Questions re: Cenotes near Merida, Mexico

[sytech]

I obtained my NACD Cavern Cert. through a dive center in Cozumel and we did most of our dives south of Playa del Carmen.

I have heard from many people that there are lots of cenotes near Merida and was wondering if anyone had had any experience there and if so, what was it like.

I would consider taking the Intro. to Cave Diving Course also. The advantage to going to the Mayan Riviera is that you have all those cenotes there plus you can do normal ocean diving also whereas I don't think there is any good ocean diving near Merida.

Would like to hear from anyone about this.


Thanks,

Sy

 

[karstdvr]

Many of the cenotes in this area are very deep. You may want to do you intro at the Akumal/Playa area

 

[sytech]

Many of the cenotes in this area are very deep. You may want to do you intro at the Akumal/Playa area

The idea of taking the "Intro. to Cave Diving" is secondary to exploring the area. Is there more that you can add?

Thanks

 

[Diver Lori]

Go here Mapchick.com home page and order one of the maps of the area.

 

[cavew0man]

There are a lot of cenotes around there, it's near the rim of the Chicxulub impact crater that theoretically wiped out the dinosaurs, and there's a high concentration of cenotes all along that rim.

We don't commonly go over there from Playa to dive, and I suspect that there's more cave than cavern, but I have heard that there are some that you have to get the locals to lower and raise you and your stuff in and out with a rope. Sounds adventurous.

Merida itself is a bit inland, the closest ocean destinations are Progreso and Celestun. I was in Celestun a few weeks ago, and it's a great little town, but seems to be more about fishing than diving. You're on the Gulf there. (Progreso too).

I would suggest you contact some of the local dive ops to see if they have any detailed information about the cenotes and availability of cavern diving over that way, like ProTec, Aquanauts, Zero Gravity and such.

That being said, Merida is a fantastic city to visit for a few days, even if you're not diving! Bus service to there is excellent, and so is the toll highway if you want to drive. If you do go, try and be there on a Sunday for the festivities in the central square, it's excellent people watching.

 

[sytech]

Hi,

Thanks for your very comprehensive answers. It helps explain a lot.

S.

There are a lot of cenotes around there, it's near the rim of the Chicxulub impact crater that theoretically wiped out the dinosaurs, and there's a high concentration of cenotes all along that rim.

We don't commonly go over there from Playa to dive, and I suspect that there's more cave than cavern, but I have heard that there are some that you have to get the locals to lower and raise you and your stuff in and out with a rope. Sounds adventurous.

Merida itself is a bit inland, the closest ocean destinations are Progreso and Celestun. I was in Celestun a few weeks ago, and it's a great little town, but seems to be more about fishing than diving. You're on the Gulf there. (Progreso too).

I would suggest you contact some of the local dive ops to see if they have any detailed information about the cenotes and availability of cavern diving over that way, like ProTec, Aquanauts, Zero Gravity and such.

That being said, Merida is a fantastic city to visit for a few days, even if you're not diving! Bus service to there is excellent, and so is the toll highway if you want to drive. If you do go, try and be there on a Sunday for the festivities in the central square, it's excellent people watching.

 

[cavew0man]

You're welcome... and I would highly recommend your idea of continuing on to Cave. They just get more and more fantastic the deeper in you go. Plus it opens up a lot more sites for you. You could spend years worth of holidays diving cave right around Playa/Tulum, and not see it all!

 

[cave heaven]

As a certified cavern diver wishing to gain experience at his level of training, there is no better place than the Puerto Aventuras - Tulum corridor. We have taken divers on guided cavern dives to four different caverns in one day. The caverns can be spectacularly decorated, have a halocline, connect to other cenotes - all in cristal clear, 77F water ... difficult to beat.

We believe it is also an incredibly challenging cave training location - a low-to-no flow system of complex caves, which will put your essential diving skills to the test and make you a better and safer diver overall, whichever level you choose to reach. Your buoyancy, trim, propulsion techniques and multitasking skills will be raised to another level and complex navigation is a core element of the cave diving courses.

Whatever type of diver you wish to be, an experienced cavern diver who tries to continually improve will be able to enjoy his diving much more, being a confident and competent diver.

We wish you well in your future diving, dive safely