This should be a short guide to help you find the right Instructor for you. Of course there is only one way to make 100% sure and that is by actually meeting the instructor personally and/or taking a course but still there are a couple of considerations that can be used for pre-selection. I can guarantee you for example that I am not the right choice for every body =)

Seek the Expert:

You should look for somebody that is doing the kind of diving you want to learn, in their spare time so you know they are up to date with their information and skill. They should dive regularly at a higher level as the level they will teach to you to be able to guarantee your safety as well as have additional information to show you what comes next.

What is his/her specialty:

When you start to look into advanced training you will find in part Instructors with very advanced careers, meaning that they are Instructors and Instructor Trainers in many different areas. This means in the same time though that they will not be able to spent equal time amongst all their areas of expertise.

Don’t let the Plastic Cards fool you:

 Once you have reached a certain level as Instructor in this industry different training organizations will offer you fast ways through their systems or easy crossovers in order that you chose them over others. Like this sometimes inexperienced Instructors turn up with many cards from different organizations and appear to be very experienced, when in fact they are not.  Plus there are always Instructor Trainers that will simplify training programs or make Instructor ratings faster attainable to gather further Instructor candidates. This sometimes creates Instructors that will use the same approach when it comes to teaching students. With dive training as with many other things in life, what you put in is what you will get out. Be sceptical with “easy and cheap” training programs.

Train with different Instructors:

Most people will stick to the same Instructor once they found one they like or look up too. In my opinion this is a mistake. Everybody has different point of views, experiences and styles.  By switching instructors you will get much more input and different ideas, especially if it is about the same type of diving. 

Where do you want to go:

Try to have a realistic idea about where you want go with your diving and make sure that the experience of the Instructor is covering it so you can already get the information and skills required to get you there.

Where do you want to dive:

In what area are you going to dive or do you plan to dive one day. Of course nobody has been in every single place you will possibly visit but your Instructor should have experience in your main destinations or similar conditions. Like this, he or she can inform you of local standards and procedures.

Ask other students:

Try to get in touch with former students to find something out about the atmosphere during the course, logistics and the character of the Instructor.

Contact the Instructor:

After all your research is done, contact the Instructor and find out for yourself. It is the best way to get an idea about his or her personality and see if  it works for yours.

This is more or less the way I choose an Instructor when I am thinking about doing a course and I hope it helps you finding the right one for you.

Good Luck

Just before I went on vacation I taught a cave course with Mark from England who had recently moved to Playa del Carmen in his armoured car and Meril a French pilot extraordinaire. In the last days we also had the pleasure to be joined by Anneleen who had done her training a couple of months earlier and now came in to practice a little.

The first days we had Etienne with us who is assisting towards becoming a Cavern Instructor and Mauro who did his last assistance before his Intro to Cave Instructor evaluation which he passed later with flying colours…Congratulations again.

As always we started of with a bunch of training in the open water to get used to the equipment, the configuration and the local environment. Once they felt comfortable it was time to start with the cave related training which meant a bunch of zero visibility exercises first on land and then underwater to prepare them as good as possible for running through those exercises later in the cave.

Both of them did great and it was amazing to see their progress from day to day. It really always impresses me how steep the learning curve is in the first couple of days. I think the key to success is to introduce new skills and new information always step by step and let the student master the one before moving on to the next. I compare cave diving to a juggling act while riding a mono cycle. The main idea is first to learn how to juggle lets say two balls, then three, then more. After that learn how to drive a mono bicycle and then combine the two. Some people maybe will need first to learn how to juggle on a normal bike as a step in between and so forth.

In any case we had great fun and always a good spirit even if the days were long and the weather horrible.

At the end we did some really great dives and even as a team of three they rocked through multiple out of gas scenarios combined with zero visibility, restrictions and anything else a cave dive could possibly through at you!

After that I took some time off first to go exploring down in Tulum with Kim and after that was off to Austria to meet my baby nephew Lorenz for the first time. I spent three wonderful weeks with my family far away from the jungle and dark water filled holes. Of course being a true cave diving addict I had to at least spent an hour a day on you tube checking out some cave diving videos =)

Back in Mexico I started right off with Ivan who did his technical cave diver training with me some time back and this time came down for some multi staging and a basic DPV course. Since my schedule is still not that busy he decided also to always take some time off in between which worked great for me as it gives me the time to go down to Tulum and explore some more.

Since some time now I really have the great pleasure to be in a project with Kim a cave diving Instructor who lives down in Tulum. 

 Kim found what he first thought was a virgin cenote in an area he was long interested in. Being super happy about the discovery he decided to call the cenote Lycka which is Swedish and means happiness. While freediving  it he found that there was already a guide line in the entrance from a previous exploration team. He enquired with Jim Coke at the QRSS and no data was reported from any team about any cave in that area.

 We then decided to make a joint effort of resurveying and retrieving the data and also while doing that, to look for further possible exploration. Now after we connected other Cenotes (one of them named Lorenz after my nephew) it already turned into Sistema Lycka =)
So far we make great progress and I am enjoying the time a lot. The cave is really very different with unique characteristics and colours. So I am sure not to get bored on my days off, thanks to Kim!!!

I make sure to keep you posted on the progress.

Happy diving

Cozumel and Cenote / Cavern diving

Cenotes and Caverns are the entrance areas of water filled cave systems, large areas with clear water and lots of sunlight. Cenotes and Caverns are fun, easy and safe to dive and the only thing necessary is an open water certification. During the last dive shows we have attended we have heard comments again and again that many people have been diving in Cozumel, have heard about the Cenotes but never have dived them even if they like to do so, but did not know how. If you like to change that, here it is the how to. Take the ferry to Playa del Carmen, book the Cenote and Cavern diving with us at least three days ahead of time, just send an email to info@protecplaya.com , we will pick you up at the ferry dock and take you onto a Cenote and Cavern diving tour. The Cenotes are located some 25 – 40 minutes south of Playa del Carmen. More information about the Cenotes you can find on our www.protecplaya.com and www.mexicocavediving.info web pages. We will take you onto a two tank Cavern tour in two different Cenotes, provide tanks, weight, lights, a guide, refreshments and a box lunch. When all done we drop you at the ferry dock to get you back to Cozumel, or if you like, you drop your dive gear at our dive shop and go out to discover Playa. When ready to head back we get your gear down to the ferry dock. That is how easy it is to be diving in Cozumel and do a Cavern Cenote tour.

Tacoma Dive Show

In May 2010 Matt went to the Tacoma dive show held for the 3rd time in Tacoma Washington, some 40 miles south of Seattle. Over the years ProTec developed a very good relationship with Capital Divers owners Craig and Deb Brown who come to the Riviera Maya to cave dive for the 13th year in a row by now. The show was great with old friends to be met and new ones to be found. The booth location was quite nice right at the pool area where most of the action was and close to a lot of related providers and manufacturers such as Silent Scuba, Shearwater, ISC Megalodon, X-Scooter just to name  few. The weather was to be cold and rainy and I was not disappointed. I had the chance to give two presentations about our ProTec dive store in Playa del Carmen and the Cenote and Cave diving in Mexico at Capital Divers in Olympia and Tacoma Scuba in Tacoma.

Xcuba Ha Photo contest

From December 4th to 11th we will hold our second underwater photography contest here in Playa del Carmen. The event is organized by the Riviera Maya Dive Alliance (RMDA) and ProTec is one of the founding members. The Xcuba Ha photo contest is leaning heavily on the educational side with lots of seminars, workshops and input from our photographer Len Bucko. December 4th we will open the event with a welcome, greet and meet with a wine and cheese hang out. Seminars and workshops range from basic to advanced camera techniques in the pool to macro, wide angle and cavern / low viz shooting techniques. The diving we will feature within the Xcuba Ha event is ranging from local Playa del Carmen diving to Cozumel, Pto. Morelos wreck diving to cenote diving. For more information on the event please visit our Xcuba Ha web page www.divingphotocontest.com . For more information on the Riviera Maya Dive Alliance please visit our RMDA web page  www.scubadivinginmexico.com

Underwater Cave Photography – Painting  

Matt recently started to get into underwater cave photography. As most people are working and diving in the area it was and is difficult to find talents or meat puppets with time to spare to hang motionless in front of the camera in the cave to give Matt some time to practice. A lot of great underwater cave photographers actually go on a regular cave dive and shoot while diving along. Matt is not there yet, not having the practice to do so – yet. In came the light painting technique where the camera is placed on a tripod with the shutter set open, and the photographer swimming through the cave in total darkness “painting” the cave with strobe light. Practice makes masters and a lot of practice is needed. But fun it is. Have a look at our ProTec DiveCenter www.facebook.com page for some of the images. The header image of this email was “painted” by Matt in Grand Cenote. We would like to congratulate Matt as well for winning 1st and 2nd place in the international Dive Rite www.diverite.com underwater photo contest.

