Diving the Cenotes

The Pit

We gasped for air upon entering the chilly, calm water surrounded by towering limestone walls. Clear cerulean water transitioned into darkness as we descended one-hundred-thirty feet into the abyss performing a never ending repetition of equalizing the pressure in our body.  We gazed at mammoth stalactites dangling on the cavern walls whilst avoiding collision with a mountain of boulders protruding centrally from the cave bottom. Atop the mountain was a tree perched as if it were a king on his throne. Approaching our bottom limit, my eyes were drawn to the cavern's vastness evoking our true insignificance. Millions of years created the "Pit" while fifteen-thousand years ago melting glaciers filled the Cenotes, effectively locking the formations in a permanent time capsule.

Alex and I in Dos Ojos

Nearby, Dos Ojos contrasted significantly to The Pit. Here, the maximum depth was twenty feet which meant the limestone formations were exponentially more spectacular. We zigzagged past endless stalactites and stalagmites, through dark narrow passages and around limestone columns. Snorkelers of all shapes, sizes, and ages bobbled like apples above our head. I pitied them most because their time in the cavern amounted to roughly ten minutes before being herded back onto their tour buses. Underwater it was as if we had the caverns all to ourselves. 

Dive instructor leading the descent

Nothing could prepare us for our third dive at the awe-inspiring Angelita. Similar to The Pit in depth, Angelita's most unique quality lies halfway to the bottom: a hydrogen sulfide line resembling the eeriest fog I've ever scene. Some divers compare it to diving through clouds. Depending on conditions, it can be anywhere from two feet to two meters thick. Approaching the line gives the illusion of reaching the bottom, yet there is another one-hundred feet to go below. The cavern is well lit above the line with plenty of visibility. Descending through the rotten-egg smelling fog (I could smell it through my mask) you exit the other side disoriented and in complete darkness. It is one of the only open water dive sites in the world that doubles as both a day and night dive. 

Not your typical tourists

Ascending proved incredibly breathtaking: in an upright position, I slowly inflated my BCD to ever so slightly rise back through the cloud. As my face broke  through the surface, I stopped to look around at the trees, rocks, and fog - a scene that easily could be mistaken for a lake. Swimming gracefully beyond the clouds, we sat atop a fallen tree trunk pretending to fish (though would have been more exciting with a makeshift fishing pole). After surfacing, our dive instructor showed us some trees around the cave entrance that the Maya used to extract the first chewing gum. 

"Severed Diver"

Grand Cenote is everything the word conveys. The light filled cavern features pure limestone and calcium formations as far as the eye can see in spectacular hues of white. Some formations were so pure they were near translucent. Navigating Grand Cenote was like swimming through Luray Caverns - all that was missing was the famous pipe organ. I imagine the aftermath of the next ice age might make that experience a reality. 

Grand Cenote