The meet point for this tour is the tulum dive shop or the playa del carmen dive shop. Written by one of britains leading cave divers, martyn farr, the book also introduces many of the cave diving pioneers and chronicles their achievements. Join pro dive international on an exploration of the amazing underwater cave systems called cenotes. Cenotes are the truly stunning natural sinkholes of the yucatan peninsula. The latest techniques, equipment and practices for scuba diving in caves and caverns using open circuit, side mount and rebreathers. Cave diving courses with koox diving in tulum, mexico a place for cave dive.
The cenotes of the riviera maya is a complete guide to the areas beautiful dive sites. The huautla in mexico is the deepest cave in the western hemisphere, possibly the world. Because of its history and culture, but also thanks to its geographical position between the pacific ocean and the caribbean sea. The cave diving community conventionally defines the cavern zone as an overhead environment where. Beyond the deep and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. The guided cave diving in the area of playa del carmen and tulum provides cave dives with durations of 60 to 80 min with nitrox 32%, higher mixes are available at cost. Cave diving is one of the most challenging and potentially dangerous kinds of diving or caving and presents many hazards. Quality cenote and cave diving instruction, support and guiding in mexico at advanced diver mexico. Cave diving in cenotes if you are a cave diver, the cenotes of the mayan riviera are a must.
The objective of this course is to expand and critique previous skills accomplished in the tdi cavern and introductory cave diving programs. A complete guide to snorkeling, cavern, and cave diving the cenotes of the riviera maya. The water is much colder in cenotes and a full wetsuit is highly recommended. Here we find the largest underwater cave system in the world and we enjoy taking divers on tours to guide them through the many cenotes or caves. The problem with many mexican cave diving locations is the distance from decompression chambers and medical resources that are familiar with diving medicine. Whether youre looking for inspiration or want to learn a new skill, there is a book for you. Steve gerrard lives in the marina resort of puerto aventuras, q. Cave diving equipment is special you can go cavern diving with your normal scuba gear. Diving in mexico mainly takes place from speedboats, though it is possible to dive some of the sea of cortez and the caribbeans reefs as well as the cenotes from shore. But theres one notsosecret weapon in mexicos cave diving arsenal. This article aims to explain what is a cenote but also to advise divers and to present the best cenotes of the. With more than 18 cenotes and some of the longest cave systems in the world such as. Diving cenote tours cave diving mexico playa del carmen. Without a doubt, these kind of specialities are capable of taking your diving experience to a new level.
Hello, my name is julia, a passionate cave diver, sdi and iantd scuba instructor and words cannot begin to describe my love for diving the mesmerizing caverns and caves located here in the yucatan peninsula, mexico. There are a number of reasons that make cavern scuba diving also known as cenote scuba diving attractive to the diver, and if there is one place in the world that offers the perfect cave diving is the coast of mexico, a labyrinth of underground streams draining drop by drop to the sea. Some of the cenotes also require technical diving skills. Diving into deadend areas anywhere beyond the main passageways is an unnecessary risk and burden to the fragile cave. Few know it but, southeast of mexico is the second. The underwater navigation through the cave system may be. In this book, exley included accounts of actual cave diving accidents, and followed each one with a breakdown of what factors contributed to the accident. Laurent benoit takes us down into these pristine caves using bigblue dive lights. We are passionate cave divers, sdi and iantd scuba instructors and words cannot begin to describe our love for diving the mesmerizing caverns and caves located here in the yucatan peninsula, mexico.
For those who wish to dive in the cenotes located in the yucatan, this book is an outstanding reference source. To blow bubbles in a cenote, youll need to do a little heavy lifting. To the west of tulum, the very best cenotes lie within a few minutes drive. Check out this new article by ivo it is a needed reminder of the state of our cave diving scene here in mexico. My playgrounds are the longest flooded cave networks in the world, with hundreds of cenotes in the middle of the jungle, hundreds of kilometers of galleries to discover, each one more beautiful than the last. Quality cenote and cave diving instruction, support and guiding in mexico at protec dive center in tulum with the highest standards and most complete cenote and cave diving services available in cenote diving, cave diving, ccr cave diving and sidemount cave diving. Approximately 10 of these are dived on a regular basis. Cave diving in playa del carmen advanced diver mexico. Cenote diving is a must on every divers bucket list. Sidemount and backmount, stage tanks and the use of diver propulsion vehicles dpv.
