What exactly is cavern diving?
Cavern diving is diving in an overhead environment where there is always a source of light for divers. Cavern diving can be done by open water certified divers who have been diving in the last 6 months, have good buoyancy control, and have a minimum of 20 dives registered in their log books. Each cavern dive is guided by a certified cave diver who has been approved by the local diving agencies. This is a unique diving experience that can only be done in this part of the world. Exploration of the caverns has been conducted since 1982 to ensure that the international rules for cavern diving are ahered to.
What will I see in the caverns?
The caverns are filled with natural limestone formations that are called stalagtites and stalagmites. Over many thousands of years, the rain and water run off in the jungles of the Yucatan naturally formed the formations while the caverns were dry caves and with time filled up with fresh water (and in some cases a mix of both fresh and salt water) that preserves the formations. It is this natural decoration of the caverns that makes this diving so special and unique. To add to the beauty of the formations, the fresh water gives divers the best visibility they have ever experienced making this dive experience the closest to space travel anyone can have.
What is the depth of the cenotes?
Most of the cenotes are shallow having a depth of 10m to 15m. There are two exceptions, Angelita and The Pit which are deep caverns where divers can reach the max depth level of 33m/100 ft. These two dives are more advanced dives and we recommend that you dive with us first so we can asses your skill level and the appropriateness of this dive for you.
Why is good buoyancy important?
The formations are delicate and unlike open water environments, if a diver loses their buoyancy they will rise to the top of the cavern and hit the ceiling of the cavern, creating damage to this delicate environment. The cavern rooms are large but with an overhead environment buoyancy is important for protection of the diver, the environment and silt stirring.
I am scared. I think of caverns as tight spaces. Is this what they are?
Caverns are large rooms and hallways that divers dive through, always with an exit and source of light and there are no restrictions. Restrictions are the small tight spaces that you see in TV or movies. This environment of small spaces is cave diving, a special type of dive that can only be done by certifiec technical cave divers who are skilled and tranined in this type of environment. Caverns are big, they are beautiful and the water visibility amazing!
How many people will I be diving with?
The legal amount of divers for cavern tours is a ratio of 4 to 1, one cave guide for 4 divers. There is not a cave guide in the area that will or attempt to break this safety rule. YOu are guaranteed personal attention when diving in the cenotes as the cave guides do understand that this could be your first time in an overhead environment and that you may need some extra DLC, Diving loving care.
What should I expect on this tour?
All cavern tours meet at 8 30 am whether you are diving in our Tulum shop or our Playa del Carmen dive center. The guide will prepare your cavern lights (these are included in the cost of the tour) and will pack up your gear ready to drive to the cenotes. The cenotes are located in the jungle and the drive could take anywhere from 15 minutes to 40 minutes depending on where you are diving that day. Gear will be set up at the cenote, the cave guide will give you a cavern briefing which is very different from an open water dive briefing, and you conduct two dives in the cenotes. Snacksa re provided with refreshments and each dive is about 45 minutes. YOu will be back in the dive center by 130 pm to 230 pm, again depending in where you dive.
Are wetsuites required?
The temperature of the cenote fresh water is around 78F/26C and we highly recommend that you wear a full 5 mm wetsuit. It is not advised to take brand new equipment that you have not tried yet into the cavern environment as this can make your buoyancy harder to control. If you ave a new wetsuit, or new scuba equipment, do an ocean dive first or refresher course and adjust your equipment in the open water first.
I have not been diving for a year and only have 10 dives. I have come to Mexico to dive the cenotes, what can I do to prepare for the cenote dives?
If you want, we recommend a refresher course first, and some open water diving. Our open water instructors are get at getting divers ready for the cenotes if that is the plan and will work with you in the ocean on buoyancy, trim and breathing in order to get you prepared. They are able to assess when you do these dives whether or not you are ready for cavern diving. If you do your refresher back home then we are unable to make this assessment and will request that we osreve your diving ability in the ocean/open water first before we take you into the caverns.
My vacation partner does not dive and I have limited time to do some diving. What do I do.
If you are seasoned diver and have dove recently then we can take you directly to the cenotes for diving and your vacation partner can snorkel. There are a few cenotes that are great for this combination and we are happy to take snorkelers for a tour in the same centoe while you are diving. The best snorkeling cenote is Dos Ojos and we would schedule the dive and the snorkel together in this spot.
I want to learn to cave dive as I have done many cavern dives. What certification do I need?
On our website in our diving store we have three cave certification courses that you can enrol in. Cave diving is a special skill level and we are happy to assess your diving history and make a recommendation for the course for you. You can do your cave course in portions or you can take the full cave diver certification in the 8 days recommended for the course.
Do I have to dive with a guide in the cenotes?
Access to the cenotes can only be done with a certified cave diver who is locally known as the property owners self regulate who is diving in their cenote. It is prohibited by the property owners and the local diving agencies for open water divers to dive in the caverns without a certified cave guide. All centoe dives must be booked through a local dive center who offers these tours.
Is there a cavern course?
there are a few cavern courses and we will help you make an assessment as to which course is best for you. If you are working towards your PADI master scuba diver or your SSI advanced certification, the best option is to take the specialty cavern courses offered by these agencies. If you have intentions of working towards your cave course, the cavern course is the first on the list and we can enroll you in this technical course so that you start to work towards your full cave.
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