Continuing Education for ProTec Staff

As we try to expand our horizons and learn new techniques to further our own diving as well as the ability to convey these new experiences to our students our ProTec Staff is continuously updating their diving curriculum. Patrick completed the GUE Fundamentals Diver training program conducted by Fred Devos at Zero Gravity dive center. Matt became a Essential Diver Instructor Trainer with IANTD as Nando and Patrick are teaching the Essentials program for years. The Essential Diver program is a prep and polishing program focusing on buoyancy, trim, propulsion, configuration and communication. This program is particular successful before any technical or cave diver training programs. Matt worked toward and received his CCR Poseidon MK6 Rebreather Instructor rating.

Scheduled Training Programs

We provide and conduct IANTD Instructor training programs on a regular basis ranging from Adv. Eanx Instructor cross over programs to Cavern Instructor, Intro to cave, Full cave, Technical cave, Sidemount cave, CCR cave, DPV cave, CCR Rebreather MOD I & MOD II, Normoxic Trimix and Hypoxic Trimix Instructor programs to just name a few. If you want to become a IANTD Instructor or feel ready for the next level please send us an email.

Besides the below scheduled diver level training programs we will always have capacity to schedule training programs when you want to take them. We will even travel to your location to train you in your diving environment. For the latest update on scheduled diver level training programs please visit www.protecplaya.com .

- FULL CAVE COURSE IS   JULY 20 – 28

- INTRO TO CAVE COURSE IS   AUGUST 2 – 6

- FULL CAVE COURSE IS   AUGUST 8 – 15

- BASIC DPV COURSE IS   AUGUST 9 – 11

- DPV CAVE COURSE IS   AUGUST 16 – 17

- FULL CAVE COURSE IS   AUGUST 22 – 29

- ADV. REC. TMX COURSE IS   SEPTEMBER 2 – 6

- FULL CAVE COURSE IS   SEPTEMBER 5 – 12

- FULL CAVE COURSE IS   SEPTEMBER 6 – 13

- CCR CAVE COURSE IS   SEPTEMBER 19 – 26

- FULL CAVE COURSE IS   SEPTEMBER 24 – OCT. 1

- CAVE DIVING GUIDING IS   SEPTEMBER 24 – 30

- CCR CAVE COURSE IS   OCTOBER 4 – 11

- SIDEMOUNT CAVE COURSE IS   OCTOBER 13 – 16

- CCR CAVE COURSE IS   NOVEMBER 7 – 14

- ADV. EANX COURSE IS   NOVEMBER 15 – 18

- BASIC SIDEMOUNT COURSE IS   NOVEMBER 19 – 21

- FULL CAVE COURSE IS     NOV. 24 – DEC. 4

- INTRO TO CAVE COURSE IS NOV. 29 – DEC. 1

- XCUBA HA PHOTO CONTEST IS   DECEMBER 4 – 11

IANTD Instructor & IT Training

ProTec continues to conduct IANTD Instructor Development Courses IDC’s, Instructor Evaluation Courses IEC’s and Instructor Trainer Courses ITC’s. The IDC’s and IEC’s are conducted by IT’s Nando and Matt while the ITC’s are conducted by ITT Matt.

We would like to congratulate Mauro for his successful Intro to Cave Instructor Evaluation. Our Instructor candidates Luis, Daniel and Etienne we wish all the best in their quest to become Adv. Eanx and Cavern Instructors.

More information and links

We have published new articles on our ProTec blog www.protecblog.com covering a variety of issues and experiences. We started to publish a number of small video clips on our ProTecPlaya www.youtube.com channel and continue to do so as we go along. Have a look and let us know what you think.  

For more information regarding Rebreather diving on the CCR Megalodon Rebreathers please visit www.ccrmegalodon.com , the CCR KISS www.ccrkiss.com , the CCR O2ptima www.ccroptima.com , the CCR Inspiration / Evolution www.ccrinspiration.com , the cave diving in Mexico www.mexicocavediving.info , Rebreather diving www.rebreather-diving.info , cave diving information in Spanish www.buceoencuevamexico.com , cave diving information in German www.mexikohoehlentauchen.com or CCR cave diving www.ccrcavediving.com please check out our web pages.

Die kurze Geschichte des Hoehlentauchens und die Erforschung neuer Unterwasserhoehlen auf der Yucatanhalbinsel in Mexiko reicht nicht allzuweit zurück denn in nur weniger als 30 jahren wurden mit dutzenden erforschten Hoehlensystemen erstaunliche entdeckungen gemacht. Die sechs größten Unterwasserhoehlensysteme der Erde befinden sich hier in Mexiko, im Bundesstaat Quintana Roo

Anfang der achtziger jahre wurden die ersten Hoehlensysteme von Hoehlentauchern erforscht und recht schnell wurde erkannt was für geologische „Goldmienen“ diese Cenotes darstellen. Kurz nach dem beginn der Erforschung der bis dorthin brachliegenden, unerforschten und wortwörtlich unzähligen Löchern im Dschungel setzte ein wichtiger trend richtung Kartographie ein und wunderschöne Hoehlenkarten von vielen Unterwasserhoehlen dieser Gegend entstanden. Mit den ersten Hoehlenkarten drangen Nachrichten an die interessierte Öffentlichkeit von Glasklarem Wasser, riesigen Unterwasser- hoehleneingaengen und Imposanten Lichtspielen in Tageslichtbereich dieser Cenotes. Waehrend das tauchen in Cenotes am ende der 80er Jahre noch wenig verbreitet war ist es nun ein fester Bestandteil der Taucher die die Riviera Maya besuchen und erkunden.

Was ist eine Cenote

Das Wort Cenote kommt aus der Maya Sprache ( Dzonot ) und bedeutet Brunnen. Mit einem Blick auf das klare Wasser einer Cenote laesst sich leicht vorstellen wie die Maya, auch heute noch, von den Cenotes als Wasser Reservoir abhängig sind. In der nähe jeglicher Maya Siedlungen befinden sich immer Cenotes als Wasserspender und auch in die Religion der Maya sind die Cenotes fest eingebunden.

Chac der Regengott lebt in der Unterwelt dessen Pforten die Cenotes sind. In Zeiten grosser Trockenheit wurden Chak immer wieder Opfergaben dargebracht die ihn gut stimmen und Regen zu erbeten.

Cenotes entstehen in dem Regenwasser Kohlendioxyd aus der Luft und dem Humus aufnimmt und sich in eine leichte Kohlensäure wandelt. Diese leichte Kohlensäure ist sehr aggressiv gegenüber dem Kalkgestein aus dem die ganze Yucatanhalbinsel besteht. Dieses Kalkgestein ist zwischen 6 und 25 Millionen Jahre alt und ist nichts anderes Überreste eines antiken Korallenriffs. Wenn die Kohlensäure nun durch das sehr poröse Kalkgestein läuft löst sie dabei das Kalkgestein auf und in langen Jahrtausende anhaltenden Geologischen Zeiträumen werden dabei Hoehlengaenge herausgelöst. Diese Hoehlenpassagen koennen sehr groß sein. Wenn diese Hoehlenpassagen bis unter die Oberflaeche reichen kann die Hoehlendecke so dünn sein das sie einstürzt. Durch diesen Einsturz bekommen wir Zutritt auf das darunterliegende Hoehlensystem das je nach zustand trocken oder naß entweder betreten oder betaucht werden kann. Eine Cenote ist entstanden.  

