Cenotes - any problem with fresh water? Infection?

[mantadive]

Hello divers,
we want to go to Mexico, I heard something strange from a person now, who was already there: he said, that it is warned to dive in that Cenotes there, because someone could catch an infection / desease from the fresh water - is someting true on it? thanks.

 

[Peter Guy]

I suppose it is possible to get something from the water -- whether fresh or salt or somewhere in between. I typically get "Revenge" for a day on my trips -- don't know if it is from the Cenote water, restaurent salads or just "the air." Some things you just have to accept.

BTW, have been in Egypt a couple of times and just about everyone got "Tourista" -- bugs are everywhere.

 

[TSandM]

I wouldn't drink it . . . There are a couple of cenotes where people who are susceptible to external ear infections tend to have trouble (Carwash, one of the common cavern tour sites, is one of them). But a great many people do the tours without any problems.

Are you thinking of the amoebic parasite that shows up in one or two cases each year in Florida? I haven't heard of that from Mexico, but I suppose it's theoretically possible.

 

[driftwood]

There aren't any surface rivers in the Yucatan. The entire penensula lies over a huge limestone aquifer. There are a lot of people living on top of it and some of their waste will migrate into the saturated zone. In most locations the concentrations are so small that it isn't much of a hazard. The areas I would be more concerned about are cenotes close and "downstream" for urban areas. Tulum and to a much lesser extent Valadolid come to mind. In addition, some cenotes are just nasty to begin with like the one at Chichen Itza.

 

[mantadive]

Thanks for the answers so far! That ear infection problem isnt a big problem, I think, I have been to Maldives and the same risk was there, if you got "diver ear drops" you were fine (ok, if you got that ear infection it can be awful pain).
I thought the infection warning I heard concerning Mexico could come from "amoebic parasite", you told. A friend (non diver) was just in Mexico, and he told that in that Playa del Carmen area there, it was warned to go into fresh water like in the cenotes or rivers because of that danger, and even weeks after the holiday that illness could break out. But I didnt find anything on the internet - but if its that amoebic parasite infection how big is the risk and how can you prevent yourself from being infected? Any medicine on it? Tanks! (Besides that any other health specialties you have to take care of it?)

 

[cudachaser]

Some ceynotes are infested with bats...my wife swears she got an ear infection from bat crap

 

[TSandM]

The wikipedia article on the organism isn't bad: Naegleria fowleri - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm not aware of any cases being reported from cenote diving, but of course, I don't hear about everything that happens in the Mexican medical world. Infection by this organism is relatively rare, even in the US, where such infections ARE reported. I certainly wouldn't let it keep you from the cenote dives.

 

[mantadive]

Hi TSandM, I thing its very likely that the "warning" I heard is about that "Naegleria fowleri" you describe. Thank you aswell for your relativization, that (if I understood correctly) - it is very unlikely to get sick from it, so you would rather go diving in the cenotes then not because of Naegleria. Yes, I think so too.
Since 1995 just 23 people died in the US (written on the internet).

Hi driftwood, if we will be in playa del carmen, are there some cenotes in that area which are affected of waste?

Hi cudachaser, did you wife take some diver ear drops for prevention ahead?

 

[driftwood]

Most of the cenotes frequented by divers are well south of PDC. The areas around Akumal and Tulum have the highest concentration of cenotes that divers are interested in. I would dive any of them if I didn't have an open wound.

Since you are staying in PDC, be sure to try both HC Monterery and El Fogon for lunch or dinner. Easy to find since they are across the street from the Mega and next door to each other. The arracherra (beef skirt marinated in citrus) is almost worth the trip to Mexico. Your mouth will love you.

 

[mantadive]

Hi drift,
thanks for the gourmand-tips - we will partcipate from that ;-)

How many times have you been there?