Category — Complexe Navigation

I just finished a cave course with three guys from Guadalajara. After the whole swine flu disaster and flights canceling it was cool to be back in my normal day to day routine. The group consisted of Hector, Oscar and Juan David being the students and Santiago assisting to move a step closer on becoming a cave instructor. The three guys had previous experience in technical diving and all the necessary equipment which gave them a good head start.

On the first day we met in Pro Tec and started of with a little introduction and a bit of theory. We spoke about the course, equipment, communication and the value of proper trim and buoyancy. After that we put the gear together and configured it cave diving style just before we took of to Cenote Xtabay. Once we arrived there we started with training the basic positions for the different fining techniques. The best way to do that in my opinion is to lay flat on a table with your fins on. Afterwards we went down to the waters edge only with our masks and fins to train the techniques in water but without the double tanks. It is way easier to focus on what your legs, ankles and feet have to do without having to think about neutral buoyancy in the same time. After about an hour we went to get the rest of our gear and submerged to try all of the propulsion techniques in full equipment. Of course nobody was perfect after that session but we made an important step towards being able to maintain position in one spot which is necessary to maintain visual contact with the guideline, the cave and the rest of the team at ALL times.

All in all it was a very long but very productive day that we finished at about 7pm.

On the next day,we changed a couple of things on the equipment and configuration that we had figured out the day before while practicing and then quickly loaded the truck to make our way towards Cenote Cristalino.

There we started with basic line drills in between the trees namely how to lay line and how to follow it in zero visibility. First we trained independently, and later as a team.

Juan David, Hector and Oscar training zero visibility exit

 After the lunch brake we geared up and started with a review of the fining techniques of the day before. I used the time and placed a line circuit in the open water area of the Cenote that we would use to train different skills, drills and techniques to prepare ourselves as good as we can before moving into the overhead environment. We spend hours going around the circuit training emergency drills, zero visibility and focusing on team diving and clear communication. It also became apparent to everyone how task loading can result into stress and the stress blocking clear and proper problem solution thinking.

The team training touch contact; Santiago taking notes

The next day we were set and ready to go cave diving. First location was Jardin Del Eden aka Ponderosa but before we entered the water we quickly reviewed line protocol and line laying when multiple teams are involved.

Once in the water we worked ourselves through bubble checks, gear matching, dive briefing and setting limits for the dive. After that we dropped down and started our dive with s-drills. I lead the first dive to demonstrate the use of the reel with the light and how to secure tie offs and route the line.

On the second dive already Oscar was the team leader and so the three headed of into the inky darkness. As expected mistakes where made and so we used the time left after the second dive to stay in the water and continue to train our “basic skills” such as buoyancy, trim and propulsion.

The next day we came back to ponderosa to do longer cave dives including emergency drills on the exit portion of the dive. We did a total of three dives that day including a zero visibility exit, an out of air scenario and switching donor while exiting as well as an out of air drill that was followed by zero visibility. All of the above we had successfully trained in the open water before and now it was time to use the learned in a simulated emergency in the cave.

The Team Training Touch Contact U/W

That evening we continued on with some theory and the decision that Hector would stop at the Introductory Cave Level to built up experience and confidence before moving up to the cave diver level. He spent the next days finishing his Intro course with Nando and later going on some awesome guided dives.

I continued the next day with Oscar and Juan David in Taj Maha. We started in the parking lot to discuss lost line and lost diver procedures and protocols before we jumped in the water for two cave dives including many different drills such as light failure, out of air drill, zero visibility, lost diver, lost line amongst others. Because the two where exceptionally skilled we even started with navigation on the second dive involving one jump.

The next day we returned to Taj Maha but this time instead of diving downstream like the day before we dove upstream to incorporate restrictions and some more navigation in our training. Of course we continued with the usual out of air, zero visibility drills in every single dive. Coming back to Pro Tec we used the time in the evening to finish up on some more theory and talk about circuits and traverses before calling it a day.