Anfang der 90er jahre setzte ein wahrer Boom ein in der Erforschung dieser Hoehlensysteme die alle zwischen Playa del Carmen, Akumal und Tulum liegen. Damals konnte noch niemand ahnen das das tauchen in Cenotes so populär werden würde. Mit den tausenden von Tauchgaesten die Jährlich die wunderschönen und einzigartigen Cenotes besuchen wächst auch die Verantwortung diese Besonderheit der Natur zu Schützen.

Das tauchen in Cenotes und Grotten

Die sprichwörtlich unglaubliche Sichtweite die den Taucher durch eine Traumwelt schwerelos gleiten lassen und die interessanten und teilweise wunderschönen Hoehlenformationen wie Stalagtieten, Stalagmieten, Sodastraws, Steinwasserfaellen, Draperies und Säulen an einem vorbeiziehen lassen machen diese Unterwasserhoehlen ein unvergeßliches Erlebnis das mit der richtigen Ausrüstung und Ausbildung sicher betaucht werden kann. Die schwache Strömung gepaart mit extrem guter Sicht und Wassertemperaturen um die 24-25 Grad Celsius machen diese Grotten und Höhlen zu spektakulären Paradiesen für Grotten- und Hoehlentaucher aller Kaliber mit unendlichen Möglichkeiten für Unterwasserfotografen und Videofilmer.

Cenotetouren ist eine beliebte und einzigartige Tauchaktivitaet. In keinem anderen Teil der Erde koennen Hoehleneingaenge so leicht betaucht werden wie in der Riviera Maya was auch der warmen Wassertemperatur und der schwachen Strömung gutzuschreiben ist.

Nichts desto trotz gibt es einige wichtige regeln die beim tauchen in Cenotes unbedingt eingehalten werden müssen denn im Gegensatz zum Freiwassertauchen wo direkt zur Oberflaeche aufgetaucht werden kann wenn es Probleme gibt geht das in der Cenote nicht da wir ein Dach aus Fels über uns haben. Probleme jeder art müssen erst überwunden werden bevor ein sicheres aus- und auftauchen im Freiwasser möglich ist.

Hier ein paar Sicherheitsvorschlaege zum sicheren tauchen und zum Schutz der Höhle. Es muß immer ein Tauchfuehrer dabei sein der ein ausgebildeter Hoehlentaucher ist, ein Brevet als Divemaster oder höher hat und in voller Hoehlentauchausruestung taucht heißt mit Doppelpacket, Ventilbruecke und drei Lampen. Die Tageslichtzone wird niemals verlassen heißt das Tageslicht eines Einganges muß immer zu sehen sein. Beim hineintauchen in die Grotte muß immer eine durchgehende Leine gelegt werden die vom Freiwasser bis hin zu den Tauchern reicht. Nur diese Leine sichert ein sicheres austauchen und finden des Ausganges sollte die Sicht schlecht werden. Die Gruppe sollte niemals mehr als vier Taucher plus Guide haben der vorne weg taucht. Es wird mit der drittel Regel getaucht, heißt ein drittel der Luft wird zum hineintauchen in die Grotte verwendet, ein drittel zum hinaustauchen und ein drittel zur Reserve aufbewahrt. Vor dem Tauchgang sollte vom Guide ein briefing durchgeführt werden was besondere Tarier-, Schwimm-, Hand- und Lichtsignaltechniken erklärt. Eine Einführung in die Geschichte der Maya und Geologie währe wünschenswert. Eine Einführung in den Schutz der Höhle, Sedimente und Halocline ist unumgänglich. Da diese Hoehlen Jahrtausende gebraucht haben um sich zu bilden führt jeder Kontakt zur Zerstörung der Höhle bei. Handabdruecke oder Namen in die Sedimente zu schreiben gehört nicht zum guten Ton des Grottentauchens.

Mit all diesen Erfolgen in der Höhlenforschung innerhalb dieses kurzen Zeitraums ist es verwunderlich das nur wenig über die Unterwasserhoehlen Flora, Fauna, Chemie, Biologie und Hydrologie bekannt ist. Diese hochsensiblen Ökosysteme werden nur von wenigen Wissenschaftlern erforscht und untersucht und deren Ergebnisse leider nur selten veröffentlicht. Hervorzuheben ist hier noch das die meisten Hoehlensysteme und Cenotes nahe an der Trinkwasserqualitaet liegen.

Die besten Cenote Touren

Diese kurze Auswahl einiger der populären Cenotes fuer Grottentauchen stellt nur einen kleinen Bruchteil der zu betauchenden Unterwasserhoehlensysteme und Grotten dar und gibt einen kleinen einblick in die Geschichte, die Lokalitäten und die zu erwartenden Naturwunder. Für Taucher die das Hoehlentauchen erlernen wollen, wie für erfahrene Hoehlentaucher mit Forschungsdrang gibt es viele Möglichkeiten in der Riviera Maya, der Gegend zwischen Playa del Carmen, Akumal und Tulum.

Cenote Carwash

Diese Cenote liegt ca. 8 Kilometer entfernt von Tulum auf der Straße die zur Ruinenstadt Coba führt. Ein länglicher Teich an der Oberfläche verrät nichts von der Schönheit der Unterwasserhoehle die in einer tiefe von 12 – 17 Metern liegt. Auf der Quellseite erstreckt sich eine große Grotte die mit einigen Stalagtiten und Stalagmiten dekoriert ist. Die Wände sind dunkel gefärbt und der Taucher befindet sich waehrend des gesamten tauchganges im Süßwasser. Imposant ist die Größe des Saales von ca. 50 mal 30 Meter und beim austauchen bietet sich ein besonderes Lichtschauspiel wenn der Tageslichtbereich von der schwarzen Grotte umrahmt wird. Einige alte Bäume liegen im Eingangsbereich die dem ganze eine sureale Wirklichkeit geben. Diese Cenote ist auch gut zum schwimmen geeignet. Es gibt Toiletten und Umkleidekabinen.

Cenote Chac Mol

Liegt auf der Straße Tulum / Cancun in der nähe von Puerto Aventuras  Ca. 15 km südlich von Playa del Carmen und ist eines der jüngsten erforschten Hoehlensystem mit einer Durchschnittstiefe von 12 Metern. Chac Mol entwickelte sich sehr schnell zu einem Hauptanziehungspunkt in der Cenotetouren sehr populär sind. Die Grottenzone ist sehr groß und geräumig und es gibt auch eine permanent Grottenfuehrungsleine. In dieser Grotte gibt es auch eine Halocline die sich auf 12 Meter tiefe befindet. Die Grotte von Chac Mol ist groß genug um zwei Tauchgaenge durchzuführen und immer wieder etwas neues zu sehen.

Cenote DOS Ojos

DOS Ojos liegt auf der Straße Tulum / Cancun in der nähe von Xel Ha, Ca. 15 km nördlich von Tulum. Mit einem atemberaubenden Eingangs- und Grottenbereich der Lichtdurchflutet und mit 10 metern maximaler tiefe angenehm flach bietet diese Grotte einen langen Grottentauchgang an. Der imposante Eingangsbereich ist auch ideal zum fotografieren and der Oberflaeche. Das viele Licht das durch die zwei gigantischen Eingänge fällt lassen alles im hellen Tageslicht erstrahlen.

Grand Cenote

In der Maya Sprache „Sac Actun“ für weiße Höhle liegt auf der Straße von Tulum nach Coba, ca. 6 km entfernt von Tulum. Das Juwel unter den leicht zugänglichen Cenotes hat mit einer durchschnittstiefe von 11 Metern. Der Eingangsbereich der Grotte ist sehr idyllisch, hochdekorierte Passagen mit glasklarem flachem Wasser, weißen Stalagtieten, Sälen und Stalagmieten im Überfluß machen diese Grotte schnell zum Favoriten unter den besuchenden Tauchern. Eine zerbrechliche Schönheit die einiges an Vorsicht bedarf um sie nicht zu beschädigen und eine aktive Mithilfe von allen Tauchern ist gefragt um diese Grotte zu schützen. Hier sollten nur Taucher tauchen die ihre Tarierung im griff haben. Diese Cenote ist gut zum Schnorcheln und Schwimmen geeignet. Es gibt Toiletten und Umkleidekabinen.

