cruiser. In places the road was covered with upright leaves that fluttered aloft as we approached revealing yellow topsides to the wings of a huge population of butterflies. Where three large tables had been built we stopped and jumped down from the air-conditioned cab. Water from the hot, humid air condensed on our cool skin and fogged our sunglasses. The forest rang with the whistles, squawks, and cackles of birds. The mosquitoes were small and slow but they overwhelmed you with numbers. We didnt put insect repellent on before the dive, to avoid contaminating the water. We walked over to the cenote and down the steep, stone steps to the wooden dive platform. Dennis pointed out how the cenote had been carved by acidic rainwater dissolving the limestone to form huge caverns connected by underground rivers that flow, almost imperceptibly, to the sea. Caverns that expanded toward the surface eventually collapsed in the center, often forming an island or an isthmus that stretched from one edge of the hole to beneath the center of the dome. These natural wells, or cenotes, were the only sources of fresh water for the Mayans, who believe the gods use them as a portal to ascend from the world below.
We geared-up at the tables, sweating so profusely that drops sprayed with each turn of the head. We trudged back down to the platform, slapped on fins and mask, and took a giant stride into cool, fresh water. The sounds of each splash echoed around the chamber as waves of yellow light flickered off the walls. Dennis reviewed the plan then we dropped into 10 feet of water, belly-down and using the frog-kick to avoid stirring the bottom. I couldnt see any difference in visibility caused by the water. There were no suspended particles or haze. The only sign of life was a small, black catfish meandering along the white, sandy bottom that was littered with twigs and leaves.
We turned on our lights and followed Dennis toward the base of the cavern wall. I saw that the floor of the cavern was really the top of a large rubble pile from the cave-in that created the cenote. We glided down the slope and off into the unlit, main chamber of the cavern. Yellow nylon rope was permanently strung taught between rock features to mark the direct routes. Dennis led us along one route toward a neighboring cenote. Pointing to the side, our lights revealed dark caves that stretched off hundreds feet into the darkness; some had large, black-and-white signs with the image of the grim reaper. We came to a wall that blocked our way. The cavern here looked like car-sized blobs of meringue, cream colored except for a rusty glaze that covered the top sides of reticulations that repeated their shape at ever decreasing size. As we floated up and over the wall I realized that such delicate structures could never be walked on. We dropped back down and soon saw columns of light about 40 feet above and beyond where we were. We covered our lights for a moment. We were looking up into another cenote that had a few 1-foot diameter holes in its roof; they let in light beams that reversed their angle when they entered the water. We passed through more caverns. Some appeared to be made of white wax that had melted and then hardened in place, with floor-to-ceiling columns from as thin as spaghetti to 6 feet in diameter. Most of the columns rose only part way to the ceiling; the ceiling itself held clusters of great, pointed icicles.
We rose up and surfaced in a cenote that was open at the top, with an ancient rope hanging down for an emergency exit. Three Mott-Mott birds flew in and eyed us from their perches on the wall. They were large with a long, extraordinary tail that has no feather in the third quarter of its length. They were blue, with a yellow breast. The Mayans believe the gods gave them the Mott-Mott to lead them to cenotes. We dropped down and entered the next cavern. Descending through the cavern, my vision was suddenly obscured by Schleiren patterns in the water, like when hot and cold water mix. I remembered Dennis had said we may hit haloclines (it was actually warmer in the lower layer). I moved to the side, to swim through undisturbed water, which remained crystal clear. I noticed that light at a shallow angle reflected off the halocline, so it appeared to be a rippling mirror overhead. I rose through it (the boundary appeared to be 6 inches thick) and I saw that the mirror effect occurred when above the halocline, too. Suddenly, I saw lights flash from the ceiling but when I looked there was no one there. Then I realized we had another mirror above us, caused by bubbles that had been trapped on the ceiling; they coalesced like mercury and reflected our lights. We emerged from the hall of mirrors and rose into the green and golden light of our entry point.
Dive time: 57 min.
Visibility: >200 ft.
Max depth: 46 ft.
Water temp: 75 F
