Lessons Minor Cenote Incident - Lessons to be Learned

[Lorenzoid]

I'm sure the guided cenote cavern dives have gotten safer since they instituted those diving guidelines that you see on the signs. (This sticky post by our dear departed TS&M is seared in my memory.) Still, while the guidelines may cover some basic techniques and parameters, they can't easily address whether a diver has the right ... let's call it attitude: awareness, seriousness, calmness, etc.

My first cenote cavern dive was before the guidelines, though I think I recall my guide having full cave gear. I don't recall what our briefing covered. Then, we descended. The first thing my guide did as we descended was signal "out of air." I was 99.99 percent certain he was testing me, and I (calmly?) donated a regulator to him. He then signaled we should "share air"--as in, that technique some of us learned where two divers pass a reg back and forth between them. We did that for maybe a minute, and then he signaled "okay" and, after getting our regs squared away, we proceeded into the cavern.

 

[Lanny]

It sounds like both your guide and the guide of the diver who had the incident took divers off the line into the air dome, which is against the rules and puts divers in danger. This sort of behaviour is not unusual, and the local line and safety committee have published very specific guidance on how guided cenote dives should be conducted, including the most important rule of "don't swim off the line". The manual is available for all to read here: CREER Cenote Guide Manual It includes some accident analysis of where guides got it wrong, including a double fatality at Chac Mool, where the guide took his divers into the cave via a long visual jump.

Guided cenote diving has a pretty good safety record, despite some of the very poor practices that I regularly see when teaching cave classes in the cenotes, and the fatalities that have occurred in the last 10 years or so have all been because the guide did not have a continuous guideline. For cenote tours from my dive centre, I mitigate the risk by only using cave instructors with a lot of experience as guides, reducing ratios to 3 divers per guide (local standard is 4), and making sure that divers go to sites appropriate to their experience level.

 

[Marie13]

Thank you for the link to the guide!

 

[Wants2divemore]

It seems from the introduction of the guide that it is a document of best practices but not a true guideline by a certifying agency. Is there something that signals to the public their guide follows theses guidelines?

 

[Lorenzoid]

It seems from the introduction of the guide that it is a document of best practices but not a true guideline by a certifying agency. Is there something that signals to the public their guide follows theses guidelines?

Huh? On page 27 it says "successful candidates will receive a digital recognition card with a registration number that distinguishes the participant's status as a qualified Cenote Dive Guide."

 

[Wants2divemore]

Sorry, I read the guide but must have missed that part. I've never gone looking for a Cenote guide so I haven't seen how they advertise themselves. Now I know to look for that (or ask about it) if I ever need one.

FWIW - I'm not very familiar with the cave diving community in general nor the various agencies in Mexico. I made an incorrect assumption that CREER was not an actual certifying agency but functioned more like an advisory group recommending best practices. I made that assumption from the guide mentioning that "Although not all instructors agree on every point made, this document goes beyond what currently exists by encompassing the ideas and opinions of the cave diving community as a whole" and their website statement not including certification under it's listing of main functions and responsibilities. It seems I was wrong.

 

[livewire]

It sounds like both your guide and the guide of the diver who had the incident took divers off the line into the air dome, which is against the rules and puts divers in danger. This sort of behaviour is not unusual,

You're 100% correct, visiting that air dome is absolutely not unusual, and certainly not that day or other days. We were one of at least 4-5 groups at Chac Mool that day, and I definitely overheard others from different groups talking about the air dome and briefing on visiting the air dome, and obviously I saw the other group entering the air dome. That's also not my first trip to Chac Mool and I've been taken to that air dome in the past also.

You would obviously know these Cenote's better than I would, but in our guide's defense, while yes, the air dome is a detour off the line, it seems to be a short one, and I never felt like we were put in danger in any way. Our group was small--guide plus two participants--and while I don't know if our guide was cave instructor (he was at least full cave certified) I can say he was a capable leader with lots of care for his two clients, whom I'd like to think were attentive, respectful participants. We followed his lead unfailingly and per his very clear instructions followed him both in and out of the air dome, and moments after we left we were right back on the line. It was only a few moments after this of course when we bumped into our new lost friend that started this story.

 

[Doc Harry]

Guided cavern trips are "trust me" dives.

I am philosophically opposed to "trust me" dives.

Full cave cert, 2009

 

[Lanny]

It seems from the introduction of the guide that it is a document of best practices but not a true guideline by a certifying agency. Is there something that signals to the public their guide follows theses guidelines?

Now that there are large numbers of guides signing up to follow the rules in the manual, there is a plan to introduce a logo/badge that shows who will be following the rules. We have just kicked off the process to elect a new line and safety committee for 2024-2026, so this will be something for the new team to take forward. When introduced, there will be announcements here and in the scuba press.

 

[FishWatcher747]

It sounds like both your guide and the guide of the diver who had the incident took divers off the line into the air dome, which is against the rules and puts divers in danger.

would this apply to visiting the bat cave in Dos Ojos? After all the dive itself is called "Bat Cave" and was the reason I chose it over the alternative cavern line in Dos Ojos when I did it 3 years ago.