Cenote Ponderosa

Oder auch „ Cenote Eden “ genannt liegt auf der Tulum / Cancun Straße, zwischen Akumal und Puerto Aventuras ca. 4 km südlich von Puerto Aventuras mit einer durchschnittstiefe von 12 – 15 Metern. Ponderosa wird oft frequentiert von Schnorchelgruppen und Grottentauchtouren wo Taucher von der Ponderosa Cenote durch eine Traverse in die nur 100 Meter entfernte Corall Cenote tauchen können in der Mangroven wachsen und Cenote typische Vögel zu sehen sind. Der Freiwasserbereich ist sehr groß und gleicht einem Freiwasserschwimmbad. Diese Cenote ist auch sehr zum Schnorcheln und schwimmen geeignet. Es gib Toiletten und Umkleidekabinen.

Cenote Taj Mahal

Diese Cenote liegt auf der Straße von Tulum nach Cancun, zwischen Puerto Aventuras und Akumal, ca. 8 km südlich von Puerto Aventuras entfernt und ist auch eine der mit am meisten besuchten Grotten der Riviera Maya mit einer maximalen tiefe von rund 13 metern. Für die Grottentauchtouren ist diese Cenote eine der Hauptattraktionen da die „Light Beam“ Cenote, die „Sugarbowl“ Cenote und die „Emerald“ Cenote miteinander verbunden sind. Während eines ca. 40 minuetigen Tauchganges laesst sich diese Grotte leicht betauchen und bewundern. In Taj Mahal sind in fast allen Passagen reichhaltige Fossilienablagerungen von Seeigeln und großen Muscheln zu sehen.

Cenote Tempel of Doom

Diese Cenote liegt auf der Straße die von Tulum nach Coba führt und ist ca. 4 km von Tulum entfernt. Die Grotte ist recht groß und kreisrund mit einem schönen großen Lichteinfall direkt von oben. Vom Auto bis zur Cenote sind es etwa 100 Meter durch den Dschungel zu laufen was etwas anstrengend sein kann. Entschädigt wird der Taucher mit einem Sprung ins kühle naß und einem schönen tauchgang in einer tiefe von 10- 16 Metern.

Grottentauchen ist eine schöne und faszinierende Tauchaktivitaet die mit einem kompetenten Führer, klarem Kopf, Menschenverstand und dem anwenden Grottentauchspezifischer regeln sicher durchgeführt werden kann. Die Risiken im Grottentauchen erhöhen sich durch die Tatsache das waehrend eines Notfalls kein direktes auftauchen zur Oberflaeche möglich ist.

Sollten weitere fragen über das Grottentauchen, Hoehlentauchen oder die Ausbildung zum Grotten und Hoehlentauchen bestehen koennen diese an den Autor dieses Artikels gerichtet werden.

Viel Spass bein Grottentauchen

Gruss

Matt

To Avoid Breathing Gas Emergencies constant awareness is the key to a successful dive. If a critical situation is developing, react to it before it becomes a threat and call or terminate the dive. Remember the most important rule of diving is that anybody can call the dive at any time, any reason, no questions asked. There are various reasons why a diver could and should abort the dive or even not start the dive at all.

Never dive with minor or mayor equipment problems. Be more conservative on penetration distance on wrecks and caves on turnaround pressure with new equipment, a new cave system or wreck, even new dive partners. Don’t dive with divers who in your opinion do have attitude problems. Always dive within your and your team member’s limits and comfort zone. Do not be “pushed” or push others beyond their self-imposed limits. Allow team members to evolve within their own time and experience frames. In the last years a variety of breathing gases has been used successfully ranging from air to nitrox, trimix or heliox and all divers face the same problem when the tank is empty. Humans cannot breathe water and we are limited to our time underwater depending on the supply of our breathing gas in our tanks.

Running out of gas or air is in most instances operator error and self inflicted. Essential to all successful diving operations is the knowledge of your and your team members breathing gas supply including reserves for emergencies. In recreational non-decompression diving the traditional rule of turn around pressure or return to the surface pressure is 500 – 750 psi / 35 – 50 bar while some prefer to turn the dive at ½ 200 psi / 15 bar to allow a larger reserve. In decompression, wreck penetration or cave diving the rule of thirds is to be observed as a minimum.

Some divers feel that the rule of thirds is not conservative enough and turn at a fourth or sixth of their starting gas volume. Similar Tanks When all divers in a team are using the same size tanks the calculation of the turn around pressure is simple. If a diver has a tank fill of 3000 psi / 210 bar he will divide the initial tank pressure by three coming to 1000 psi / 70 bar for each third. The diver has 1000 psi / 70 bar for the penetration part of the dive, 1000 psi / 70 bar for the exit part of the dive and 1000 psi / 70 bar for a potential emergency. Taking 1000 psi / 70 bar away from our starting 3000 psi / 210 bar we will have a 2000 psi / 140 bar turn around pressure. If a diver has less then 3000 psi / 210 bar, for example 2900 psi / 190 bar then the number will be rounded down for easy calculation, in this case we go to 2700 psi / 180 bar. Dividing 2700 psi / 180 bar by three will give us thirds of 900 psi / 60 bar. Taking 900 psi / 60 bar away from our initial start pressure will give us our turn around pressure of 2000 psi / 120 bar. When ever we have a pressure not easy dividable by three we will round down to find a number easy dividable by three and subtract that number from our initial pressure to find the turn around pressure.

If diving in a team it is important to match the penetration and emergency gas supply by using a simple method. If we have a team of three with same size tanks and pressures for example of 3100 psi / 210 bar, 3000 psi / 200 bar and 2800 psi / 190 bar we look for the smallest number, in this case 2800 psi / 190 bar. We round 2800 psi / 190 bar down to 2700 psi / 180 bar because it is easy dividable by three and coming to 900 psi / 60 bar. Now every diver in the team can use only 900 psi / 60 bar for the penetration and will subtract that number from the initial pressure, arriving at turn pressures of 2200 psi / 150 bar, 2100 psi / 140 bar and 1900 psi / 130 bar. Since all divers in the team are matched and use the same amount of breathing gas to conduct the dive they will have enough gas for potential air emergencies and a safe exit.

Dissimilar Tanks In many diving areas of the world divers own their own tanks with their own volume size and pressure rating preferences. When dissimilar tanks are used we can not use the system of calculating thirds on pressure but must first convert the tank pressure into volume, then calculate thirds on the volume and convert the turn around volume into turnaround pressure. SAC rate Calculation Matching the gas supply is to insure reserve gas supply for emergencies. Gas matching compensates for diver with greatest RMV (Respiratory Minute Volume) or SAC (Surface Air Consumption) to exit sharing gas on smallest gas supply. Carefully estimate distances and gas needs for varying conditions.

The calculation of the SAC rate does begin with measure of gas consumption at a stable depth over a specific period of time noted on a slate for later calculation. Example – 500 psi / 34 bar are consumed in 10 minutes from an 80 cft / 11 liter tank at 100 feet / 30 meter. What is the SAC rate ?. First step is to calculate the minute consumption at depth 500 psi / 34 bar in 10 minutes is 50 psi / 3.4 bar per minute at depth. Second bring depth minute consumption to the surface. We convert the depth of 100 feet / 30 meter into ATA ( Atmosphere Absolute ) resulting in 4 ATA. Dividing our SAC rate of 50 psi / 3.4 bar by 4 ATA will give us the SAC of 12.5 psi / 0.85 bar per minute at the surface. Gas Reserves The rule of thirds is the absolute minimum for technical, cave, ice, wreck penetration and decompression diving due to that fact that the diver has no immediate access to the surface but has to exit the real or virtual overhead environment with a potential problem.

When a diver’s ability to access the surface is limited or non existent he or she must maintain larger gas reserves for potential emergencies. One third of the initial gas supply is used for the penetration part of the dive, the second third is used for the exit part of the dive and at least one third is used and reserved for emergencies. It is that last third that does not belong to us but our team mates that are diving with us in case they are running out of air. It is important that divers monitor their gas volume and pressure gauges in order to return safely from the farthest point of penetration while maintaining sufficient gas volume for exit and emergencies.

