We started of with the caves in the north diving in Ponderosa in the River Run and Little Joe Line as well as Taj Maha where we visited the Chinese Garden Line and the Twin Cenotes. Very nice dives to get to know each other without breaking distance records or squeezing through the tightest restrictions. It also gave Marc the possibility to fine tune his gear since it was the first time back in sidemount configuration after his course with Brian Kakuk in the Bahamas. The main difference being that here we mainly use aluminium tanks and not steel like he had used before.
After that we moved further south to dive in Nohoch Nah Chich where we made a first dive on the main upstream line enjoying the massive decorations and wide rooms. Second dive was downstream which is somewhat darker and smaller but with its dark silted floors and white decorations definitely one of my favourites! I also just have to admit that I like smaller cave.
Next stop was Cenote Dreamgate were we did two dives on the upstream side. Both really fantastic dives filled with beautiful decorations and lots of ups and downs and some nice restrictions and generally lots of nice small cave a bit further back. A very unique Cenote with fragile flow riffled sediment beds, bizarre dense roots and highly decorated passage ways. Once you are a bit further in, there are lines all over the place and all around. Some very narrow angled T intersections without permanent marker and lines literally leading into every little crack around. It is not a big deal but proper marking and focus on navigation is a must. Also keeping track of your comfort zone is important as you move through ever smaller and siltier cave.
After that we went down to Tulum on the Coba Road to dive out of Lukes Hope Cenote. On the first dive we passed through the room of tears to check out the Ts in the back. I always like the combination of the breath taking decorations and nice restricted tunnels. It must have been an amazing thrill for the explorer to find that beautiful section of the cave right behind that little narrow passage. Second dive was done to adrianas room which is really nice too especially in sidemount gear since it allows you to venture passed the mayor restrictions that limit the “general” dive traffic and therefore impact to the cave.
The Last day we spent in Pet Cemetary Cenote. One of my favourite places since Hans first showed it to me, hands down. First dive was towards Cenote I hop and the jump to the right which leads through some insane awesome sidemount passage that just keeps on going. A couple restrictions force you to at least super man one cylinder but due to the very small amount of silt and hard rock definitely doable. It is really a great line that keeps you busy every second of every minute. Second dive was done on the X-Line which is equally a great dive. There is just a crazy amount of pristine cave there which is not only beautiful for its crystal white formations but also super fun to dive due to the ups and downs and tight restrictions.
All in all I had a great week with awesome sidemount diving as well as nice chats in between dives and cool stories about Brian and the caves on the Bahamas.