| MEXICO |
   |
Already the name Mexico itself sounds very exotic and the reality on the spot is even more powerful. You will meet Mayan
and Aztecan history together with fauna and flora on every step and visits of monuments will pleasantly liven up your
already fantastic experience of diving. A relatively new region for diving in Mexico is the peninsula Yucatan, which
offers even two world-famous diving localities – the island Cosumel with big predatory fishes and an excellent
visibility and Cenotes, which are flooded karst caves. Diving on Yucatan is very comfortable, in the water that is warm
all year long. Here, you can come across sharks, shoals of big barracudas, dolphins, shoals of fishes and of course
turtles from the genus hawkbill (Eretmochelys imbricata). Dives in the sea are executed mostly from ships and are
predominantly done in a stronger current. An indispensable equipment of divers thus includes a signalization buoy and a
whistle. Diving in this region has a long tradition, which is also proved by the local museum of diving in the town of
Puerto Aventuras located about 80 km in the south from the main administration centre of the peninsula – the city Cancun
with an inexhaustible amount of diving bases, shops, bars and beer pubs. |
| YUCATAN |
   |
| |
   |
| COSUMEL |
    |
| CENOTE |
Cenotes is the name for flooded cave systems mostly of a karst nature in the area of Yucatan in Mexico. They are a
geomorphological funnel-shaped sink-holes, on the bottom of which there is a vertical and deep chimney or rift, often
running into underground spaces. The original name is Senote. At the times of the Mayan culture, many cenotes served as
sacrificial places, which is proved by findings of precious objects and remains of human sacrifices. The most famous is
the so-called Well of Sacrifices in Chichen ltza. Today, they are a real world diving attraction visited by a great
number of both recreational and professional divers. In the caves with the names such as Grand Senote, Tach Maya, Chikin
Ha and many others, you can see not only thousand-year old karst formations, radial penetrations of sun and dark domes,
but also the sought-after Helocline. “Helocline” is as if a glass desk, distinctly visible only from a certain angle,
which is formed between the fresh and salt water flowing into the caves. In consideration of various temperatures and
densities, the water does not mix, but it glides along each other in layers, which form a very unique optical effect.
However, just one tiny movement of the diver and the endless visibility is blurred to mere several centimeters by
mixing the water. The underground systems are tens of kilometers long and they have not been all explored yet to this
day. |
| |
   |
| |
   |
|
