We don't make it to....

(post for Tuesday, Oct. 6)
Today was a disappointing day for cave diving, but having said that "disappointing" is a little too strong a word. The dives were both enjoyable in their own ways but I did not get that sense of Accomplishment that comes from a successful cave dive. What is "successful?" To me, in cave diving, it means that if you have a destination as a goal for the dive you actually reach it. Today's dives I did not reach the planned destination on either one. On previous trips, I had seen these places so it is not like I am still waiting to see them.

Our first dive was in Dos Ojos, to do the l-o-n-g stage dive from the west eye of Dos Ojos all the way (4,500 feet) to cenote Tikim Chih. I'd done this dive last year so I remembered most of the markings and turns. Because of this (I guess) Connie put me as lead diver of Team #2... laying reels, markers, etc. It was our same team of four, Sandra J, Sandra H, and Dave. We make it to the air dome in approx. 45 minutes into the dive, right on time. A brief pause to drop stage tanks, and some grouping changes. Our two teams are split up into four, to account for different air consumption rates. The plan now is to do the 2,000 feet to Tikim Chih in pairs and turn (as a pair, not the 4-team) if thirds are hit. My partner typically has as good air consumption as I do, so I was uber confident we'd make it. But...

The dive continued from the air dome and within the first three minutes the other pair of our 4-team calls it and returns to the air dome. I think there was an issue with a gas leak or ear problem... can't remember which. So the two of us continue on. 15 mintes later we pass the half-way marker. We pass another half-way marker 150 feet later (there's a story there, I'm sure!!) At 28 minutes into the dive, another dive pair ahead of us calls on 3rds and turns around... this didn't surprise me as I knew their consumption was higher. But two minutes later, my partner calls the dive which was a surprise as I didn't suspect anything could be wrong. Well, the golden rule of cave diving applies here as it does any other time: "Anyone can call the dive at any time for any reason." Turned out that her inflator hose had been leaking and she'd lost a few hundred PSI over the course of the dive. We were just four minutes short of the goal, but calling the dive is irrefutable. Connie was surprised, as her mini-team of 3 were the only ones to make it to Tikim Chih. Se la vie.

Second dive was at Calimba, a very small (and murky) cenote right on the main highway out of Tulum. One of the things I love about Calimba is the landowner's welcoming attitude towards the divers. He will light a candle for us in the shrine entrance of the cenote, as a blessing to wish us safe passage. I think Simone Lipscomb posted a picture of the candle-lit shrine on her blog last year, if you want to see a picture. To pass by all the idols while wearing scuba gear, and then to see the candle lit for us... well, for some reason it feels humbling.

My dive team this time included Sandra and Tommy, one of the divemasters(?) working at Aquatech. Our plan: follow Connie's team as they wind their way to Bosh Chen cenote. The best parts of the cave are in the large highly decorated rooms leading up to the cenote exit. I have nice video of this dive from last year, a snippet of which I posted on this blog back then.

I won't go much into diving Calimba itself, as I've posted about it at least once before. But I will mention that it is narrow most of the time, and has more minor restrictions (tight spaces) per kilometer than other parts of the Sistema Sac Aktun I have visited. Not that this is a deterrent... not in the least! I enjoy the challenge of restrictions whenever I encounter them. The Calimba line has the world famous "Boa Constriction" minor restriction. You don't remove gear to navigate it, but it is pretty bendy.

Well... as the title of this blog goes, We Don't Reach Bosh Chen. On this dive, Tommy was leading and though we reached the Bosh Chen line, he called the dive only a few minutes onto it. Problem with his inflator valve or so he said. Great disappointment as the best and most beautiful passageways were just ahead. We were nowhere near Bosh Chen.

All in all, a fun day, but disappointing because the goals I set weren't met.