Dos ojos, taj ma, gran cenote, chac mool and many more, mexico and yucatan peninsula it is definitely one of the best cave diving locations where you can learn and practice while on holiday. Theyre the setting for possibly the most spectacular cave diving experiences anywhere on the globe, or just beneath it. He died at age 45 while trying to set a depth record by diving the worlds deepest sinkhole, mexicos 1,080foot 330 m. Cave diving emerged in the akumaltulum area during the mid 1980s, when divers discovered that the cenotes natural wells were windows to the underground streams. Heres some of our favorite books about scuba diving that will expand your horizons and teach you something interesting about the underwater world. Diving in playa del carmen playacar the perfect location to start exploring the riviera maya to the north and south of playa del carmen and cozumel to experience the best dive sites of mexico our dive center is situated right on the beach of the royal hideaway playacar, and our boats leave from the shore to ferry you to the most beautiful sites within 510min. Many require tec diving experience, but a few are easy enough for beginners and offer a fantastic introduction to cave diving. Scuba diving in cenote is more or less like a cave dive but has many advantages. Exploring the underground world is an indescribable feeling. Often when guiding cave divers or discussing navigation when teaching full cave courses i try to give an overview of the way that caves are marked and lined here in mexico, and some of the differences compared to other places i have been cave diving australia, florida, sardinia, france, madagascar. Mexicos two coasts are ripe for underwater exploration.
Mexico has beautiful tropical jungles, deep cenotes and exceptional underwater fauna density. The facility is in playa del carmen with the highest. A blueprint for survival, does exactly what it says on the tin. Diving conditions in the cenotes of tulum, playa del carmen and the mayan riviera are ideal crystal clear freshwater. Diving in cenote dos ojos tulum cancun scuba center. The experience guadalupe island mexico is the top destination for great white shark encounters. This cave diving course is not intended to prepare divers for evaluating all facets of cave diving. Different equipment and techniques are required and often the whole way you have been diving has to be adapted. Sheck exley april 1, 1949 april 6, 1994 was an american cave diver. The same kit youd use in the open water in places like the mesoamerican barrier reef if youre a diver and youre in mexico anyway, you cant miss this. With around 6000 cenotes, mexicos yucatan peninsula and its extensive subterranean waterways are ideal for experimenting with cavern diving. You can discover the vast kelp forests of the pacific, the hidden reefs of the sea of.
Cave diving is an entirely new world after coming from recreational diving. Steve teaches through aquatechvillas derosa of aventuras akumal. Guadalupe and socorro must be accessed by liveaboard vessel. Geographically it concentrates on the uk and europe about of the book, but also includes stories from the united states, mexico, south africa, and australia. For those who wish to own a book that presents beautiful underwater cave photography, this book is a must purchase. How to go cenote cave diving in mexico matador network. Cave diving may be known as the worlds most dangerous sport, but risk. The ultimate guide to cave diving in mexico koox diving.
Pacha cave diving offers the best cave training with a qualified cave diving guides as well as also deep diving training in case you would like to try deep cenotes. Cave diving in mexico is the best option for all of those scuba divers who are attracted to the bowels of the earth. Cenotes are the result of the collapse of limestone bedrock, characteristic of the yucatan peninsula, which exposes groundwater underneath. The popular cenote dos ojos is accessible to most divers. A cenote is a water hole that has been formed by collapsed limestone, then filled with freshwater over millions of. Do you ever wonder what are some of the best scuba diving books out there. The cavern diver course will equip you to to dive the mexican cenotes safely and confidently, and is the first step into becoming a cave diver the cavern diver course is the first step into our spectacular world of diving underwater caves. The cave diving guide service includes transportation from playa del carmen. He teaches cavern and cave diving along with guiding qualified scuba divers into the cenotes of the riviera maya. Divers in mexico have discovered the worlds longest cave the discovery of a 216 mile long cave by the gran acuifero maya project could shed light on mayan history. This small volcanic island located in the pacific 240 kilometers 150 miles off the west coast of mexicos baja california peninsula outperforms both south africa and australia with sharkseeing consistency and. Dos ojos has remains in the top 10 longest underwater cave systems in the world. We have seen the cave training prices go sharply down recently, and sadly the quality of training has all but disappeared. The mineral rich water filtered through the limestone forms spectacular stalagmites and stalactites.
About cavern diving the mayan riviera and the yucatan peninsula are blessed with unique underground limestone caves etched out of fresh water. Our guides, having the knowledge and experience of every cave system, allow you to tour and explore each cave system with minimal impact on it. Cave diving is a form of penetration diving, meaning that in an emergency a diver cannot swim vertically to the surface due to the caves ceilings, and so must swim the entire way back out. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of cave diving, and he wrote two major books on the subject.
The cave diving in tulum is one of the most fascinating underwater sports that undoubtedly require extensive training. Cave diving in the yucatan peninsula, mexico youtube. Cave divingmexico tulum all you need to know before. Let me start by stating that cave diving is dangerous everywhere. Most cave divers recognize five general rules or contributing factors for safe cave diving, which were popularized, adapted and became generally accepted from sheck exleys 1979 publication basic cave diving. The cenotes yucatan mexico playa del carmen, in addition to the beautiful caribbean dive sites offers to divers the possibility to experience a different type of dive. Mexico blue dream cenote cavern cave diving riviera. Dos ojos is a flooded cave system located at the south of playa del carmen and north of tulum quintana roo, mexico.
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