Primary gas supplies are managed by a concept called the rule of thirds, which states “ When diving in an overhead environment the unexpected can happen. Since it may be a long way out of a cave it is better to be conservative when applying the rules of gas management ”. The dive must be turned when 1/3rd of the initial gas supply has been consumed. The remaining 2/3rds are then available for use when returning to the exit for any gas related emergencies. The diver should surface with at least 1/3rd of the original gas supply remaining. Good examples of gas-related emergencies are free flowing regulators and ruptured hoses. Manifolds equipped with isolators and dual regulator shut off valves are designed for maximum safety. They allow a diver to shut down a defective regulator and to recover by using the remaining functioning regulator to return to the exit.

It is important to understand that the primary reason for diving the rule of thirds is self-sufficiency. When applying the rule of thirds to dive teams, the number of variables increases. Each diver in the team has his or her own swimming style and normal breathing rate. Moreover, it’s highly probable that team members are using configurations with different tank capacities, sizes and volumes. When this type of scenario develops, it’s imperative that the team matches its gas supplies to insure everyone makes a safe dive with sufficient gas reserves to deal with out of air scenarios.

The first step in gas matching is to insure that the gas has been planned to enable both the diver with the least amount of gas and the diver who has the most gas to exit the cave from the maximum point on the smallest available gas supply. If the dive team has properly matched gas supplies with individual consumption patterns, the rule of thirds provides a secondary advantage. If a problem causes a team member to run out of gas, actions can be taken so all team members can safely exit the overhead environment. For divers to be able to swim as normal as possible in a gas sharing situation, the donor’s alternate regulator should be equipped with a hose at least 7 foot / 2 Meter long hose. The standard 40 inch / 1 meter octopus hose simply isn’t practical when major horizontal distances must be traveled. In addition, a short hose will make it difficult for each diver to maintain contact using a guide line in cave or wreck diving and almost impossible to share air through a restriction.

RMV rate Calculation is the Conversion of SAC into RMV. Imperial – How many cft are 12.5 psi out of a single 80 cft tank. In order to calculate that we need to know what the rated pressure of that tank is, stamped into the neck of each Scuba tank. In case of the 80 cft aluminum tank it is 3000 psi. If we calculate 80 divided by 3000 we arrive at a base line of cft per psi, in this case 0.0266 cft per single psi. For our example above we just need to multiply 0.0266 by 12.5 and will arrive at a RMV 0.33 cft of gas per minute on the surface. Metric – How many liters are 0.85 bar in a single 11 liter tank. The Metric system is somewhat easier to calculate with our Sac rate of 0.85 bar multiplied by the tank size of 11 liter resulting in a RMV of 9.35 liters per minute at the surface.

Live long and prosper. Have plenty of gas to breathe.

Matt

…The very next day I was back in the water with Yamil and this time we couldn’t finish again as I had another course already booked but we could get another two days done.

Then Ritch came in who I had taught previously during his cave diver course to do some training in deep diving and expand his horizon in cave diving with a basic Sidemount class. As Ritch was already a cave diver his basic skills just needed a little brush up but we were ready to go and introduce new information and skills such as SMB deployment, gas switches, team formation in open water, ascent protocols, and so forth. We did a deep diver and advanced Nitrox combination and so the theory was focused on gear selection, dive planning in regards to decompression, gas volumes, oxygen exposure, emergency procedures and plenty of real life examples. During our dives we saw different environments as we used a Cenote for confined water, a sinkhole for our first dives and then moved over to dives in the ocean. During our dives in the ocean we went down to Xpu-Ha and then drove down a bit south to the deep reefs. After arriving on the bottom I have to admit I was surprised how cool the reef was. Anybody that knows me, knows I am not super keen on ocean diving, but I have to say that I really enjoyed the dives there as it was full of life and colour.

Right after that we were back in the caves (juhu) and our first objective was to built a rig that Ritch would feel comfortable in. Being that Ritch is a bit larger then life it wasn’t quiet that easy but not that hard either, and I think at the end we came to a total price on his rig of like 100usd or smth =) The next two days we were training first in open water to get familiar with the equipment and to understand 3 dimensional diving, fine tuning here and there and working on gas management and emergency procedures the basic game. After that we started with cave diving in passages that he could have passed in backmount but only with serious effort but now in sidemount were manageable with ease. It was cool to see Ritches smile after the dives because he felt so comfortable and free under water as never before with a set of doubles especially since the normal backplate simply doesn’t fit on his back. We even had a day to spare and go for a fun cave dive down in Chan Hol which we both really enjoyed!!!

Ritch in a basic harness with a modified BCD

The days after that we could finally finish Yamils cave training with two last spectacular days in Taj Maha and Xunnan Ha. It was kind of funny since I went from the biggest person I have ever trained (Ritch) right to the smallest one (Yamil). The same way I like to challenge my students during training I like to be challenged myself, and so it was really cool to look for ways to make the two comfortable in the water although they had slight disadvantages due to their seize. At the end of the day the two of them really came around during the course and I was more then happy to sign their certification!!!

Right after that it was my time to be student again, Yipi!!! I had enrolled in a GUE fundamentals class with Fred who I know and respect for some years now. I am constantly trying to evolve as a diver and as a diving instructor and part of that is to take classes myself not only to see again how it feels to be watched and critiqued but also to see how the instructor teaches and relates information. All in all it was a great experience and lots of fun and I am looking forward to do further courses with Fred an hopefully also with Danny and Chris!

At the same time my dear friend and dive partner Hans (with family) was is town and so of course we had to seize the opportunity to go cave diving. He had spent the last couple of days exploring with Mauro while I was teaching and now that I was free the three of us went to Cenote 307 adding some 600ft of line in small unstable but awesome cave!!! The day after that we went down to Dos Pisos for a three hour swim around since neither of the two had been there before. There is really hardly anything better for me then going cave diving with a couple of friends and just enjoy a day out in the nature!

Little Hans

The day after that I was back teaching, finishing Anneleens course that she had started with Nando. We had only the last three days left to go from intro to full cave. Anneleen is a local diving instructor who finally after living here for more than a year gave in and started cave diving. It was fun to watch because she instantly was so fascinated and stunned by the caves that she was still smiling hours after ascending =)))))

Finally the last couple of days I had the great pleasure to dive with Dr. Mel Clark and show her around a little bit which was great. Of course it is always cool to dive with another CCR cave diver especially one that is in the hall of fame!!! We did some really amazing dives and finished with an insane trip from Cenote Dos Palmas to The Pit and back. Some 4h of non stop scootering…I don’t know what was better the dive or finally getting out of the water releasing the pressure in certain areas =)

Mel with a 42 ... without batteries in it though =)

After that I got another two former cave students in, Jojo and Chris from the french part of Swiss. We started of doing a stage, multistage course which was really super fun, since I had to teach in french which always kind of makes me look like a stand up comedian. In the evenings my brain was so much in knots that I started to mix all sorts of languages and simply was not able to communicate anymore. Moments like this always make me think of my polish chemistry teacher in high school, being that chemistry isn’t the easiest subject in the first place, only being able to understand every third word of the teacher doesn’t really help either But they both assured me that I was doing great and that they really understand what I am talking about (yeah right…)! Thanks god hand signals are international!!!

Jojo and Chris still suited up to avoid the bloodsuckers

After that Jojo continued with a Normoxic Trimix class which brought me back again to dive in the ocean. After the confined water session in a cenote we dove out of Xpu-Ha, mostly hanging out at the drop off =) Jojo really enjoyed the training especially the ratio deco which was a new concept to him and as he told me changed completely the way he looks at dive planning now! I am always happy and glad to get such a reaction from a student!

So I hope this little report shows why I didn’t post too much in the last 2 months but I was simply too busy living the dream and going diving every day, hahahah! I hope you enjoyed the post nearly as much as I enjoyed the dives!!!

cheers Patrick

I just come out of a pretty busy run full of teaching and exploring, tiring but fun and now as things slow down a little bit I can take the time to write about it.

