Mexico 2006

I kept a log whilst I was in Mexico and wrote far too much to bore people with on here so I've put up the daily logs on my blog and written a shorter version for the net.

I was diving with Zero Gravity and got there to be met by Fred Devos. Fred is DIR Mexico’s newest GUE Fundamentals/Cave 1 Instructor but has been teaching with other cave agencies for a long time. He’s quiet and a very modest guy, who has a passion for the caves, for Mexico and for exploration which is, like everything about Fred, understated but clearly runs deep. Fred and I were joined on four of the days by Steve from Seattle.

During the week we did 18 cave dives, some at sites I have done before, some at new sites and some new lines in familiar sites. So - some highlights.....

Car Wash
I have always liked Car Wash - it is an old cave and the formations are yellow in form and rounded where they have been softened by thousands of years of water passing by. The tunnel reminded me of Little River in Florida in places – although the number of decorations reminded you that it was Mexico after all. One of the other teams had jumped off the mailine to the Room of Tears so I placed a non directional marker to indicate the way we had come and kept going.

The passage got progressively tighter and changed depth a lot making an interesting profile until it suddenly changed and widened into a beautiful room – Angelita’s Room – which is full of thousands of delicate formations almost Grand Cenote like in appearance. Unfortunately, whilst the passage to Angelita’s room is tight – beyond it is tighter still and it was time to head for home.

A turtle on deco added to the dive – once I realised that it wasn’t a crocodile

No Hoch and work to do

I wanted to go back to No Hoch since I first dived there earlier this year – this is truly the most beautiful place on earth and my first dive here made every training dive I had ever done, every moment I had ever spent in the water, every pound I have spent on kit, worth it a thousand times over. No photograph can do this place justice, no description can ever replace going there. The one phrase I hear from divers who get to go is that it is a privilege to see something so beautiful and rare.

Today I get to pay the cave a tiny, tiny bit back for the pleasure it gives me. The Mexican Cave Diving safety committee which Danny from DIR Mexico is on, has decided that the gold line in the cave has to be replaced as it is encouraging divers to stray too far from the line thus damaging a greater section of cave. Fred has brought three reels, one full of new white line to put in the cave and two empty, to receive the gold line we take out. The work has already been started and for the first 1500 feet we just get to dive and marvel once again that nature can create something like this cave.

Eventually we get to the gold line and Fred starts to lay white line below the gold, matching it wrap for wrap. My job is to remove any line marker from the mainline and place it in an identical way on the new line below. We move along until gas limits are reached and it is time to return. It takes a few minutes to secure the new line and then Fred cuts the gold line which we have replaced – ready to connect it to the new line.

It is a funny feeling seeing a mainline cut in a cave. It sure springs back a long way.

Fred then takes out an empty reel and starts to wind in the gold line that is no longer needed. It has been a reasonably successful exercise – we fill a large reel with what we take out and hopefully it will help protect this delicate and rare environment for a bit longer.

We return to the start of the mainline and then recalculate gas underwater for another dive. I head off in the lead on this one – down Parker’s line then turn on to Charlie’s line. From formations as tall as a house to pencil thin ‘straws’ which line up thousand upon thousand until there is no room for any more. On and on this goes, winding up and down, the passage goes through ever changing scenery which I just cannot find the words to describe.

We hit the second T which is the limit of my training so I turn the dive and we head out. Funny how no matter how hard you try to take it all in on the way in it always feels like you missed it all on the way out – the cave is different and the scenery is just as mind blowing again. We get back to the reel and look towards the cenote but there is nothing to see – it is dark outside as we have been underwater a whopping 2 hours 10 minutes. My husband who had come along to snorkel at the cenote is looking a bit worried as we surface, he never expected us to be that long although we were careful to say that we may be several hours.

Mayan Blue

Another memorable cave is Mayan Blue. I’d heard about this cave from Bob and was keen to see it.

We arrived at the cenote amid a cloud of mosquitoes who all appeared set on having European for lunch

We did our checks and when I put my mask on to check Fred for bubbles I looked down into a shoal of Tetra's which must have numbered several hundred. I’m really not keen on these fish – they are related to pirhana and have very visible teeth – especially when up close like this. I ask Fred and Steve to hurry up and get on with the dive so I can get away from them which amuses Fred greatly. “OK – Clare is scared of some two inch long fish so she is going cave diving instead”

We head in to A tunnel which after yesterday’s Grecian cathedral appears like a gothic nightmare. Green water with white walls and black formations which snake down the sides of the tunnel which widens out into huge rooms. When we surface I ask Fred why it is called Mayan Blue as it is Mayan green, dank and dirty as far as I can see. He tells me that I’ll see from the next dive.

