By Emily Hunkler
Snorkel lagoon entrance to Gran Cenote.
The flashlight that was just attached to my wrist was now fluttering, spinning and illuminating its path to the bottom of the cave. Damn it. I thought. Amateur mistake. I had dropped my torch before I had even dropped five meters. As I watched the beam of light fade into the depths I turned in time to notice my divemaster Luis disappearing before my eyes as well — and he was only an arm’s length away. We were descending into the cloud of hydrogen sulfide that lingers at 30 meters in the deep pit of Cenote Angelita. A nearly opaque strata separating the saltwater below it from the freshwater above it.
Cenote diving is a unique and exhilarating experience to your previous underwater adventures. It’s other worldly. It’s beautiful. It’s haunting. It’s awesome.
And if you are going to dive the cenotes of the Yucatan, you really must include one with the hydrogen sulfide cloud.
Most of the cenotes are easily accesible from Tulum; just a quick little drive out of town. And there are different options — the beautiful, sparkling white cave formations and cerulean blue lagoon waters of Gran Cenote, the spooky, haunted wasteland ambiance of Angelita and loads more in between. Talk to the dive shops in town and you can easily make an informed and fitting choice for your own interests and skill level.
Is it scary?
No. Of course this is not an objective statement, but cenote diving is not such a jump in skill level as one might think. Sure there are stalactites and stalagmites to navigate, so long as your comfortable controlling your buoyancy you’ll be fine. And of course there is the issue of claustrophobia — ceiling overhead, rocky or sandy bottom beneath. This is, of course, a legitimate concern and among the more common phobias — but as long as you are confident in your ability to control this anxiety, you’ll be all right. And if you do freak out, your divemaster is right their with you to guide you safely to the surface — unless you have special training you won’t be too far from the surface at any time during your dive.
Spooky is more the word I would use to describe cave diving. The waters of Angelita lend the impression of an underground river winding its way around a dead and decaying cone of debris that rises from more than 60 meters below. Massive tree branches with white calcite accents on its trunk and branches stretching toward the sunlight. The distinct lack of marine life provokes a sense of unease during the dive that makes the experience all the more intoxicating. Should we be down here if nothing else is?
Even the pristine waters the likes of Gran Cenote are haunting in their own right. Ghost white spires and boulders piercing and punctuating the water from every direction providing the only contrast to the deep hues of blue and green waters. Deep tunnels with no end in sight beckon from the darkness beyond your flashlight’s beam.
Above the surface caves can seem unsettling and uninviting — but something changes when you sink into the system. The fear of the unknown is relinquished and the desire to explore as many cracks and crevices as possible takes over. At least this should be the case for most divers — why else did you ever begin your diving career? Just like you were nervous the first time you made eye contact with a barracuda or the rush you felt on your first night dive, anxious and a little scared to see what your torch would bring to light — cave diving is an exciting and unforgettable addition to your dive log.