Cenote-ing?

[divingjd]

There are several good comments here. I would concur that you should think twice, or maybe three or four times, before trying a cenote tour if you are at all claustrophobic. I have only done the Dos Ojos system, and there are definitely some tight spots on both lines. I understand some of the other cenotes are more open. You may be able to discuss this with the dive op and find a good place to try it. I had a good experience with Yucatek out of Playa del Carmen and would not hesitate to recommend them.

 

[Scuba Brian]

A cenote that is quite wide open is chac-mool. You still have an overhead enviornment, but the route is more spacious. The main cenotes worth a definite trip are Dos-ojos, chac-mool, carwash, and taj-mahal. I also have dove with Leif and he is an excellent guide. The lunch at La taberna in Playa Del Carmen is awsome.

 

[Skinsfan1311]

. I also have dove with Leif and he is an excellent guide. The lunch at La taberna in Playa Del Carmen is awsome.

Yeah Man! The food was outstanding and the beers, (Dos Equis dark), were great!

 

[MerMare]

Wow, thanks to everyone for the input! I really appreciated hearing from people who have actually done it and all the advice was great. Yep, gonna talk to the guide. Yep, gonna think twice about testing my limits in a cavern. Yep, being a little claustrophic could be problematic in long, dark swimthroughs. Yep, still want to do it!

We're definitely going to check out the cenotes for at least one day and my husband will probably do the cavern dive. I may just snorkel if it sounds like it's beyond my comfort zone. Already looked up chac-mool and some of the pics are amazing.

PS - Keep posting! I'd still love to hear more....

 

[MGW1979]

I did it through the dive shop at the resort I was staying at (Bahia Principe) and it was a great dive. I did it with a bunch of family members who were quite new to diving and no one had any problems. Water is crystal clear and you can usually see light between one cavern and the next.

 

[split0101]

A cenote that is quite wide open is chac-mool. You still have an overhead enviornment, but the route is more spacious. The main cenotes worth a definite trip are Dos-ojos, chac-mool, carwash, and taj-mahal. I also have dove with Leif and he is an excellent guide. The lunch at La taberna in Playa Del Carmen is awsome.

I agree chac-mool is a good one. There was one or two swim throughs that were a little tight but a majority of it was wide open. I wish I could have taken some cool pictures in there.

 

[Scuba Brian]

Oh, i also forgot to mention you will all have a light issued to you when you dive the cenote. You will also want to dive with a full wetsuit and not a shorty, the water temp is 77f. Also max depth 42' in chac-mool ans 47' in Dos-Ojos. The other experience you will get is the Halocline where salt water and fresh water mix. It is a creamy mix of water that makes what you see blurry.

 

[dbulmer]

For those of you who went with Leif, did he play chicken?

 

[dlndavid]

I went with Leif, but don't remember anything about playing chicken.

P2112062 = me

my cenote pics

 

[manumates]

Probably Dos Ojos is the best cenote to go to. The spaces are quite big and in a sunny day you can see always the way out, because there is a lot of light coming in. I would recomend it a lot. It is a very different dive. It's fresh water, no waves, there is a bit of current but you can not feel it. It is like diving in a huge swimming pool with lots of rocks inside.