Just me or is Scuba Diving Mag Flat Wrong!

[Peter Guy]

I just received the Dec, 2008 issue and was happy to see a "Top 10 Dives of the Riviera Maya" on the cover. I quickly went to the article and was shocked at what I found:

Ten sites were rated and some were given 5 stars which means "Don't even think about going home until after this dive"

Here are the three 5 star dives:

Gran Cenote

Car Wash

Dos Ojos

Here are a few of the comments:

"Giant stride off the large platform and you enter the shady, cool world of the cenote, beneath the lily pads and into an ethereal underwater ballroom, which leads to endless passageways and chambers.(emphasis mine)"

"Seeing this sight after reemerging from the stalactite-and stalagmite-riddled cavern is an experience unlike any other in Yucatan diving."

"Chac Mool has a nice, large entrance, which leads to fascinating chambers with interesting stalactite and stalagmite formations."(emphasis mine)

All 5 cenote dives have a "RECOMMENDED MINIMUM SKILL LEVEL: Beginner"

No where in the article does it "suggest" one NOT do these dives unless you have training for the overhead environment nor is there any statement that you CAN'T do them unless you are with a qualified guide.

Is it just me or is this incredibly stupid writing encouraging people to dive where they shouldn't.

 

[Daz]

It's not just you.

 

[TSandM]

Beginner?

At the very least, the cenotes deserve a diver with enough experience to have solid buoyancy control. It is my personal opinion that one should not dive beneath a solid overhead until one has had a couple of diving mishaps, and has some idea of whether panic is close by, or far away.

I absolutely and utterly love cave diving, and my passion for it was ignited by videos of the Mexican caves. But they are fragile environments that deserve respect, and ANY overhead environment is a bad place for someone for whom just diving is still something that requires all of their effort and concentration.

When I did my first cavern tours, I had about 400 dives.

 

[deco_martini]

I've been to Dos Ojos. There were people on inner tubes above me most of the time.

 

[S. starfish]

I cringe every time I think of beginning divers in the caverns. More so because I'm worried about the cave formations being mashed than anything else.

 

[cavew0man]

Exceedingly irresponsible reporting.

I am taking a friend to both Gran and Carwash this morning, who has just finished his cavern course. Neither is appropriate for a beginner. A few weeks ago, I saw a cave diver literally chase (screaming and yelling at the surface) a pair of obviously non-cave-trained divers out of the cave section of Chac Mool. And every day, the hotels and shops send divers out on guided tours with no more than six or eight dives. Dos Ojos is so banged up it's a shame.

The practice of providing guided tours brings out some pretty strong opinions, it appears most against it. For me, the tours were what sparked my current addiction, got me cave trained, and was part of my decision to move to the area. And I see the same gleam in the eyes of some first-time tour customers when they come out, and know that some of them, anyhow, will go on to become trained and keep the sport going.

The author has done a grave disservice if there is no safety information at all in the article, probably worth a letter(s) to the editor.

 

[cavew0man]

I've been to Dos Ojos. There were people on inner tubes above me most of the time.

They must have been pretty good at holding their breath.

 

[Tigerman]

The cenotes is not neccesarilly advanced dives and there is no problem doing a CESA unless youre completely out of your mind. Infact, I think its pretty hard to get into a state where you head for rocks instead of the clearly visible surface and I think theres no big issue for a "beginner" diver to dive there. That of course being given they have decent bouyancy control, but thats an enviromental concern more than anything..

There is however cave parts of the cenotes and those do of course require more of a diver.

 

[cavew0man]

The cenotes is not neccesarilly advanced dives and there is no problem doing a CESA unless youre completely out of your mind. Infact, I think its pretty hard to get into a state where you head for rocks instead of the clearly visible surface and I think theres no big issue for a "beginner" diver to dive there. That of course being given they have decent bouyancy control, but thats an enviromental concern more than anything..

There is however cave parts of the cenotes and those do of course require more of a diver.

Please don't dismiss the environmental concern as an afterthought. Every bit of damage done in there is permanent.

 

[Tigerman]

Please don't dismiss the environmental concern as an afterthought. Every bit of damage done in there is permanent.

It very much is and id probably be wanting to make sure a diver who broke off anything never to get out of there..