Chac Mool Cenote

[ibj40]

That's the sign in Taj Mahal. One of the finest cavern dives you could ever do... IMHO

Dennis

Would that be this one?

 

[MichaelBaranows]

I saw that sign last week.

 

[Bull Gator]

Luft:

Just curous, did you use their gear or did you travel to Mexico with all your gear? What about lights? You stated that you were 8 min or so without ambiant light, what did you use?

Doug

 

[luft]

I brought all of my own gear with me to Mexico. They supplied the tanks of course and my light was a Pelican 8C. I did NOT have a backup light. This was a guided tour and we were not advised to have a backup light or the 2 we really should of had!

 

[halocline]

If it was a guided dive with a reputable guide service, I strongly suspect you were always in the cavern zone, and not in the cave zone. Those guides are not stupid, and they guide there all the time with OW divers in OW gear. I also suspect that when you said "7-8 minutes with no light" you weren't 100% accurate; if your lights all failed I bet you would have been able to swim towards a visible light source.

I'm not trying to get into a discussion of how safe the guided cenote dives are...just saying that the reputable guides don't take non-cave divers into the cave zones.

 

[Belmont]

I am in Tulum presently and have been to Chac Mool, Car Wash, Gran Cenote, Zacil Ha and today to Dos Ojos.

In Dos Ojos I noticed that, for those who are not accompanied by a local guide, they are now asking for a " full cave" C-card like the girl said at the entrance. You have to show it and sign a book with your cert number and training agency.

They are getting fancy. I wonder if this BS is caused by some local jerks who want to force certified divers to hire them.

Anyway, I showed my DAN card and I wrote the value of Pi (3.1416) as my cert number. It so happens that I had not brought my real card that day.

What a Mickey Mouse outfit. They should fix the stairs coming out of the water instead of busting our balls about something that does not concern them.

There are enough Cenotes around and I will certainly bring my money elswhere next time. The guard at Carwash is very happy to take my Pesos before dozing off in his hammok.

Speaking of stairs and ladders, the ones at Gran Cenote take the cake. The owner there should invest in made to code stairs, there is a good 24 inches between the rungs, very nice coming out of the water with twin tanks. If he can own a Cadillac he can spend some $$ for a few 2x4's.

When I return home I will start a thread describing the facilities available at the different Cenotes I have been to.

 

[wedivebc]

LOL! JimC, I think your comment may be lost on it's intended recipient.

Yup, you should never ever ever be in a situation where you are 7 - 8 minutes without any natural light available to you even when you look back. That would be a cave dive, not a cavern dive

Dennis

What reaper sign in Chac Mool is 7-8 minutes past the cavern zone?

 

[ReefHound]

If it was a guided dive with a reputable guide service, I strongly suspect you were always in the cavern zone, and not in the cave zone. Those guides are not stupid, and they guide there all the time with OW divers in OW gear. I also suspect that when you said "7-8 minutes with no light" you weren't 100% accurate; if your lights all failed I bet you would have been able to swim towards a visible light source.

I'm not trying to get into a discussion of how safe the guided cenote dives are...just saying that the reputable guides don't take non-cave divers into the cave zones.

I agree, I've been in about 8 of the cenotes including Chac Mool and Tajma Ha (per the sign, but really is Taj Mahal). All of them have marked routes that guides follow and you are always within sight of light. Now that light may be dim and distant, and some of these cenotes really push the definition of cavern.

I'd be curious what company was used where the guide did not require the divers to have a backup light.

 

[wedivebc]

In Dos Ojos I noticed that, for those who are not accompanied by a local guide, they are now asking for a " full cave" C-card like the girl said at the entrance. You have to show it and sign a book with your cert number and training agency.
Anyway, I showed my DAN card and I wrote the value of Pi (3.1416) as my cert number. It so happens that I had not brought my real card that day.

What a Mickey Mouse outfit. They should fix the stairs coming out of the water instead of busting our balls about something that does not concern them.

You are either kidding or incredibly stupid. Either way I am going to ask to have your post removed. Darwin has a way of dealing with people like you as well which wouldn't be a problem but it screws it up for those of us who actually bother to get training and use the correct gear for these dive.

 

[Belmont]

You are either kidding or incredibly stupid. Either way I am going to ask to have your post removed. Darwin has a way of dealing with people like you as well which wouldn't be a problem but it screws it up for those of us who actually bother to get training and use the correct gear for these dive.

I hope you and those that "thanked you" for your "helpfull post":mooner: read the information in a cave better than you have read my post. You must have flunked speed reading in high school As far as having my post removed I can tell you that some of the ones you have posted in the past are not shining examples of correctness.

Darwin's mention is getting old, be more creative.

I got all the required gear and training to dive at my level, I don't know on what you base your affirmation.

Now if you read my post correctly I stated that the Dos Ojos site is now under the rule of a few of the local guides who want to preserve their business. You don't find this BS anywhere. The fact that someone would die in a Cenote here in Mexico would not change a thing, it would not screw it up for anyone. (Not like in Florida)

Time will tell. Will the place be taken over by the dive shop mafia??