Take the Cenote Tour
Haunting in their beauty and largely unexplored, vast networks of underwater caves span the North American continent, from California and Missouri to Florida and the Yucatán. For divers who venture into this alien and sometimes hostile environment, preparation is essential. “Many experts estimate that less than 1 percent of the recreational diving population possesses the knowledge, skills, attitude, and judgment needed to cave dive as safely as possible,” says Johnny Richards, a former attorney who now works full-time as a cave diving instructor in northern Florida and runs the informational Web site CaveDiving.com.
Indeed, more than 430 people have died while cave diving since 1960. The National Speleological Society warns that prospective divers must be well trained and cognizant of all the risks associated with cave diving. “Interviews with the surviving dive buddies suggest that frequently the divers originally planned only to take a quick peek ‘just inside the cave entrance,’” the society reports. “In many instances the divers got into trouble immediately. In other cases, they decided to continue farther into the cave despite their plan and became hopelessly lost.”
If you are still set on exploring these underwater worlds after calculating the risks, you must “first become a certified scuba diver and accumulate open water diving experience. Then seek out a cavern and cave diving course,” the society advises (see “Recommended Resources,” for links to instructors authorized by the National Speleological Society and the National Association for Cave Diving). For the diver with the right preparation and equipment, though, the payoff is entry into a remarkable alternate world.
Where to use your new skills? Although underwater caves are found in many areas of the United States, most tend to be cold, murky, and just plain inhospitable, according to Richards. The initiated generally head to the warmer, clearer caves of north-central Florida and the Yucatán. There are so many splendid caves and tour guides to choose from in these regions that you will have to do some homework to plot your personal trip. While we cannot recommend specific equipment or tour companies, the national and international groups listed below can provide a good start.
Recommended Resources
To find a qualified instructor or get information about purchasing the appropriate gear, visit:
The cave diving section of the National Speleological Society
The National Association for Cave Diving
Deep Background
To investigate Mexico’s underwater caves:
Quintana Roo Speleological Survey
Cave-Exploration
To investigate Florida’s underwater caves:
www.safecavediving.com/links.asp
Recommended Books
Basic Cave Diving: A Blueprint for Survival by Sheck Exley (National Speleological Society, 1986)
Caverns Measureless to Man by Sheck Exley (Cave Books, 1994)
The Taming of the Slough by Sheck Exley (National Speleological Society, 2004)
The Cenotes of the Riviera Maya by Steve Gerrard (Steve Gerrard, 2000)
Beyond the Deep: The Deadly Descent Into the World’s Most Treacherous Cave by William Stone, Barbara am Ende, and Monte Paulsen (Grand Central, 2002)
