Question Requirements to dive without a local guide in Cenotes

[Underwater Tourist]

Hi @mxdiver25 , speaking about the CAVES, there are very few cenotes where a local guide is required, no matter your certification; in other words, you could be the top instructor trainer of a recognized agency -> you would still need a guide. Carwash is one of them.

Just want to mention that it is not correct about Carwash. I did 3 solo dives there on my latest trip, showed CREER card, and nobody asked anything else

 

[ginti]

Just want to mention that it is not correct about Carwash. I did 3 solo dives there on my latest trip, showed CREER card, and nobody asked anything else

Weird, I was there last week and I went with a guide... I didn't try to go without, but everyone around kept saying there was a need for one. Anyway, I didn't pay, so not a big deal, but I wonder whether it depends on who is at the cenote, or if they were less strict in the past and now they enforce the rule much more... Don't really know

 

[halocline]

Some of the cenotes do require guides, others don’t. But in order to dive in any cenote without a guide, you would need to be cavern certified and carry the appropriate gear. That’s just for the cavern lines, or course any cave line is for cave trained divers only, with or without a guide.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Please don’t, we don’t need more caves closed and “dive guide only” because someone died in them and disrupted the swimmer/snorkeler business stream. Get cave trained, DM is about guiding other people in open water, not caves. It’s pretty easy to get disoriented in a cenote. Car wash (Aktun Ha) has a place called “Luke’s hope” - that’s where supposedly an open water diver surfaced after getting lost on a cavern tour and to everyone surprise didn’t die but somehow managed to swim through the cave to a different exit.

Some popular cenote in this thread are guide only. I heard that some people might get in by tagging along a guide from a dive shop who knows them and then dive with their own team, if they are cave trained and don’t look like muppets. Not that I would ever do that since I literally look like a muppet.

 

[tursiops]

Thanks! I understand that it is probably a good idea to become cave certified before venturing without a local DM. However, from what I understand even if I am a full cave diver and I know a given cenote like the back of my hand, I still need to pay for a local DM every time I want to go to a given cenote? The thing that troubles me is having to pay for a guide every time I want to dive on a cenote, it would be way cheaper if I bring my own gear and do it on my own.

You can save even more money -- and be much safer -- if you don't scuba dive at all, anywhere.

 

[mxdiver25]

Please don’t, we don’t need more caves closed and “dive guide only” because someone died in them and disrupted the swimmer/snorkeler business stream. Get cave trained, DM is about guiding other people in open water, not caves. It’s pretty easy to get disoriented in a cenote. Car wash (Aktun Ha) has a place called “Luke’s hope” - that’s where supposedly an open water diver surfaced after getting lost on a cavern tour and to everyone surprise didn’t die but somehow managed to swim through the cave to a different exit.

Some popular cenote in this thread are guide only. I heard that some people might get in by tagging along a guide from a dive shop who knows them and then dive with their own team, if they are cave trained and don’t look like muppets. Not that I would ever do that since I literally look like a muppet.

I am not planning to dive with my current training. I was just asking what training/experience level should I have to be able to dive with my buddies and not have to pay for a local guide. Thanks!

 

[34109411]

I am not planning to dive with my current training. I was just asking what training/experience level should I have to be able to dive with my buddies and not have to pay for a local guide. Thanks!

full cave for everyone. Still unless your name is Mike Young or Robbie Schimtter the argument not to pay for a local dive guide is not a valid point, it could cost you your life.

Be safe

 

[Underwater Tourist]

[...] unless your name is Mike Young or Robbie Schimtter the argument not to pay for a local dive guide is not a valid point, it could cost you your life.

that is just wrong on so many levels

 

[34109411]

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that is just wrong on so many levels

We'll go, encourage them to go along on a single tank without proper training. i will not add anymore comments on the subject.

Be safe

 

[Underwater Tourist]

We'll go, encourage them to go along on a single tank without proper training. i will not add anymore comments on the subject.

Not sure what single tank diving and no training has to do with OPs questions?

Every message OP sent is 100% clear that he is asking about the right way to do the dives he likes with this buddies.
And now we are saying that he should not dive in a CAVERN without a guide even if he completes full cave?

@mxdiver25 get full cave like @ginti recommended and you can dive every cavern you like for hours and have a humangous safety margin with two tanks