The Pit Project In Mexico

[boomx5]

I just got off the phone with AG down in Mexico and it looks like they just wrapped up their dives on the Pit Project. Hopefully Don can jump in here and add a few thoughts of how things went. I'll update the thread once the trip report is finished. Here's a few Video Blogs on the project.

YouTube - Video Blog: UTD Cave Project - "The Pit" - November 2009

YouTube - Video Blog: UTD Cave Project - "The Pit" - November 2009 - Part 2

YouTube - Video Blog: UTD Cave Project - "The Pit" - November 2009 - Wrapup

 

[Bob-B]

Great Videos

Glad to see that "the Pit" is being explored. I did a cavern dive there last October and will try to get back again in February. Just an amazing place to try and get to, and to dive.

 

[ae3753]

Thanks to the dedication of everyone involved, we had a successful project at The Pit.

We had a multinational team of divers from Russia, Spain, Brazil, Italy, US, and Mexico. And for many of us, it was our first time meeting and diving together. Fortunately,the standardization that we practice really allowed everyone to quickly and effectively work together.

I was really impressed that everyone volunteered their time and vacation to help with this effort. I couldn't and didn't match the intensity of my fellow project mates. For example, Sergi, after a long last day, fell asleep in his undergarment and boots.

There are other ScubaBoard members who were there, and hopefully they'll add some color commentary as well. I'm just glad that it was in November, when the mosquitoes are less abundant (but still thirsty).

 

[boomx5]

Thanks for jumping in Don. How many people were involved in making the project happen?

 

[ae3753]

Great Videos

Glad to see that "the Pit" is being explored. I did a cavern dive there last October and will try to get back again in February. Just an amazing place to try and get to, and to dive.

Glad that you were able to cavern dive The Pit!

Definitely an amazing place, and with road getting slowly better, there will be more opportunities for people to dive it. But for now, unless you have serious 4x4 off-road capable truck, that last road is strictly for walking.

One of the goals of the project was to create a 3D map of the cave portion of The Pit. This should help conservation and improve safety for those diving this unique cave.

 

[ae3753]

How many people were involved in making the project happen?

12-14 people were involved with making this happen. Some people took time to help haul tanks up and out of the cenote, others spent their nights at the cenote to insure that all the equipment was safe, and others dedicated their time setting up and support diving. Oh, and then there were the push divers.

Fortunately, the main team used MC250's on their dives. This definitely simplified logistics and the amount of equipment we needed to bring into the jungle and cave. Personally, the least amount of gear the better - better to protect the cave.