Höhlentauchen / Cave Diving / Buceo en Cueva Riviera Maya
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Miscellaneous

Update August 2020

Update August 2020

Every year we have the hot and dry season in August – 40 days, which are regionally called Dog Days. Nevertheless, there are still occasional rainy days, like this week, so that the jungle stays green even in summer.

Conditions in the Cenotes and in the ocean are ideal, all the dive sites off Playa del Carmen are open, Cozumel has closed some reefs to allow them to recover, but this does not affect the normal operations as they have enough choices. The cenotes are open except for very few restrictions and of course we are familiar with all new opening hours and measures and keep ourselves updated.

In the various announcements of the government of Quintana Roo, figures have been and will be given on how things are developing with regard to Corona. Of course, I am also very happy to give my personal opinion on this, but here I would like to stick to the facts that are comprehensible to me.

More than 50% of the income in Quintana Roo is DIRECTLY generated by tourism. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March and the phased introduction of curfews and reduction of economic activities, many workers and former employees have returned to their villages. This has led to a reverse migration; just as in previous years, the Riviera Maya was the magnet for job seekers from all over Mexico and also many Central American countries, tourism has also attracted many international workers in the somewhat upscale sector (also diving), this magnet has lost now its power. Many economic crises, which I myself experienced in the past here in Playa del Carmen, caused by hurricanes or swine flu or international economic crises have had effects on our economy and tourism. However, as of today the crisis is not over and on the contrary an end is not yet in sight, we are now 5 months after the beginning of our New Normality. Many shops in the 5th Avenida but especially all over Playa del Carmen have closed and these entrepreneurs will not reopen. If you drive through the city, you will see rolled down shutters more often than open shops – an estimated 70% of small shops. In my residential area, many formerly rented houses are vacant and it is to be expected that the rents have to be permanently reduced so that the few tenants can afford to stay here with the lower incomes. This is not yet visible in the high-priced segment, as this segment naturally has more capital and can endure a long period of drought. As soon as tourism starts up again, everything will slowly return to the level of before, but the time frame is crucial and it will be recovering very slow.

The government of Quintana Roo is very keen to maintain the supply of food to the population, but the poor are getting even poorer, and the wealthy and expats who receive their pension income continue to live normal lives, as do our holidaymakers, whose financial losses were mostly short-term and who were able to recover relatively quickly from the restrictions imposed by their respective governments. The divide between rich and poor will spread over a larger section of the population and large parts of the middle class will also be affected.

In terms of diving tourism, this means that diving schools had temporarily closed down and waited to see how the situation would develop; but since economic activity is slowly and in a coordinated manner starting up again, it is becoming apparent that many diving schools do not have the financial background to operate with an extremely reduced income over the next months (perhaps beyond 2021). Closures are already happening and we will continue to be affected. Freelance instructors (like me) are not so much affected because we have less fixed costs, but still 6 months without income is of course not feasible for me without financial help from outside.

I can’t speak for the general public, but I didn’t receive any financial support from the Mexican state or the German state, but as I said, advance payments from customers by purchasing vouchers and also donations, both from customers, friends and my family. Thanks to my clients, friends and family I will ride out this time. Instructors who have only worked here for a short time and who are not really rooted here have left and many will certainly not come back. Even if they have survived economically the past months, it will be difficult to have a steady and sufficient source of income for the coming months.

Important for future trips to Quintana Roo and for the traveller is the following information: all shops that are open are required to follow certain hygienic standards, measure temperature, disinfection basins for shoes, disinfectant gel for hands, facemasks for employees and customers that enter the shop, distance regulations. Every tourist who travels here and because of the bad economic situation demands a discount, according to the argumentation, if you don’t give it to me, I will go to the next one who is happy to make some money. Every one of these tourists contributes to the fact that exactly these standards are being diluted and neglected, because they cost additional money and effort and if this is not rewarded by the customer, it is unfortunately in the nature of mankind to not apply these standards anymore. The authorities can and will only control in a few cases, the control lies with each individual.

I do not really want to talk about infection figures, these can be obtained elsewhere, but I would like to summarise the trend and development here. I personally informed myself on the spot which hospital in Playa del Carmen is able to provide the best possible medical care for my clients in case of illness (and not only for Covid-19) and of course integrated this into my emergency plans. For the population in general, the capacity in the general hospitals has been increased and the continuous information via social media and radio and television as well as posters and announcements in the city have led to the fact that by and large the population recognizes the problem and abides by it. Since August, the trend has shown for the first time that infection numbers are decreasing, although of course the time delays and effects of the slowly reopening tourism are not yet really apparent. We are still on the ball.