When I had finished the basic sidemount course with Wayne I was off on three weeks vacation. First I had planed to travel to Dominican Republic and everything was set until my travel partner had to cancel due to work obligations. I was pretty bummed out about the whole situation but when Mauro asked me to join a project he and Alex where pursuing I forgot about the situation and was looking forward to go and explore with the two.
In the same period of time I also got the second draft version of a sidemount rig I help to design which instantly outdid all my expectations and gave me great motivation to go out and dive again daily. So besides exploring I also dedicated a good amount of time to testing the rig in various different diving environments as well as techniques ranging from wet to dry suit, stages and scooters in backmount and sidemount seized passages.

With Mauro I was exploring in Cenote Balan Ak where Alex had established the relationship with the landowner and out of Cenote Palomita to resurvey and push some lines. A great pleasure to hang out and dive with the two guys who are both so passionate about the exploration there.

After that it was back to work and I started my first course right away with Mark who came in to do a deep/advanced nitrox combo course. A cool start that gave me also the rare possibility to dive in the ocean. After one day in a Cenote for confined water training and another day in the sinkhole Angelita we lost a day to sickness. Having only one day of diving in the ocean left, we couldn’t finish the training but Mark has already booked his return in September where we will not only finish but also integrate the advanced recreational trimix course.

Before the next course I had the great opportunity to help Nadia a cave explorer that lives down in Tulum with her mapping project of Cenote Dos Pisos. It was a super experience, first of all since I had never attempted to produce a large scale cave map (besides stick maps of course) and second it was cool to hang out with her and talk about different projects she is pursuing with her husband Dave in the area as well as some of the history of  the Cenote and the Cave System.

After that I almost instantly went into a CCR cave course with two Germans, Dirk and Thomas who came equipped with an Inspiration and a Megalodon CCR. Dirk had already done his course in Thailand some time ago and already visited Florida and Mexico for cave diving but wanted to sit in and train with his buddy. Dirk was one of my really first advanced nitrox students back when I lived in Egypt and to see him now as a very skilled trimix/cave ccr diver puts a big smile on my face. Thomas being a very experienced trimix ccr instructor himself made for a great team and hard for me to challenge the two.

Thomas and Dirk back from a dive in B Tunnel

The first two days we spent in the open water working on buoyancy, trim and fining techniques as well as looking at the units and trimming them down to minimal seize. We also went through all of the ccr related exercises followed by zero visibility training and touch contact and touch and go procedures.
Third day had us in the cave ready to go and trying the first time all ccr skills while staying horizontal within arms reach of the guideline. We realized quickly that doing those skills in a dark place with limited space while staying perfectly trimed with neutral buoyancy is not a quiet easy thing to do =)
The next five days we were working on many different scenarios including hyper and hypoxia drills, boom scenarios, hypercapnia, long hose gas sharing of bail out, passing restrictions in zero viz, complex navigation, surfacing in zero visibility, solenoid stuck close and open during a cave dive, lost line and lost diver and many combinations of the above.
During the entire course we had lots of fun and a general relaxed atmosphere and shared many stories of diving the cold lakes in europe =)
Both of them came very open minded in the course and with a lot of experience which gave us many interesting topics and point of views to discuss, all in all a great time!

Dirk and Thomas tired but happy!!!

After that Dirk who had brought his own scooter enrolled in a three day basic cave dpv course. We were using Bonex(dirks), Silent Submerge as well as a Divex Cuda during the training to see different performances and characteristics of the models.
First day we were doing theory all morning discussing pros and cons, gas management, emergency procedures, conservation and other topics before driving to Cenote Ponderosa to do our initial training. We were practicing different towing techniques, how to keep neutral bouyancy while driving, touch contact, touch and go and runaway dpv failure which especially on the bonex is an easy scenario due to his master switch.
The next day we were in the cave all day long going through lots of complex exercises involving lost line and lost diver during a dpv dive, computing different RMVs and times which are essential to dive planing, zero visibility drills including picking up gear, dpv failures, time awareness and so forth. Dirk realized very fast that there is more to scootering in a cave then pulling a trigger =)
Last day we implemented all of the previous learned in complex dives in cenote Mayan Blue which turned out to be just amazing! The previous long days payed of and we could use our rebreathers and scooters effectively. We did long dives covering an amazing distance while relaxed sight seeing knowing that at all times even with two catastrophic failures we would still be able to safely exit the cave. Now Dirk must get some more experience using his new favourite tool so that next time we can bring out the long range dpvs and take it to the next level. =)

The next day I went straight over to a OC cave course with Yamil a local diving instructor who had started some time ago but couldn’t finish due to work obligations. Again we were not able to finish his training due to a bad cold that knocked him out after the first two days.
At least that gave me the opportunity to squeeze some days of exploring in and even a fun dive with friends from Utila (Frank and Andy). We were a big group consisting of Dirk, Thomas, Mauro, Frank, Andy and myself and were diving in separate teams in Cenote Muchachos. Dirk and Thomas on CCRs, Mauro sidemount and stage, the Utila gang after finishing their basic sidemount training with Nando in their new rigs and me CCR also and dpv. A great day with 3h+ dive time =)

The following day I welcomed Nick who came in to “upgrade”  from GUE Cave 1 to Technical Cave Diver. We had met before to discuss exactly the expectations that he had in the course and that I had from him as a student. Nick came in as a highly trained, skilled and experienced diver which made my job both very easy and difficult. Easy in a way that he learned extremely fast difficult in a way of bringing him close to the edge of his comfort zone to establish some limits. The main new information and skills we had to cover were navigation, restrictions, deco bottel and stage tank use in the overhead environment and reviewing the stuff he had already learned and all of that on a tight schedule which ment early mornings and late evenings, especially for me as Nick stayed in Puerto Aventuras…
Nick is an avid deep and wreck diver from Australia which made the lunch brakes very entertaining as he shared some insights on the local wreck and cave diving in the land down under. I really hope I will get the chance one day to visit him there and check it out!!!

So that was part one…part two will be up in some days…I hope you enjoy =)

cheers

Amigos de ProTec 

Estamos de vuelta con nuestro Boletín Informativo que cubre toda la informaciónacerca del buceo, los asuntos locales y las actividades sociales. Desde nuestro centro de buceo ProTec en Playa del Carmen, Q. Roo, México.

Estamos ubicados en la Riviera Maya, a lo largo de la costadel Caribe mexicano y sin duda tenemos buenos arrecifes y barcos hundidos para el buceo, pero nuestro mayor tesoro en la Riviera Maya son   los cenotes y cuevas. El agua limpia cristalina  y cálida enlos Cenotes es la característica más especial en nuestros buceos.  Nuestra gama de servicios y orientación  para los buceo enCenotes ya sea  cavernas y cuevas, al igual en circuito abierto o circuito cerrado.

Estamos ubicados dentro del Hotel Mom´s,ofrecemosa nuestros buzostarifas especiales, en el hotel que cuenta con27 habitaciones pequeñas, limpias y económicas. En este pequeño hotel Mom´s  tienes latranquilidad de saber que su equipo de buceo nunca está lejos de ti,con zonas especiales de almacenamiento ventilado.

Saludos

del Staff ProTec

Centro de Buceo ProTec Playa del Carmen – México       www.protecplaya.com

El Blog de ProTec

Después de lanzarnuestro Blog www.protecblog.com nos gustaescribir sobre nuestras nuevas aventuras, cursos y experiencias, así como   de equipo y la capacitación de temas relacionados.

A medida que cubren una amplia gama de experiencias, puntos de vista y los problemas. Publicamosartículos en varios idiomas inglés, alemán, español y francés.

Los invitamos a que nos escriban sus comentarios acerca de buceos realizados con nosotros para  que comparta sus experiencias o de su estancia en la Riviera Maya. Por favor, venga y únase a nosotros a través de nuestro blog.

La Feria BTS en Nueva Jersey

ProTec Dive Center en marzo del 2010 tuvo un stand en La feria del buceo enMar que se celebra anualmente en el Centro de Convenciones deNueva Jersey la BTS o Beneath The Sea.

