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When I heard about scuba diving in freshwater caverns, with underwater stalactites, I was definitely intrigued.This is available to all recreational divers as you are guided by a professional cave-diving certified dive master. |
Cavern Diving in the cenotes is a truly unique experience and may not be available anywhere else in the world. Mexico’s spiderweb of underground caverns and caves had once been empty and grew a garden of stalactites (a rock “icicle” growing from the ceiling) and stalagmites (a rock “icicle” growing from the cavern floor). At one point, the caves were floor and a new underwater world was created.
An etheral experience which makes you wonder if this is what swimming in a prism would be like if that was possible. One of the best memories from this dive is seeing the sunbeams cut through the unimaginably clear water as if it was glass.
Click here to see more pictures of the cavern diving experience!
I had heard that unlike “cave diving” (basically diving in dark underwater tunnels) which can only be undertaken with significant technical training and speciallized equipment, “cavern diving” can be undertaken with a dive guide and only within the areas reached by light (up to 200 feet away from the surface as long as we remain within the max depth of 130 feet by recreational scuba diving standards).
What I didn’t know was that the visibility was so clear that we could go very far within the cave indeed. In fact, it seemed we could see through the water as if it was air. This was the first time that I truly felt as if I was floating in air like an astronaut on the moon!
The excitement further continued to build when we learnt that we were also going to be swimming through a halocline. Sounds like a religious ceremony doesn’t it. Well, it certainly felt like one! A halocline results when freshwater from the lakes mixes with saltwater from the ocean. The mixed water created a severe blurring effect. So much so that I couldn’t see at all more than a foot away – it was as if I took my contact lenses out or when you look through hot air coming out of a roasting BBQ. It’s really something odd – and for some unnerving – to experience since you become somewhat blinded by the muddled water.
At this point, I was careful not to swim too close to the diver ahead of me because I realized that as he kicked his fins, more and more blurry water came my way. I realized that the best strategy was to swim slightly to the left or right of the diver ahead of me to minimize the blur.
Swimming right next to the stalactites and stalagmites was also very strange since they always tend to be so far away in my previous trips — I could truly get a little closer for a better look… though I had to stay near the guiding line which – in addition to the guide – prevented us from getting lost.
So next time you’re looking for a resort vacation with a twist or just the twist on its own… go to mexico’s Yucatan province and arrange a couple of cenote dives. You won’t regret it!