Sidemount dive in Sistema Dream Gate

by | Apr 8, 2009 | Sidemount

I just returned from an awesome sidemount 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

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