I would like to urge every holidaymaker to stick to these simple precautionary measurements: to avoid places where crowds of people congregate, to keep to distance rules at all times, not to shake hands or give kisses, to wear facemasks over mouth and nose if the distances are too small, especially frequent hand washing, avoid touching yourself in the face and, finally to clean hands with alcohol gel and objects touched by different people with disinfectant.

My advice is also to make sure that the hygiene standards are strictly adhered to when arriving at the airport, plane or transfer. The decision if someone wants to spend X hours in the plane is your personal one, but I think also the airlines have to think seriously about new approaches. The future will show us what the consumer has achieved. For the vacationer who decides to come, please have a written confirmation from your international health/ travel insurance that you are covered in case of illness (including Covid-19). For Germans, there is a travel advisory until at least 31.08. to avoid unnecessary travel to risk areas, and we will keep up to date on the extent to which this will be modified for Mexico over the months. The new legal regulation (for Germany), which makes rapid tests mandatory for returnees from risk areas and this free of charge, is a first step in the right direction, in which we must learn to live with this permanent threat to our health. I hope that other countries will follow suit.

With this in mind, I wish all of you hot summer days, whether you are on holiday on your balcony, exploring your home country or in a nearby foreign country, and I hope to be able to welcome one or two of you back here in Mexico soon. Of course I will answer your questions as always via email or whatsapp or messenger.

New Video of Zapote

New Video of Zapote

In february 2020 I had again a visit from my friend Jonathan Bird and his cameraman Todd Kelly, both from the USA and they were here to film another segment for their Youtube channel Jonathan Bird’s Blue World. You can watch it here directly. It is an excellent documentation from these truly unique formations that fascinate me for years and that I truly enjoy diving every time again and again.

Biology Projects

Biology Projects

Documentation of Fauna and Flora

In no way do I intend to give the impression that this is a scientific research. I would like to point out, that I am not taking samples out of the cenotes, do not catch animals and collect any algae or any inorganic material in order to analyse them under the microscope – unless I am invited and within a team of scientist with the corresponding permits. First and foremost, I am a diver with a strong interest in caves, especially underwater caves. As a diver, I document was I see and also would like to put an name to what I have seen. The verification of certain species is sometimes depending on microscopic details. But as a diver, I will never be able to distinguish these species in media aqua. The obvious and apparent is sufficient for me and I try to make as focused and detailed photographs as possible in an environment that poses challenges to man and camera. And I am happy if I can find an explanation, a name, a detail, anything that I hadn’t known before and there is plenty to learn for me in that respect.

Thank you very much to all diving friends that are so kind to share their research results and articles about the various species with me. Besides the few aquaristic books I have at home, they were a valuable rescource. Especially thankful am I to Dr. Guido Kirsten, Werner Fiedler, Wolfgang Schilling, Dr. Thomas Iliffe. If I give however misleading information about some species, then this is of course my full responsibility.

All-inclusive Resorts in the Riviera Maya

Hotel- Resorts in the Riviera Maya

Due to recent events I outline here the reasons why I generally do not recommend to book (and spend) a vacation in Mexico in resort facilities.

Of course, all of the facilities are big employers in the region. The jobs that are assigned among locals are more these jobs which do not require long-term training or they receive their training in the course of the employment relationship (training on the job). These are serving staff, cleaning staff, garden assistants. Many of the positions in the higher income classes are either occupied by Mexicans who have been transfered within the hotel chain and an above average percentage of the higher management are foreigners.

Now, let’s imagine, there would be many small hotels that would have the same number of beds and capacity. Would the structure still be like thatß I think, from the economic point of view, tourism can be promoted and at the same time the region with its inhabitants, if we do not rely on international groups, but support small and family businesses.

Presentation of food as buffets and the all-inclusive strategy with all beverages for free convey the impression that food and drinks are in abundance and can be wasted. With buffets more food is thrown away than through a normal ordering service, since the cooling chain must be strictly adhered to in our tropical climate in order to prevent food poisenings.

