It's about diving. And cats.

Me diving

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Gran Cenote

On Sunday we went to Gran Cenote. We picked up tanks at ZG and then headed to Tulum. On the way, we stopped at San Francisco supermarket to procure lunch (some stewy chicken and beef and tortillas). Then we headed to Gran Cenote, which was much more developed and commercial feeling (they do have a web site, after all). However, I have no complaints about that, since that means they have a flush toilet and some pretty nice wooden stairs down to the water. We got into the water and I realized my light lacked a battery, hmph. After going back up to get it, and wrestling my gear back on (in the water), we headed in. There was a snorkeling tour there; I can see why they bring snorkelers; it is a nice place to swim and the water goes back under the overhang a bit.

I led the first dive, diving with Rob and Kevin (Don and Elissa arrived as we were about to get in the water, but they were doing their own thing today). Apparently, I put too many ties (but there are just so many nice places to tie!) and I swim too slowly. Even before we got to the main line, as we paralleled the cavern line, it was quite decorated. And the walls were much more white than they were yesterday. In the first room where we tied into the main line, it was really nicely decorated, but alas, we were on a mission. It got a bit silty when we passed under Cenote Ho-Tul, but otherwise, it was light, white, and pretty wide open for the most part. It seemed like we dropped a lot of cookies. I gather there are differing view points on dropping cookies at all opposing arrows, and since I wasn't sure what everyone's opinion was, I erred on the side of being cookie happy. Plus as Rob always likes to point out, I love dropping cookies. And we ran our first gap spool; okay, Kevin ran it. We made it just to the big heap of cave flakes (what are those called?), whcih Kevin had told us we might make it to, when Kevin (#2) thumbed it. Rob was in a twisty passage just then and didn't actually get to see the pile; poor Rob. For dive 2, we went back in just past the Paso de la Guarta jump and Rob took a bunch of pictures in a nice archway near there. We planned to go back up there in the afternoon, so Rob stashed his camera before the end of the dive.

Lunch was quite tasty, much better than sandwiches; I liked the carrots in the beef stew. After lunch, we switched tanks and headed back in (this time with a charged light battery). We headed back up to around the Paso de la Guarta jump and Rob took a bunch more pictures on this dive. I noticed the flow a bit more on the way out on this dive (where the line turns at that jump), not that it was much of anything. For the last dive, we did the cavern line. I feel like it is lame to go to a site with a cavern line and not dive the cavern line. There are some nice areas on the line, but I think the best we had already passed on the way into the cave. Afterward, the five of us went to the empanada place (Buenos Aires) for dinner. Mmm, I love empanadas. Then we walked down the street to the gelato place (Panna e Cioccolato).

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