La Esperanza, Mexico

Smmcdonald Dived on: Cenote Chak Mool - 40ft, 42min - With Mario Pacheco from Dive Aventuras Posted on 07/08/15 at 15:43

If our first Cenote dive experience was outstanding, this one was phenomenal! Elle decided that she would sit this one out, and it was probably a good call on her part. A bit darker over all, with more swim throughs and surprises, this dive took us to the next level of cenote diving without getting into the technical realm of cave diving. We entered "Chak Mool" from another cenote called "Little Brother". The two entrances are located at opposite ends of a very large underwater cavern/room. (Little Brother is the same cenote we used to don our wetsuits and get acclimated before diving Kukulkan earlier in the day). Swimming along the route of these paired cenotes, we entered a lot of dark areas where very little light from the entrances penetrated. Though never further than 300' or so from either, it seemed at times we were far away from being able to surface. This, along with the darkness, made Jen a bit uneasy I think. I loved it, but I could definitely see how divers easily get turned around in caves and even caverns like this one. I would have had a different feeling had we not been with an experienced dive guide! (Mario has 20+ years of cave diving experience, most of which are in these very cenotes.) The highlight was surfacing in a dark room with a large air pocket where there were thousands of small stalactites forming from the ceiling. Small tree roots branched out across the ceiling while large ones plunged though openings and into the water. There was little to no light, as the roots seemed to fill the voids completely. (I caught a little of this on camera, but probably not well as my flashlight does not have a broad pattern.) The original plan was to surface, check our air and general comfort, then go back down and head to another part of the cenote. Jen expressed that though she's glad she did the dive, and thought it a good experience, she was not comfortable in the darker areas and swim-throughs. Mario understood, so he took us to Chak Mool where we swam around in the lighter area while he filmed us. At one point, I surfaced to take a quick look around. It's a beautiful cenote, but I can understand why Mario prefers to enter at Little Brother. The water in this cenote is a bit more murky with a very thin layer of detritus on the surface. On one end of Chak Mool entrance, maybe 10 to 15 feet below the surface lies the entrance to a large cave. This was an off-limits area to non-cave divers, of course, but nonetheless, Jen later expressed concern that we were going to go off in that direction! After swimming around a bit, we headed back to the Little Brother. Cutting straight across, it was then I noticed how close the two entrances actually were: you could clearly see one from the other at this angle! We were never far from either, but meandering through the crevices sure made it feel that way at times! Like with the first dive, at times I forgot I was under water! The only areas where clarity was an issue was in the halocline where the fresh and salt waters mixed. It was stirred up a bit, perhaps from the morning crowd (we were in this cenote alone, as far as I could tell). As soon as you got crossed into salt water, the temp rose and vis declined to a wavy blur. Very surreal! In the clear fresh water, it would catch me by surprise now and then when I would notice something "fly" by my mask just a few feet in front of me. I would turn my light on and it would be a small fish--a little reminder of where we were! Mario again pointed out a few formations, including a large stalactite, several crevices and entrances to caves filled with columns, a large fossil brain coral and a fossil spiraled shell. Another great experience that I hope to duplicate again some day! Mario assured me there are several more cenotes (10 or so) in the area that we could do without being cave certified. Definitely worth a return trip! Note: Being too heavy last time, I shed 2 lbs. I was still too heavy. I think I could have dove with 6 lbs considering the 80's and wet suit, and fresh water with no current.

Claudia Dived on: Punta Sur Devil's Throat - 135ft, 23min - With Dive Paradise Posted on 03/06/10 at 08:27

Amazing! An excellent multilevel dive for experienced divers only. Due to its southern location and exposure to prevailing tradewinds, topside conditions can be rough. This coupled with fast running midwater currents that can cause one to miss the dive site entirely, makes this NOT a dive for those who cannot descend relatively problem free. This site has two distinct sections and the air usage capability of the divers will determine if you can see both in one dive. The most famous section, "Devil's Throat," starts inside a coral swim through. Divers descend into the opening of a dark narrow tunnel at 90 feet and takes you out into a sunlit opening at 130 feet on the wall overlooking the abyss. Eagle rays and sharks are occasionally spotted here. The other section of this site "The Cathedral," is a large cave opening with giant sponges that form a cross in the ceiling of the cave where light passes through. Very impressive photo if divers refrain from kicking up the sand.

Diane C Dived on: Cenotes Dos Ojos Barbie Lane - 8m, 40min Posted on 05/08/14 at 10:00

Les Cenotes de Dos Ojos sont surement les plus connus de tous ceux du Yucatan. Leur nom, qui signifie 2 yeux en espagnol, vient du fait qu'il s'agit de 2 Cenotes communicants grâce à une grande caverne. Vu du ciel ces 2 Cenotes apparaissent comme deux grands yeux dans le sol. Barbie Line : Le circuit fait environ 500 mètres et amène le plongeur à l'ouverture du deuxième oeil ce qui permet d'accéder à un grand puit de lumière. Le plongeur à également pas mal d'espace pour nager autour de stalactites et stalagmites. Ce site est assez fréquenté donc il est possible de croiser de nombreux plongeurs et également des snorkeleurs. Annecdote : Le site doit son nom à la Barbie et au crocodile qui sont attachés au bout du parcours, petite blague des personnes ayant installé le fil d'Ariane. Plus d'information et de vidéo sur le site suivant : http://dianedivesphotos.weebly.com/dos-ojos-cenote.html

Marco Dived on: Cenote Media Luna - 17m, 49min - With Stefan from Cenote Adventures Posted on 27/11/19 at 08:52

Gruppe: 5, Sicht: ca 100m, Anzug: 5mm mit Haube Cenotenareal komplett alleine für uns gehabt, Exklusivrechte! Fahrt durch unbefestigte Dschungelstraße. Extrem viele Moskitos an der Oberfläche. Cenote aufgebaut, wie ein Halbmond mit weiten Überhängen. Sehr geile und breite Halocline (Süß- und Salzwassersprungschicht) auf etwa 10-13m mit weißer nebelartiger Abgrenzung, die sich bei Berührung wie Öl vermischt. Salzwasser etwa 1-2 Grad wärmer und man wird leichter und muss mehr Luft ablassen. Sehr schöneLichtspiele. Dunkle, großräumige Höhlen mit sehr spitzen und durchlöcherten Kalksteinwänden und Felsformationen. Perculation = Sediment löst sich von der Decke durch die Luftblasen der Taucher (nur, weil erst wenige Taucher zuvor die Cenote betaucht haben). kleiner Fischschwarm GEILSTER CENOTENTAUCHGANG

Steve Dived on: Paso Del Cedral - 50ft, 60min - With Olaf from Dressel Divers Club Posted on 14/03/12 at 10:30

We dropped into Paso El Cedral, but the current took us all the way through the Santa Rosa Wall. Two reefs in one dive! A big moray eel under a small arch. Paso El Cedral is so beautiful. Sand escarpment between Paso and Santa Rosa. Hope to see sharks or Eagle Rays in sand, but no such luck. Crab, Lobster, and a big Ray as we headed to the safety stop. Extended the dive as we followed the ray from above. The cross current was very strong. Saw another group go tumbling by. Current close ot the reef was south to north along reeef, but 5-10' above was a strong cross current into the blue. Light was a bit murky at times & sediment due to strong current. Still, it was gorgeous and clear at 20'.