Free Diving at the Cenotes, Mexico
Cave diving is one of the most enjoyable and gratifying underwater activities that anyone can do. Cave diving allows you to experience another world so unlike the ones that you see when you go on any regular dive. One of the top places in the world to go cave diving in are the Cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.
The Cenotes or ‘sacred well’, is what its original Mayan name means, is an underground cavern system that is distributed all over the Riviera Maya. Discovering the wonder of each Cenote is an adventure any diver should not pass up.
What makes diving in the Cenotes such a wonderful experience?
Cave diving in the cenotes is wonderful for several reasons. One reason is the crystal clear water. When you go cave diving in the Cenotes, you won’t feel like you are diving underwater because of the clearness of the water and unlike ocean diving, you will have 100 percent visibility at the Cenotes. Cave diving can be done by free divers, scuba divers and tech divers.
The other reasons that make cave diving in the Cenotes wonderful are the stalagmites and stalactites. For thousands of years, pillars and formations of stalagmites and stalactites have formed under the caves. When you go cave diving under the Cenotes you will feel like you are in an underwater fantasy world, with all the stalactites and stalagmites formations.
The display of light is another reason why cave diving in the Cenotes is something that you should definitely try. The way the sunlight penetrates through the windows of the caves in the Cenotes will make you think that spotlights were installed there to give it a surreal feel.
What are the cave diving requirements?
Cave diving using tanks, such as scuba diving and tech diving, is not for everybody. It is an activity that needs preparation and training.
Stalagmites Stalactites while Cave Diving
People with no scuba diving certification are not permitted to go cave diving. A beginner’s scuba diving certification also would not suffice. To be able to go cave diving you need to achieve a higher level of scuba diving certification. This is because cave diving can be as treacherous as it can be rewarding. There is also specific training that you need to undergo before you get the scuba diving certification that allows you to go cave diving. These trainings usually take eight to ten days.
Go dive!
If you have finally decided to try cave diving in the Cenotes, there are a lot of dive shops that offers guided dives. PADI offers a speciality course in Cave Diving, so you could do this at the dive shop and learn as you get the much-needed experience. The cave diving experience in the Cenotes will be something that you will cherish for as long as you live.
A photo by Dive Karma