Cenotes

[TSandM]

Well, I've made reservations for me and Peter and a group of our friend to go to Cozumel in March. We're looking forward to some great ocean diving, but three of us would also like to do a cavern course while we're there. HBDiveGirl and Kevrumbo did that earlier this year, and did it on the island. That was what we were planning to do, but I've had someone raise some concerns about the safety of diving the cenotes on Cozumel proper.

I am quite aware that the caverns on the mainland are larger and more open -- more what one would envision when thinking of a cavern. The cenotes on Cozumel, as I understand it, are more confining and much more like cave diving. But is there any significant safety issue regarding them?

We are thinking we would like to stay on the island so we can have breakfasts and dinners with our group, even when we are not diving with them. But perhaps I'm overestimating the time required to go to the mainland?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[akbpilot]

A group that was staying in our hotel last year went on a cenote dive on the mainland. Trip took them a whole day, although I'm not sure how far they had to travel after getting to the mainland (I know which cenote, not sure where it's located, I'll see if I can find out). They were leaving as we were going to a morning dive, they weren't back when we went to dinner @ 7:30 or so. Ferries run back and forth about once an hour. Two different companies run ferries. Takes about 40 minutes for the trip,1/2 hour or so to load/unload and get your bags. These folks rented a car together, but you might be able to arrange transport through the company doing the dive. That may expedite the trip in itself. None of the individuals doing this cenote were more then o/w-ao/w cert, but all were experienced divers. One guy was first time in cenote, rest had done some before. Don't know about the cenotes on Coz, but don't seem to be a very big draw, or access may be limited, as most people I've talked to go to the mainland. I do know of a few cenotes on the island, but they are quite small, but there may be more I'm not aware of. Christi on this board may have more info she can share.

Found this later http://www.caves.org/project/qrss/cozumel.htm

Two of them I knew about,the rest seem to be on private land

Looks like the cenote they dove last year was probably an hours travel by car

 

[MMM]

I've seen a few references on this board to using a tech diver named German(?) - or maybe that's his nationality?? - for diving the cenotes on Cozumel. It's not a real popular pastime and the ones across on the mainland are more popular. I may try them this time if an op I'm diving with can get organized to go as they need several divers to make it worth the trip. It will be, pretty much, an all day thing as I understand...catch an early ferry over and a late one back. Matt, from Blue Angel, likes to do them if he can organize enough interested divers...and he will arrange land transportation. I think he told me once the cost was about $130 for the day.

 

[JessH]

I havn't done the cenotes on the Island but from what I have heard I would definitely recommend doing the class on the mainland. Not only are there many more caverns there allowing the instructor to chose the best ones to teach in, but much more importantly that is where all of the highly recommended cave instructors are.

If you want to stay on Cozumel the ferry is only about 30 minutes and I believe it will cost you about $15 round trip. You should be able to arrange for whoever you are taking the class with to pick you up in Playa and drop you off there at the end of the day. I would think that you would be able to have breakfast and dinner with your friends in cozumel if that is what you want to do.

I am hoping to do the cavern course in the not too distant future as well.

~Jess

 

[scubasherry]

some info/reading on the Cenote of Cozumel from our dive op of choice.....
http://www.scubatony.com/cave.asp

 

[mudhole]

There is cenote diving on Cozumel with a very small cavern area. . . It is only used by cave certified divers. The popular cenotes on the mainland have large areas of overhangs, where you can always see the exit. After o/w certification, a short lecture, and a limit of 4 divers per guide, you can go under the overhang. The term Cenote refers to the opening to the underground water. There is a good safety rating for the cavern dives around Playa del Carmen. The water visibility is mind boggling. Divers look like they are hanging in air, you cannot "see" the water. The guides must be cave certified, and you can see the big increase in dive gear necessary.

To go past this overhanging environment to a true cave can be done only after long training and changing almost all of your dive equipment to the specialized equipment for cave diving. Everywhere in the world, where divers have gone into caves, there have been deaths.

 

[AmyJ]

Not that you asked... but if you do go over to tha mainland for the Cenotes, I would HIGHLY recommend Dennis at Diablodivers he does a great job and the cenotes are his specialty. You might also ask him about the Coz cenotes... I'm sure he knows...he is here on the board somewhere... diablo dennis or something...

 

[ggunn]

There is cenote diving on Cozumel with a very small cavern area. . . It is only used by cave certified divers. The popular cenotes on the mainland have large areas of overhangs, where you can always see the exit.

FWIW, when we dove Dos Ojos, most of the time we were diving beneath air pockets, but not all the time, and a good deal of the time we could not see the exit.

 

[Christi]

As has been mentioned above, the cenotes in Cozumel are for full cave divers, not cavern divers. The only exception to this is at Chankanaab and even then it's not really a full dive as the cavern zone is extremely limited.

German of Yucatech Divers (not the same Yucatek in Playa del Carmen) is one of the cave diving legends in Cozumel and in the cave diving world. I also highly recommend Dennis Weeks of Diablo Divers on the mainland. ScubaTony is also a cave instructor who I can highly recommend.

 

[boydski]

We are thinking we would like to stay on the island so we can have breakfasts and dinners with our group, even when we are not diving with them. But perhaps I'm overestimating the time required to go to the mainland?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Hi Lynn,

I'll make a third recommendation for Dennis Weeks at Diablo Divers. The Cavern class will take two days (so you'll have to make at least two trips to PDC by ferry or spend one night on the mainland).

If Dennis is busy, I would also recommend Rogelio Ortega-Mier.

I should warn you though, that once you been in the cenotes, you're not going to want to get back in the Ocean!!!

We just returned from the area a few weeks ago and there are Cavern Photos posted on my web site.