Cenote & Cavern Diving Safety Considerations

Before diving a cavern or cenote you need to know the risks and your limitations.  Though the minimum requirement to participate in a guided cavern / cenote dive  is Open Water certification, it is not an Open Water dive and must be guided by a qualified cavern diving professional who has extensive experience and training in this field.

Any scuba diver who plans to dive a cenote should understand the difference between a safe cavern dive and an open water dive. An open water dive means that there is a direct ascent to the surface. A cavern dive in a cenote means diving into an overhead environment which does not allow a direct ascent to the surface and therefore has specific safety considerations and special techniques required which are described briefly below.

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS FOR CAVERN / CENOTE DIVING

  • Stay in the limits of natural sunlight
  • Maximum penetration of 200 linear feet (60m) from opening
  • Maximum depth of 70ft (21m)
  • Follow permanent or temporary guideline placed by a professional qualified cavern diving guide
  • Rule of thirds for air consumption: 1/3 for the way in, 1/3 to come out, 1/3 reserve for emergencies
  • Minimum of 1200 psi or 80 bars to exit with
  • Maximum diver to guide ratio of 4:1
  • No restrictions
  • No decompression

Fortunately, all of the popular cenote dives in the Riviera Maya are very shallow but by following these simple rules you will minimize any potential risks and will have one of the most amazing and unique diving experiences of your life.

The dive should be organized around a professional, qualified guide. The guide must be Full Cave certified and should be a minimum Divemaster qualified. The guide should also be experienced in cave diving and be very knowledgeable about the local cenotes.

Before each dive the cavern guide will conduct a thorough briefing including:

  • Site orientation, cave formations, cultural heritage, fauna and conservation of the area
  • How cavern diving differs from open water diving
  • Use of the guidelines
  • Entrance and exit procedures
  • The course to follow
  • Maximum depth and time
  • Air supply and turn around pressure
  • Communication and hand signals where there is limited light
  • The golden rule of cavern diving is that at any time, for any reason, a diver can call the dive without having to give a reason
  • Buoyancy check to ensure proper weighting
  • Emergency procedures

In the water prior to entering the cavern, the guide will conduct a safety check on eah diver covering the following:

  • Proper adjustments and functioning of all equipment
  • Buoyancy check
  • Trimming and kicking techniques to minimize disruption to silt and to stay away from both the ceiling and bottom of the cavern