Hans Kaspersetz, un buen amigo nuestro y un habilidoso buzo de reciclador en  cueva, quien acaba de regresar de nuevo a los EE.UU. para vivir  en Nueva Jersey, nos  ayudo a mucho en el stand.

El show fue bueno con un montón de viejos amigos que fueron y también hicimos nuevos amigos. Además de la información sobre nuestro centro de   buceo ofrecimos asientos y dulces para el descanso, jugo y agua para el sediento, manzanas, plátanos y barritas de cereales para los hambrientos y una copa de tequila para los malos.

Proximo Eventos

ProTec va a la feria de buceo en Tacoma Estado de Washington en elárea de Seattle. Tenemos el stand núm. 524 y Matt estará atendiéndola cabina. Si sus pies están cansados, tienen sed, necesita un pocode comida o un trago de tequila por favor pase a nuestro Stand.Sortearemos un curso de caverna al final del espectáculo. 

Para los próximos cursos por favor eche un vistazo a nuestra página webwww.protecplaya.com donde ofrecemos una lista de todoslos ejercicios programados. Además de los cursos publicados ennuestra página web ofrecemos cursos personalizados en todo momento, a partir de un programa de capacitación, cuando usted tenga el  tiempo y les guste hacerlo. 

ProTeces uno de los patrocinadores de  Buceo Riviera Maya, en laAlianza bimensual social, en la barbacoa que se celebra en la piscina de Abyss en el primer y segundo sábado de cada mes. Venga y compruébelo. 

ProTec es  co-organizador y co-anfitrión del concurso anual de   fotografía  Xcuba Ha bajo el agua. Este año el evento tendrá lugar del 04 al 11 de Diciembre del 2010. Echa un vistazo a nuestro sitio Web en www.divingphotocontest.com .  

Entrenamiento 

Corremos cuatrimestral de IDC IANTD Instructor programas que vandesde la Caverna Instructor de CCR Cueva del Instructor. Si usted  está interesado por favor no dude en contactarnos porcorreo electrónico en cualquier momento.

Después de una serie de reuniones de Instructores hemos continuado desarrollando nuestro curso básico y avanzado buceo en laterales “SideMount” en  cueva, así como el programa de capacitación  de buzo técnico en cueva. Nuestros cursos básicos y avanzados DPV siguen siendoobjeto de examen. El desarrollo de nuestros cursos se basa en nuevastécnica y tecnologías de entrenamiento en el buceo en cuevas y cavernas. 

Nosotros, los instructores de ProTec, estamos teniendo los programasde formación para promover la educación de nuestro horizonte y lacapacidad de enseñar a una base de clientes más diversificada. Patrickestaba tomando el curso Fundamentos GUE como preparación para elfuturo buceador cueva GUE y buzo técnico. Matt tomó elcurso de CCR sobre los programas de formación para el Revo CCR yCCR Sentinel con el fin de poder enseñar a un grupo  más grande de buzos CCR que están interesados en la formación de bucear del CCR(reciclador de circuito cerrado). Nando pronto terminara su programa de buceador CCR KISS clásico y seguirá desarrollando sus habilidades de buceo  en SideMount (laterales) mientras estás tomando un curso avanzado de SideMount con un instructor  experimentado  en buceos de cueva en SideMount.

Exploración  …..

Nando está explorando cuevas con Mauro en el sistema de cuevasMisterio Maya, donde han re mapeado las líneas existentes a fin de establecer qué tan grande es el sistema de cuevas. Después de la nueva encuesta que van a empezar a empujar yexplorar la sistema cueva. Por el momento el sistema de Misterio Mayacueva se encuentra en una longitud de 1994 pies medidos- 608metros. 

Patrick está explorando, cuevas con Mauro en el sistema de cuevasBalan Ak que actualmente medido a una longitud de 8981 pies -2738 metros. Cenote 307 todavía está siendo explorado por Patrick yestá planeando regresar a  al PIT en junio de 2010.

Dear ProTec Friends  

We are back with our Sporadic Newsletter covering diving, training, local affairs and social activities from and within our ProTec Dive Center in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

We are located within the Riviera Maya along the Mexican Caribbean coast and we certainly have good reef and wreck diving but our biggest treasure within the Riviera Maya are the Cenotes and Caves. The crystal clear warm water in the Cenotes is the most special feature in our diving here. Our services range from Cenote guiding, Cavern diving and cave diving either open circuit or close circuit.

We are located within Mom’s Hotel and offer our divers special rates in this small, clean and economic 27 room hotel. As you stay in Moms hotel you have the comfort of knowing your dive gear is never far from you with special ventilated storage areas.

Greetings                                                            

Your ProTec Team

ProTec Dive Center Playa del Carmen – Mexico       www.protecplaya.com

The ProTec Blog

After launching our Blog under www.protecblog.com we really enjoy writing about our adventures, courses, experiences as well as equipment and training related issues.

As we cover a wide range of experiences, view points and issues we cover a variety of languages as well. We publish articles in English, German, Spanish and French.

We invite guest writes who dive with us to share their experiences with us or the within the Riviera Maya. Please come on in and join us with our blog. 

BTS Show New Jersey

ProTec Dive Center had a booth at the 2010 Beneath The Sea dive trade show held annually in March within the New Jersey convention center.

Hans Kaspersetz, a good friend of ours and avid rebreather cave diver who just returned back to the U.S. to live in New Jersey was helping out big time on the booth.

The show was good with a lot of old friends passing by and new friends to be made. Besides the information about our diving destination we offered seat and sugar for the weary, juice and water for the thirsty, apples, bananas and granola bars for the hungry and a shot of Tequila for the wicked. 

BTS Show New Jersey

ProTec Dive Center had a booth at the 2010 Beneath The Sea dive trade show held annually in March within the New Jersey convention center.

Hans Kaspersetz, a good friend of ours and avid rebreather cave diver who just returned back to the U.S. to live in New Jersey was helping out big time on the booth.

The show was good with a lot of old friends passing by and new friends to be made. Besides the information about our diving destination we offered seat and sugar for the weary, juice and water for the thirsty, apples, bananas and granola bars for the hungry and a shot of Tequila for the wicked. 

Upcoming Events 

ProTec is going to the Tacoma Dive Show in Washington State in the Seattle area. We do have a booth # 524 and Matt will be manning the booth. If your feet are tired, you are thirsty, need some food or a shot of Tequila please pass by. We will raffle a cavern course at the end of the show. 

For upcoming courses please have a look at our www.protecplaya.com web page where we have listed all scheduled training programs. Besides the courses posted on our web page we offer custom courses at all times, starting a training programs when you have the time and like to do it.

ProTec is a sponsor for the Riviera Maya Dive Alliance bi-monthly social pool side BBQ held at the Abyss pool on the first and second Saturday of each month. Come by and check it out.

ProTec is a co-organizer and co-host of the annual Xcuba Ha underwater photo contest and competition. This year’s event will be held December 4th – 11th of 2010. Check out our web site under www.divingphotocontest.com.

Training 

We run quarterly IANTD IDC Instructor programs ranging from Cavern Instructor to CCR Cave Instructor. If you are interested please do not hesitate to contact us by email at any time.

After a number of Instructor meetings we have further developed our basic and advanced sidemount cave diver training program as well as the technical cave diver training program. Our basic and advanced DPV courses are still under review. The further development of our existing courses is based on new techniques and technologies in cave diving and cave diver training.

We, the instructors of ProTec, are taking continuing education training programs to further our horizon and the ability to teach a more diversified customer base. Patrick was taking the GUE Fundamentals course as preparation for future GUE cave diver and tec diver training. Matt took the CCR cross over training programs for the CCR rEvo and CCR Sentinel Rebreathers in order to be able to teach a larger group of CCR divers who are interested in CCR cave diver training. Nando will soon finish up his Classic KISS CCR diver program and will further develope his sidemount cave diving skills while taking a advanced sidemount cave diver course from an expeience sidemount cave diving instructor.

Exploration  …..

