Cavern Diving is…
…diving in crystal- clear water, no current, shallow depths, relaxed diving without time pressure, spectacular dripstone formations and light shows, an out-of-the-world experience of the different cenotes depending on time of the day, year, weather, water temperature constantly at at least 24°C/ 75F (throughout the year).
Limits of Cavern Diving
To sign in for a cavern dive, you have to be an Open Water Diver with recent dive experience and good buoyancy control.
The limits of cavern diving were established internationally, are accepted by our community and are the following:
- within natural daylight zone
- 40 m for maximum distance from the nearest surface point resp. 60m/ 200 ft with local guide
Diving without a local guide in the cenotes (and also for boat dives) is not permitted for sports divers in Mexico. - 21m/ 70ft maximum depth in overhead
- 15m/ 50ft minimum visibility
- no restricton smaller than where 2 divers can comfortably pass
- no decompression diving
There are also limitations that the local diving community agreed on many years ago:
- group ratio 4 divers per guide maximum
- within arm length distance of the guideline
- not beyond warning signs
In addition I expect my divers have:
- Awareness: your level or awareness must have reached already the point where your focus is not on the basic diving skills. Be proficient with fin kicks, trim and your position in the water column, practise good equalisation techniques. We always start easy and I explain all, so no worries that you are not able to enjoy some cavern dives. As a good guide, I will take care of you and guide you from the beginning through the proper procedures.
- Good buoyancy skills appropriate to dive site; there are places that are good to start your experience in cavern diving and I will choose the ones appropriate to your dive level and skills. There are more open caverns close to the daylight and later we go to the darker ones, more decorated, more sediment etc.
- Conservation; no littering of the outside which I hope I do not need to point out the importance (but to remind you, whatever packaging we bring to the dive site, we will take it back home and not dispose in any of the garbage buckets); Also no vandalism in the cave; purposeful touching of formations or collecting things are unacceptable for me. Graffiti will result in an immediate ban of diving.