Dive two is B tunnel and I lead us in – or at least try to. Fred has indicated where the opening is and told me it is quite tight – but I drop down over the large rock pile that he pointed to and can’t see any opening. I persevere and eventually spot a gap between two large rocks which appears to continue down – I stick my head in and sure enough there is space behind it.

This deeper tunnel is below the halocline and the salt water has bleached the white limestone brilliant white. The water around our torches glows blue in colour – all around – and the halocline is visible just above us for much of the dive as a white shimmering line edged with blue. Formations here are fewer in number but white and the cave broadens out to large rooms again – each shaped very dramatically by the salt water layer. We surface and the mosquitoes greet us like a long lost lunch.

Temple of Doom

I had a small inkling that something challenging may be ahead when Fred said kit up your next set of tanks here and stay in your drysuit as there won’t be anywhere to get ready at the next site. He then asked how I felt about giant strides….and whether I had been to Landenouse in France.

Uh oh.

Welcome to the Temnple of Doom. A tiny cenote in the jungle where one large and two small openings have fallen in to reveal the cave below. The Mexican name for the cenote means Skull but it has become known as the Temple of Doom.

“When you get to the top you have to jump” said Fred. Or I’ll throw you in”

OK – so that’s peer pressure then.

I kitted up and hiked up to the cenote ahead of Fred, it was about 100 yards but the rocks were no where near as bad as No Hoch so it was relatively easy going. I got there and there were two lads sitting sunning themselves by the edge – “wow I bet that’s heavy” they said. “Sure is” I replied.

“Bloody hell – it’s a girl”.

First time someone has noticed that for a while

I eyed the cenote and found what I thought was the lowest point of the rim to jump in from and got ready – to have Fred arrive and say no – you want to be over here.

OK – look forward and jump.

This is taking it’s time…

Am I going to land soon…

This is going to hurt….

Arrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhh ahhhhhhhhhhhh J

That wasn’t that bad. I’m not even going to think about getting out now though.

We set off past the cavern line to the Madonna Passage. It is a truly beautiful cave well below the halocline so white with a blue tint wherever the light catches it. I saw a package which had carbon tablets in it with an email address for those who would like further information about a project based at Bristol university. We turned left at the first T and proceeded through the cave past more limestone so blue white that washing powder adverts would weep. A second T meant that the dive was called at a beautiful bright white stalactite which hung over the cave like a massive icicle.

We headed back to the Cavern line where we recalculated gas and then moved the reel to the second line in the cave, the Canyons. More food for the senses, here there was a narrow passage which was about the size of the gallery in Ginnie but which had a halocline about three meters above the line which shone blue and white. We turned right at the first T on to a white survey line which took us through older parts of the cave where formations and the passages were rounded and delicate straws were hidden off to the sides – each would have been fun to stop and look at for ages but we pressed on.

Suddenly we were at the icicle in ceiling again – the one we had seen at the end of the first dive and the second T of this dive was exactly where we had ended the first. Cave 1 limits preclude circuits and there would be no reel waiting for us at the exit so we had no option but to retrace our steps. No hardship really with all that to look at on the way out.

The way out.

Hmmmmm…..

Well there is a ladder – of sorts. A vertical metal one which has nothing at the top to grab hold of apart from a very shaky looking tree stump. The only good thing about getting out is that you know that you would have enough time to reflect on your error before hitting the water.

Like most things – it wasn’t as bad as it appeared. The heat and the mosquitoes just added to the pleasure I assure you. Cave diving – it’s a damn good job that the caves are worth the hassle of getting got them. But they are – every damn bit of it.

I was sad to say goodbye to Mexico again. I made arrangements to come back next autumn before I left – can’t imagine not having a date in the diary to look forward to really, and I hope to see Fred and Chris before that too. If you are thinking about going – stop thinking and do it.

Oh yes – I did one ocean dive whilst I was here. Saw some fish.