Next morning we drove to Minotauro. It is not a usual site for me to visit during a course since the cave is smaller, fragile and definitely not suited for 99% of people that are still in or have recently finished their cave training. However the two guys where working hard the days before and with their previous technical diving experience had the necessary skills to dive there. We used the first dive to prepare the circuit and attempted to execute it on the second dive. That combined with some exercises made for a great day in the jungle and two awesome cave dives. By the smile on their faces it was easy to tell that the two had fallen in love with cave diving.

On the last day of the course we decided to drive all the way to Tulum to see the difference between the caves that are further north and the caves in the south of the Riviera Maya. We decided to do two dives towards the Cuza Nah Loop. On one dive I would be with them and the other one they would do by themselves to verify that everything that they had learned in the past days was working as well without an instructor watching their every move.

It was a great day and the perfect finish for a cool course. On the way back we stopped in Tulum to get some ice cream which is simply a tradition that can’t be broken!

The last day before they left, we all, including Hector with Nando did a last dive in Nohoch Nah Chich. Oscar, Juan David and I made our way downstream while Hector and Nando decided to the dive the upstream section. It was a fantastic day with insane weather and due to the swine flu situation almost no people which created a wonderful silence around the Cenote.

All in all a great 9 days with a genuine nice group of people, lovely weather and the breathtaking beauty of the caverns and caves here in the Riviera Maya.

Letzten Sonntag machte ich mich auf mit Hans, meinem Tauchpartner, um den Jump Richtung Cenote Pabilani zu suchen. Unsere Ausrüstung bestand aus drei 12ltr Flaschen, einer 5ltr Flasche und einem Scooter.

Nachdem wir all die Ausrüstung an und verstaut hatten gingen wir noch einmal den Tauchplan durch und ab ging’s.

Zuerst der Grottenleine entlang bis zum Warnzeichen und dort den Jump zur permanenten Höhlenleine. Grand Cenote ist eine wunderschön dekorierte Höhle und der Haupteingang zum Zweitgrößten Unterwasserhöhlensystem der Welt namens Sac Actun (Weiße Höhle) und der Name ist Programm.

Mit dem Scooter ging es bis zum Jump zu Paso de Largato und dann weiter zum Jump Richtung Lithium Sunset. Eine absolut traumhafte Strecke mit vielen Ups und Downs und Richtungsänderungen. An manchen Stellen wird es jedoch ein wenig enger und es empfiehlt sich den Scooter zu schwimmen. Generell fahre ich in diesem Abschnitt eh etwas langsamer, einfach um die wunderschöne Höhle besser genießen zu können.

Am „T” wo es runter geht zum Lithium Sunset dreht man dann nach rechts Richtung Norden ungefähr 100M und dann nach einer weiteren 90° rechts Kurve ist der unmarkierte Jump nach links Richtungen Cenote Pabilani. Kurz nach dem Jump geht’s durch eine ziemliche niedrige Bedding Plane wo der Abstand zwischen Decke und Boden gerade Mal einen Meter ausmacht. Die Passage hat jedoch wenige Sedimente am Boden und dadurch ist es relative einfach zu bewältigen. Danach schwimmt man durch einen absolut traumhaften Teil dieser Höhle und ganz ehrlich gesagt ab jetzt mein neuer Lieblingstunnel in Sac Actun. Die Decke ist übersät mit Tropfsteinen, die wie kleine Vorhänge herunterhängen und ein Stückchen weiter kommt man dann an hellbraunen Stalaktiten vorbei. Die sind knappe 1,5m lang und mit dem hell weißen Hintergrund sind sie ein definitives Highlight dieses Tauchgangs.

