Caves are very different. Some are dark, even black; some are startling white, and some are tan or gold. Caves in Florida are often a deep gold decorated with black goethite. Some caves have tiny, delicate decorations and some have massive pillars and walls of flowstone. Some open into huge rooms and halls, like the NoHoch main line. Others form tall hallways, like Jailhouse or the Southwest Sacbe passage in Naharon. Some form intimate pipelines like the one in the video. Some have pots in them, and some have bones, and some have the evidence of old firepits.
Some are highly decorated, and others are more impressive for huge chunks of limestone. Some have multiple openings to the surface, which can create amazing light effects. We did one dive this last trip where I think we went through four cenotes, each with its inhabitants, including two big tarpon. Ponderosa's open water has lovely dark eels, as well as cichlids which are fun to watch in their territorial displays. In Carwash, the tetras will nibble on your fingers as you debrief the dive.
In the caves, there are pure white blind cave fish. They aren't common, but I have seen a few. There are also shrimp and amphipods, also white or colorless. But most people don't dive the caves for the life forms.
We dive them for the beauty; for the water, which is as clear as air; for the sensation of flying. We dive them for the planning and the teamwork and the joy of using technique skills we've worked hard to gain. We dive them for the mystery and the fun of answering the question, "Where does that go?" We dive them for the pleasure of being somewhere very few people have ever seen -- sometimes, if we're lucky, being somewhere NO ONE else has ever seen.
The caves are amazing and addictive, and each system has its character.