The majesty of Calimba

Calimba (sometimes spelled Kalimba or Kolimba) is a tiny entrance to Sistema Sac Aktun, the same cave system that Grand Cenote is part of. Calimba has had its run of bad luck recently: a collapse of the entrance (due to natural causes or landowner carelessness I am not sure) and subsequent problems with the quality of the water have made it a questionable place to dive. Although it is easily accessible from the highway, the landowner is not usually there and special arrangements must be made in advance if you want to do any diving. Fortunately, Connie has this down with military precision and our plan to do Calimba to cenote Bosh Chen on Wednesday went off without a hitch.

Now, those of you who have read my blog from last month and last year will note that this was my 4th time into Calimba, and my 3rd attempt at getting to cenote Bosh Chen. The other two times I ended up in groups that turned the dive far short of the goal. Today... YES... Today, I saw Bosh Chen for the first time and it was absolutely glorious -- not to see it, but to have finally accomplished that goal. And there are two large rooms full of the most beautiful stalactite formations I hadn't seen before that... well... gasp... were truly breathtaking.

On this dive there were only four on the team. The other two opted to do a land tour which left (in this team order) Connie, myself, Dusan and Bill. As seems to be the case with me, the smaller the team the more fun I have on the dive. I think with very little question even though the week is not finished, this will be my Best Cave Dive of the Week.

Not only that, I have spectacular VIDEO of the dive!! What a fantastic souvenir to take home after the trip. Almost 30 minutes of digital video, mostly from the jump from main line to Bosh Chen and arriving at Bosh Chen itself, and then a good deal on the way back. I know most of my friends reading this probably aren't into this Cave Diving thing, but if you're at all interested to see it, it's quite good footage. Really gives you a feel for what Cave Diving is like. Dusan watched it today and wants a copy. I will probably edit out the part when I got impaled on a stalagmite because I was distracted filming. :-)



This little blip of video shows us going down the Bosh Chen line back to the Paso de Lagarto line. Although it is difficult to tell in the video, I am making a drop from about 25 feet to 40 feet here.

Passageways in this cave tend to be VERY narrow and quite often we have to squeeze between two stalactite pillars barely a shoulder width apart, all while trying not to touch either one, the floor, or the ceiling. (There are special techniques you learn in cave training for this kind of thing.) While I am in this cave, my attention is first and foremost on my body movement and maintaining perfect buoyancy. Filming and attention to the camera is always, always secondary. The quality of the video suffers because of this, but it is very important for the preservation of the cave.

Footnotes

• Cave Diving is dangerous! Please don't dive into a cave without proper training. Or at least make sure there is water in the cave before you dive into it.
  
• Cave Diving involves encounters of Spectacular Beauty. Please remember to breathe while you are underwater.
  
• Don't get impaled on a stalactite or stalagmite. It can hurt. (Fortunately I was only mildly surprised, not hurt in the least. The stalagmite is OK too.)
  
• If you plan to take a camera into a cave, I strongly recommend two things: (1) get familiar with your camera/video gear in open water FIRST -- if you can manage your gear in coral caves with no problem you are probably good enough to do it in a cave; (2) don't take a camera on your first visit to a cave. Tour the cave first to know what to expect, then take the gear on the 2nd visit.
  
• I want to add this advice: (3) If you want to take good pictures in a cave, practice your photography / videography on night dives first. The conditions on a night dive are much closer than daytime diving in terms of exposure, lighting and dealing with switches/knobs/bells/whistles on your housing in the dark.

Statistics and Facts

• The dive time was 92 minutes. Calimba to Bosh Chen was 44 minutes, Bosh Chen to Calimba was 48 minutes which included a 3 minute safety stop.
  
• Maximum depth was 45 feet
  
• There is a section we passed on the Calimba line just before the Lagarto main line called the "Boa Constriction" and as you can imagine, it is a series of minor restrictions. They are quite fun to negotiate. Remember playing "limbo" where you cannot touch the bar? Imagine doing that in 100 lbs of scuba gear while cave diving.
  
• There have been two deaths in Calimba that I know of, and photography was a contributing factor. This fact is consciously on my mind every time I dive here.
  
• There was one primary light failure on this dive. Dusan's quit probably because of a low battery.
  
• I now carry TWO primaries after learning from last month's fiasco.