The premises are all very nicely designed and resemble a huge tropical garden. This is deceptive of the fact that they are artificial gardens and that true nature is banned. For many hotel facilities, mangrove and wetlands were dried out, sand was shifted on the beaches and cenotes were covered, wildlife animal on the property are often poisened.

However, the biggest reason I reject to recommend to book a holiday at one of the resort, as many of them have a dolfinarium, a swim with dolphins program on their property. A study of Delfines in Libertad in 2015 estimates that the number of facilities with dolphin in captivity in Mexico is 29, and 20 of them are in Quintana Roo alone. Since 2008, 11 new facilities have been added (in all of Mexico) and this is of course because the tourists create the needs. If you have not already known before, I would like to point out the connection between dolphins and capturing wild dolphins (Taji or Faroe Islands and Solomon Islands) and the catastrophic conditions in which the dolphins are kept (too small pools, water with chlorines, no shadows and too shallow pools). Dolphins swim in freedom up to 150 km and are highly social beings. I uploaded the complete study here (in English).

(c) Delfines en Libertad
http://tinyurl.com/y7596phq

 

These hotels have dolphin installations and are on my black list (as of June 2017)

Dreams Puerto Aventuras Resort & Spa
Dreams Playa Mujeres Resort & Spa, Isla Mujeres
Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun (near Playa del Carmen)
Hotel Grand Sirenis, Akumal
Hotel Occidental at Xcaret Park
Hotel El Cid Puerto Morelos
Hotel Hyatt Ziva Cancun
Hotel Barcelo Maya Beach, Playa del Carmen (south of Puerto Aventuras)
Luxury Bahia Principe Akumal

For the sake of completeness, I mention here that I do not want to support any of the dolphin activities that are not affiliated with any hotel nor any of the dolphin parks such as Xcaret, Xel-ha, Dolphin Discovery, Delphinos or Dolphinaris.

Merken

Merken

Merken

Merken

Merken

Cave Diving Flashmob

Cave Diving Flashmob

16 divers from 11 nations came together because HP and Steve from Go Sidemount had that great and funny idea. And I was part of it (it’s me on the thumbnail bottom right – sidemount in black with two lights). Look what came out and enjoy.

Riviera Maya Association of Dive and Watersport Operators

Riviera Maya Association of Dive and Watersport Operators

Anyone that has been diving with me before knows that one of my big priorities besides safety is conservation. The step was therefore quite logical to apply for a membership with the local dive and watersport association called APSA. This organisation has set the official regulations on how safely conduct cavern dives and promoted it in the area. Signs put up at the cenotes help the cavern guides with their briefing.

As APSA Member I am also affiliated with the Hyperbaric Chamber in Playa del Carmen for any dive related injury or any other medical emergency.

APSA members are business professionals dedicated and committed to ensuring our divers safety, providing quality service, and preserving our precious environment.. They are also involved with several projects for conservation with regard to the lionfish or the bullsharks. If you would like to check their website out, please follow this link to APSA (only on Facebook).

 

Thank You

Thank You

There are many people I want to thank that helped me arrive to where I am today, that shaped me because of their friendship, their advise, their critique, their support.

For the cave diving and diving-caves.com, you were most important in that process.

Dai Jones; cave buddy and my intro-to-cave instructor. Yes, you were the one that hooked me to the world of caves.
HP Hartmann: cave buddy and friend. Thanks for all those cool pictures and that you are taking up with me.
Steve Bogaerts: my sidemount instructor; I am happy to be your hobbit.

Thank you also for those that gave pictures that I use on this page.

 

 

diving-caves.com

diving-caves.com

Diving Caves is the invitation I would like to extend. Come diving caves with me. You will find this webpage new and still growing and you also will see that cave diving is a growing market with many guides nowadays offering their services. I am not new in this business, I have been working as a guide and instructor for recreational and technical diving for several years in the area and have a good knowledge of the caves.
The Riviera Maya is the paradise for those that want to go diving caves. Come and get hooked as so many others.

Dear Visitor

Dear Visitor

This webpage is in progress and I have put it online so that people searching for cavetraining and guided diving in the Riviera Maya will be able to find me. I am not new in this business, just the webpage. Many posts in English will be put online shortly, if you have more questions, please do not hesitate in contacting me.
Thank you
Christine Loew
Christine at marenostrum.ws