So Zach has been certified to dive for about a year now and you’re been on like what?
80 dives?
Something like that?
So we can’t come to cave country and go cave diving and not let him at least get a
little taste of what it’s about.
So today we’re going with our favorite cave instructor Christine Loew and we’re going
to see Tajma Ha.
Tajma Ha is a cenote located in the jungle of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula.
Before the dive, Christine gives us a quick rundown of the plan.
Since Zach is not cave certified, this will be what divers call a “cavern dive,” which
means we must stay within sight of the entrance at all times.
It is an overhead environment but you are not cave trained, so we need to limit it to
the cavern area.
Should we do it?
I think we should do it!
Because Christine is a cave diving instructor, she is allowed to bring open water certified
divers into the cavern zone under her supervision.
We cart our stuff down to the cenote and start suiting up.
Awesome!
Beautiful!
Are you ready?
Rock and roll!
Switch on your lights!
Let’s go.
Dropping into the crystal clear water, Zach gets his first glimpse of the thrill of cave
diving.
And he already has his frog kick perfected.
[Zach] I’ve spent a lot of time editing footage of cave dives, so I thought I knew
what to expect, but actually being here in this environment is unlike anything I could
have imagined.
Even though we’re not far from the entrance and we are technically not cave diving, there
are still great formations to be seen.
[Zach] These formations are so interesting.
I have seen them in dry caves, but underwater it’s a totally different experience.
It’s way cooler.
We can even get deep enough in the cavern zone to find the halocline, which is the transition
from the fresh water above to the salt water below.
And you can actually see the boundary between them like oil floating on vinegar in salad
dressing.
[Zach] Swimming through the halocline is a little disorienting.
When the salt and fresh water mix, it makes everything look out of focus.
But I keep my eyes on Christine and follow her through it.
It’s hard to believe that we can still see the entrance from here, but the water has
exceptional visibility.
Soon we pass a big tree trunk.
What’s that doing way down here?
Well, it turns out we’ve made it over to another entrance to the cenote system where
we can pop up and have a chat before heading back.
It’s getting late in the day so we need to be back to the entrance while there is
still sunlight to be seen.
Christine demonstrates that some of the formations are made from semi-transparent crystal.
Finally we arrive back at the entrance where we started.
[Zach] I’m disappointed that the dive is already over!
It feels like we’ve only been in the water for a few minutes, and there’s so much more
to see.
I can’t wait to start my cave diver training so I can really experience what these caves
have to offer.
Oh my god!
Incredible!
Great fun right?
So Zach, what did you think of your first cavern dive?
I mean it was so cool.
It was just like flying through another world.
It was very incredible.
So are you ready to get full cave certified now?
You better believe it!
Alright, well, we will need Christine’s services again!
We will be seeing her soon!