Der generelle Trend der Höhle hier ist Richtung Westen und es gibt einige Jumps rauf in den Norden, die ich bis jetzt noch nicht betaucht habe. Mit Ausnahme der Bedding Plane am Beginn des Seils ist dieser Abschnitt der Höhle auf jeden Fall für den Scooter geeignet. Aus diesem Grund haben wir beschlossen, das nächste Mal nicht die Abkürzung über Lithium Sunset zu benützen, wo wir die Scooter nach 20min ablegen müssen weil der Tunnel zu klein wird, sondern den ganzen Weg außen rum zu fahren. An Bosh Chen und Calimba weiter und dann runter Richtung Süden an dem Jump zu First Hope und Cenote Azteca vorbei.

Alles in Allem ist das zwar um einiges weiter (ca. 250-400m) aber es sollte definitive einfacher sein mit den Scootern durchzufahren. Um den Tauchgang etwas bequemer zu machen werden wir auf jeden Fall einen Tag zuvor ein paar Depot Flaschen auf dem Weg ablegen, damit wir nicht so beladen sind.

Alle Exkursionen in diese Region bieten eine tolle Möglichkeit Erfahrung im scootern und sidemounten zu sammeln und das ganze technisch nicht zu schwierig, aber dafür mit vielen traumhaften Dekorationen. Die maximal Tiefe von 15m und die Verwendung von Nitrox geben dazu noch den Vorteil von nahezu endlosen Nullzeiten.

Nach 140min waren wir wieder zurück am Ausgang und nun blieb uns nur noch das ganze „Gerödel” wieder über die unzähligen Treppen hoch zu meinem Pick Up Truck zu schleppen. Dafür belohnten wir uns auf dem nach Hause weg noch mit Eiscreme in Puerto Aventuras.

Alles in allem ein traumhafter Tag mit einem tollen sehr abwechslungsreichen Tauchgang und neuen Ideen für zukünftige, längere Tauchgänge und hoffentlich bald einer erfolgreichen Traverse zu Cenote Pabilani.

Für Wegbeschreibungen, Stikmaps oder geführten Tauchgängen schaut doch einfach bei uns im Laden vorbei oder meldet euch via E-Mail.

Gut Luft,

Patrick

I just returned from an awesome dive in Sistema Dream Gate which is located a little bit south of the main entrance to  Sistema Dos Ojos.

It was a super sweet dive with my buddies Alex and Ross. The road to the Cenote is a bit bumpy but once you are there it is 100% worth it. The Cenote is wonderful and the installed platforms and pulley system makes tank handling super easy plus you are parked right on top of the water.

The line for both up and downstream start right in the open water and are used as well for Cavern Tours.

We dove the downstream section since that heads towards another system that I know already and I was curious to see similarities. We started of following the cavern line until we reached the first jump that was heading in eastern direction (and later turned south). The Cave is exactly the way I like it, shallow, not too big, some ups and downs and lefts and rights and breathtaking decorations.

I really enjoyed every single second of this dive. Flow is very minor but on the 50min swim out we definitely felt it. Another interesting aspect of this cave is the complexity of the system. In the round 80min in we encountered several Ts and Jumps together 21 to be precise, which means one can spend quite some time diving in this place without having seen even half of what this system has to offer.

Although we choose to dive all three of us in sidemount configuration, the cave is definitely easily accessible in back mount, at least the first 40-50min in on the main line, after that it pinches down into a bedding plane type cave with plenty of horizontal space but low ceiling floor height.

The Cave has incredible nice colors and formation which are in many ways similar to Dos Ojos and on the way you encounter several air domes and a surreal tannic acid dome.

On the floor are clear defined flow riffles that bare witness to the huge amount of water which used to flow through these passages thousands of years ago. I can’t avoid this feeling of being a time traveller looking into the long gone and forgotten past.

Another feature that took my attention was a thin crack in the ceiling reminding me of an earthquake line also filled with this bizarre looking greenish tannic water.

I can definitely recommend anyone to go and check this place out, you will not regret it. A little warning though, there is almost no rock floor but generally thick sediment and quiet low ceiling, so good bouncy skills and good trim is an essential to dive this place.

If you are intersted to dive there or have any further questions about the system or this dive in particular please don’t hesitate to contact me at patrick@protecplaya.com

Dive Safe

Patrick