Nando is cave exploring with Mauro in the cave system Misterio Maya where they have re-surveyed existing guideline in order to establish how large the cave system is. After the re-survey they are going to start to push and explore the cave sustem. At the moment the Misterio Maya cave system is at a surveyed length of 1994 feet – 608 meters.

Patrick is cave exploring with Mauro in the Balan Ak cave system which is currently surveyed to a lenght of 8981 feet – 2738 meters. Cenote 307 is still being explored by Patrick and he is planning to go back to the Pit in June of 2010.

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Stress in Cave Diving

Stress is a phenomenon that may, if unchecked, lead to panic and result in an accident. Cave divers are exposed to most known stresses measured by psychologists.

Like wrecks or diving under ice, caves present us with an overhead environment. This means we can not escape directly to the surface as we do in open water diving. Caves are dark. They usually present us with choices. Deciding which passage to take in an apparently never-ending maze can create its own sources of stress. As we review each stress source it will become apparent how these environmental hazards add to stress.

Time pressure – stress is present in a wide number of scenarios. In its most simple form, time pressure stress involves matching the gas supply to the time the dive will take. This expands into a major problem when a dive plan has been exceeded and the gas supply is running low. In this instance uninformed divers may actually compound the problem by increasing their breathing rates.

Preparing for a dive can also cause stress. For example, if one diver is already suited and enters the water and his or her partner has an equipment problem and removes his gear to make repairs, time stresses both divers – the one who has to wait and the one who is causing the delay because he has to catch up.

Distance – presents a major time pressure stress. The greater the distance to open water, the more time stress has to build. The greatest danger in distance-related stress is the perceived time-pressure threat. In this case the perception is usually greater than the actual threat. There have been numerous instances where divers become so stressed out, they forget basic but important rules for cave diving. Time pressure stress can also build when a diver looks at his decompression clock.

Confinement – is an obvious source of stress. This is usually lurking in the recesses of the mind and comes into play when other stresses are introduced. Confinement couples time-pressure stress with the distance factor. The reaction to bolt toward the surface is overcome by overhead training that discourages thinking about the traditional escape route. In this way confinement stress is managed.

Task loading – occurs when divers must perform more tasks than they think they can simultaneously handle. Task loading can happen when a diver is trying to do three simple things at once – manage a reel, light the pathway ahead while swimming in a normal, correct, relaxed manner. Add to this a Diver Propulsion Vehicle ( DPV ) and / or other specialized items, and the apparent overloading of a cave diver’s comfort zone is evident.

Incorrect breathing patterns – lead to serious stress related incidents. Incorrect breathing results from compounding stress, or simply by not breathing correctly. Incorrect breathing is a major cause of stress. To breath correctly, practice diaphragm breathing exercises. When diving, always concentrate on breathing slowly and deeply until it becomes a reflex reaction.

Once a pattern of incorrect breathing has begun, a vicious cycle develops. The pattern is often so subtle a diver may not even recognize it. Examples of stressful breathing include hyperventilation or rapid breathing ( usually shallow ) resulting in a feeling of air starvation. This is frequently sensed as regulator failure. A diver who fails to exhale and keeps inhaling in small gulps until his lungs are full often feels his regulator is faulty. Hypo ventilation, most often, results from a concerted effort to skip breathe. This often produces a CO2 excess that may lead to unconsciousness.

When first becoming aware of stress or a feeling of discomfort, it’s important that a diver does stop all activity, exhale slowly and fully, and then inhale slowly and fully. This breathing pattern should be repeated at least three times before resuming the dive. The diver should then continue breathing slowly and fully using his diaphragm muscles. Discomfort can almost always be alleviated by this method.

A good way to avoid breathing stress is to develop a swim pace that allows acceptable forward momentum, while maintaining a correct, comfortable respiratory pattern. Accelerating one’s swimming stroke will frequently lead to uncontrolled breathing. It can even produce a sensation of uneasiness.

Physical Factors of Stress

Exertion and thermal imbalance produce stress by being either too hot or too cold. An aware diver should be able to control these simply by monitoring comfort levels and using adequate thermal protection. Factors such as overexertion, new equipment, bad fit of equipment, new cave, bad visibility or strong current can induce physical stress as well.

Psychological Factors of Stress

Ego threats, or peer pressure are indirect sources of stress. They frequently lead to attempting feats beyond our personal ability or comfort level. Diving with a new partner, long distance cave penetrations and task loading can add to psychological stress.

Disorientation is always a problem when exploring overhead environments. Most caves feature multiple passages (mazes). This presents the possibility of becoming lost. The proper use of line arrows and guide lines should offset this source of stress. One of the leading causes of cave death is the failure to follow a continuous guide line. Other stresses include buoyancy problems, excessive dependency on another diver and real or perceived physical threats.

Darkness or loss of visibility produce stress due to sensory loss. This can be due to a light malfunction, low visibility, turbid water or silt outs. While this should not be a major consequence, when combined with other stresses and performance inhibitors, it can lead to threatening situations. This condition may be avoided through proper lighting systems and good technique.

The most serious form of stress is “compound stress.” It occurs when more than one stress source is involved. Compound stress is more difficult to manage than individual sources of stress. However, in reality, it is very common to have more than one source or form of stress on a dive. If stress is not controlled, it may, lead to panic. Panic is a life threatening event.

Signs and Symptoms of Stress

Telltale signs, or symptoms of stress, can be prevented by early recognition. Personal indicators of stress often include an uneasy feeling, unusual anxiety or apprehension irritability. Our intuitive hunches will attempt to tell us if there is reason for stress. Becoming tuned with our inner self is imperative for stress-free diving. This degree of awareness also takes training and the use of mind control techniques.

Visual indicators of stress include but are not limited to big eyed look, increased respiration, failure to communicate, fixation on gauges, changes in swim pace, inability to do skill, freezing up, clumsiness and tensing up.

Control of stress can be accomplished through increased self awareness. Frequently the stressed diver is unaware of an increase in respiration. A buddy, who notices his or her dive partner breathing quickly or unusually, should immediately alert him and momentarily remain at rest until the breathing problem is solved. To control stress we must first be aware of it and then execute a corrective action. When dealing with stress we must remember its cause may be either real or perceived. It frequently manifests itself by a change in respiration.

We must recognize some common behavioral modifications that can result in mental narrowing or more aptly becoming unfocused as it relates to problem solving. This condition is also referred to as “tunnel vision”. By becoming overtly focused, the diver may lose his or her ability to correctly analyze situations and to perform many skills, both newly learned and well known. Tunnel vision can compound the problem because of perceived task loading. This type of behavioral change, if not corrected, may lead to panic. The ability to focus the mind on problem solving is paramount in these situations. Physiological adaptations are created by behavioral modifications. Included are increased respiration, increased heart rate, abnormal adrenaline release and the urge to flee.

For survival, it’s imperative we compensate for behavioral and physiological changes. The tools that will enable us to control stress in all its manifestations include awareness, adequate training and the application of newly acquired skills. We must develop a new discipline or attitude. We must be able to instantly recognize a real threat (instead of a perceived one) and we must instinctively make the right moves, take the right corrective actions to avoid disaster.

Awareness is developed through a process of both self and group analysis. Awareness must become automatic. To accomplish this we employ the process of mental visualization prior to actually diving. By running the dive through our mind prior to diving can result in a safer dive. Awareness also opens the mind’s ability to detect changes in dive performance that otherwise would go unnoticed in either your self or your dive companions. During the dive ask yourself, am I comfortable ?. Is everything really OK ?. Observe team members and their comfort levels and listen for changes in respiratory rates.

Personal training needs to be ongoing even after the course has been finished. It is key to maintaining a record of safe diving. To do this, we must continue to regularly practice relevant skills. We must continually evaluate and configure equipment so it’s easy to use and every element is accessible and works dependably. Routinely review your skills to make every dive safer. As your interests expand, seek additional training for specialty areas in cave diving. Select team members who share your interests and training objectives. Through anticipation of upcoming stress, elimination of stress factor through continuing training with continuing skill practice and preparation for upcoming dives a lot of the stress factors can be reduced or eliminated. A certain amount of stress is good for us and keeps us sharp, to much stress is harmful to us.