The Dive

BUOYANCY CONTROL AND POSITION

Position and buoyancy control are key to cenote diving. Your position should be perfectly horizontal, preventing your legs from dropping and stirring up sediment from the floor of the cavern.

 Good buoyancy control will make all the difference to enjoying your cenote experience. The cavern route will rise and fall, with constant depth changes. Anticipate these changes, and adjust accordingly. Try to avoid runaway ascents and hitting the ceiling - you can cause damage to the cavern. Always point your light forward so the guide can see you.

FINNING TECHNIQUES

Cavern finning techniques are all about avoiding stirring up sediment and reducing the visibility. Use either a frog kick, or modified flutter kick, which your guide will demonstrate.

LINES

The cavern line is there for your safety. Stay in your position (1,2,3, or 4) in the team, and swim within an arm's length of the line. Most importantly, NEVER cross under the line - that's the best way to become entangled in it.

HALOCLINE

The halocline, the layer where two different types of water meet, produces beautiful visual effects, but also reduces visibility, particularly if you are behind another diver whose fins are mixing up the water.

When the team enters a halocline, your guide will indicate that the team should switch to a side-by-side configuration. The guide will give you your halocline position during the briefing before the dive. When you exit the halocline, the team will return to their sequential positions. Halocline also means a buoyancy change - anticipate and adjust.