Smmcdonald
Mexico
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Nº59
Date: 2015-08-07 - 14:32
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Max Depth: 7.3m Duration: 38mins
Dive Location
- Temp: Surf 37°C Bottom 25°C
- Dive type : Recreational, Cavern
- Visibility: Excellent Water: Fresh
Specific gear used
- BCD: Scubapro - Nighthawk
- Camera: GoPro - Hero3+
- Computer: Scubapro - Luna
- Fins: Scubapro - Twin Jet
- Mask: Genesis - Panview
- Regulator: Scubapro - AIR2
- Regulator: Scubapro - MK21/S560
- Wet suit: Henderson - 3mm
- Weights: 5.4 kg
Dive reviews
| Overall review | ||
| Dive difficulty | ||
| Marine life quality |
Recent Divers in Cenote Kukulkan
Recent Pictures in Cenote Kukulkan
Dive Shop & Buddies
Dive with Mario Pacheco from Dive Aventuras
Dive buddies:
Jennifer McDonald,
Elliott Thomas
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Dive Profile
- 1. Air
- 10L Aluminium 207 → 108 bar
- Average depth: 3.6m
Data provided by EOL.org
Species Identified
Rocio octofasciata (Regan, 1903) (jack dempsey)
Gambusia yucatana Regan, 1914 (yucatan gambusia)
Rhamdia guatemalensis (Günther, 1864) (pale catfish)
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Our first cenote dive! The site was just across the main highway from the entrance to Puerto Aventuras beach area and the dive shop/Omni resort. Just off the road, a different world appeared and we got a glimpse of the Yucatan on a different level! A beautiful place, with very resourceful people. All matters of what first appeared as trash, I noticed they re-use everything they have at their disposal. Past the entrance, we meandered down a dirt road to the end where among a few shacks were several cenotes, the most noted being Chak Mool.
Our guide, Mario, is Mayan. He is also the brother of Froylan, our guide from yesterday. Mario is very boisterous, and seemed genuinely friendly. Resourceful himself, he saved Elle's dive by rigging her a new fin strap. (She had lost hers on the last dive the day before when she removed her fin for the last dive, but did not know it.) Lesson learned--check dive gear before every dive! To help acclimate us to the water, and get our wetsuit on (or just generally for fun), we walked down to the first cenote entrance, the "Little Brother" and jumped in--or rather stepped into--the water. It was very refreshing, and I decided a hood and gloves were not needed after all. Water that is 76 degrees isn't as bad when you aren't transitioning from 85 degree water, like at the quarry. We climbed out, donned our gear, and walked a little further down the sandy path to the entrance of Kukulkan.
When we first submerged, I noticed a stream of bubbles coming from behind Jen. Elle and Mario noticed, too, as he checked the connection under water before having us surface to do a quick adjustment. Submerging again, the air continued to escape. We surfaced once more, and Mario--ever the resourceful dive guide--pulled from one of his pockets an extra o-ring and quickly switched them out. That did the trick! We submerged again and were quickly on our way to tour the cenote.
Outstanding! It's hard to describe the experience. We had the place to ourselves, the water was clear and refreshing, and the thrill of it was almost overwhelming. We started shallow along the wall in the open area, greeted by a large white koi, and spotting several small freshwater fish and a turtle, before moving on under the ledge and into darker areas where we found several large openings into caves filled with stalactites and other formations. We continued to circumnavigate the outer edge of the main area counter-clockwise, exploring the holes and crevices, but never venturing too far and always in site of light from the entrance. Mario pointed out a few features, including a fossilized brain coral in the ceiling of a large overhang. Near the entrance, the air collected on the ceiling and bubbled up the sloped contour toward the water's surface. This made a roaring sound much like a muffled waterfall, though less intense. Back near the entrance, there was a large cave that went on further than my flashlight could penetrate. This cenote connects to Chak Mool, and I think the cave may be the way. There's a sign at the entrance that reads "Prevent your death! Go no farther." So, I didn't. From there we headed back to the entrance, taking a short final break as a few divers entered and swam by. We were again greeted by the same white koi as we left the entrance, and stepped back onto dry land.
Jen and Elle, and my experience were notably different. While they felt nervous (Elle noticably so whenever we got close to one of the small caves to pear in), we all enjoyed the dive. But I didn't feel nervous like I thought I would. To me, the water was so clear and I was so caught up in the scenery, I would sometimes forget I was under water! It was like exploring a cavern, but weightless! If you wanted to see something on the ceiling a little closer, all you had to do was float up to it! Not being stuck on the ground like in a dry cave has it's advantages! Jen doesn't like the dark, and the cenote had some pretty dark places, even in the open area. She seemed to relax later in the dive, though, and said she really did enjoy it.
Note: After yeterday's experience, and with wearing the wet suit, I used 12 lbs of weight. This proved too heavy in the fresh, still water.