Devils Throat - who's done it? & Cenotes

[Grummpy]

We did Devils throat 2 weeks back for the first time.Using steel 120's from Jeremy and Living Underwater,great dive!!!Like Sue Sue said take a light,enjoy it!

Grummpy

 

[DandyDon]

Take a light?! I'm not going in that cave without two lights and a 19 ft pony. It is not a swim thru. It's a short, tight cave, and if you have a conservative computer, you may well go deco. Better diving outside.

 

[yak]

Take a light?! I'm not going in that cave without two lights and a 19 ft pony. It is not a swim thru. It's a short, tight cave, and if you have a conservative computer, you may well go deco. Better diving outside.

I dove it last year for the first time, so I can't compare it to its pre-Wilma state, but tight is not how I would choose to describe it. Maybe because of the reported clearing of sand that happened during Wilma? I would estimate it to be a 10 foot wide tunnel in most spots. There was a section where we ascended through a vertical chimney that was tight at the very top, but that was an optional ascent.

I didn't use my light at all, as I never felt it necessary. We did it twice, once backwards.

 

[sharky60]

I have been to Devils Throat/Cathedral/Puntu Sur many times....this is a fairly deep dive and restricts your bottom time....I would rather stay a bit more shallow and get longer bottom time just my 2pesos

same here, although you may see the occational black tip or two on the dive, going to 120+' just to swim through a hole isn't that thrilling to me anymore. Especially since the cross formation is gone, now it's just a deep hole.

 

[Sue Sue]

Take a light?! I'm not going in that cave without two lights and a 19 ft pony. It is not a swim thru. It's a short, tight cave, and if you have a conservative computer, you may well go deco. Better diving outside.

Devils Throat is not "tight". In fact, it has more room than some of the true swimthroughs I have visited in Cozumel. The passage is a bit long, and does have a brief period that the exit is not visualized. Also, I do have a conservative computer and avoiding deco is part of the dive plan. There is no lolly gagging through the passage or once you are through. As far as lights, I use a UK C8eLed as well as have my small e-led which is always attached to my BCD. With all of this in mind, this is not a dive that I would vote for on every trip. DH and I went on this last trip a couple of weeks ago, because our two friends had never been there and they wanted to see it. However, we did not visit Devils Throat on our trips in February or June. Once in awhile though it is fine. If I had to choose between Devils Throat or say for instance Paradise...I would take Paradise, hands down. As always, plan the dive, dive the plan. If Devils Throat is not for you, then that's fine too. Sue Sue

 

[hankthecowdog]

Yeah, the last hurricane really did a number on Devil's Throat. It's still very cool, but now it's completely different. I preferred the old Throat, fairly narrow and completely dark for about 10 or 15 feet, unless some dweeb brings a flashlight and ruins it. In the dark you would pull yourself along by your fingertips and then go over the edge and dive nearly vertical and you would see this dark blue circle where down below. It was very unique.

Wilma took alot of the sand away and opened it up, it's never completely dark and there are a few side passages now. The secret is to go near the front, not just to avoid the stirred up wake of those who cant frog kick but if people in front are slow and you have a conservative computer you will end up spending more time deep and go into deco. I usually go in the back cause I feel it's better that I'm deco guy if someone has to be.

Sandro with Deep Blue is the king of the Devil's Throat. He's taken us forward, backward and sideways through the thing, always different.

Cenotes are great, and as someone mentioned Hidden World or Dos Ojos, same place, is commercial but a great first centote. Personally I think a cavern dive is a waste, you can see as much snorkeling, but it is a good way to clean your gear of salt water at the end of the trip. There is a nice cenote on Cozumel that starts at the marina, starts off freezing cold, then gets bathtub hot, but it is no cavern dive....quickly gets dark. You would need a cave cert to do it.

 

[totallyreel]

Well, the weather was pretty bad while we were there Christi with Blue XTSea set us up with a Cenote dive on the hubbys birthday so at least we got to get wet - it was the first day diving so we still had to rinse out our stuff on our last day. We dove Dos Ojos, it was pretty fascinating and I am glad we got to do it, love the bat cave, bats are so cute!

The weather was not permitting on Devils Throat, just another reason to go back to Cozumel.

 

[DandyDon]

I preferred the old Throat, fairly narrow and completely dark for about 10 or 15 feet, unless some dweeb brings a flashlight and ruins it.

I guess that's me...

 

[hankthecowdog]

Don...so your the guy:no Another reason to bring up the rear, if someone lights up in front I could hang back and let it get dark before I go, no problemo.

Hope it fills in agian and is back to it's old self in 20 or 30 years.

Just read the long Devil's throat thread.....another reason I don't pursue my dream job of divemaster. Misread one marginal diver and you have something very nasty keeping you awake nights.

 

[paulw]

Sandro with Deep Blue is the king of the Devil's Throat. He's taken us forward, backward and sideways through the thing, always different.

Kinda off subject but Sandro is a great DM isn't he.