Happy New Year Divers

Hola,

I wish to you all an exciting new year, full of great diving and images!

As you all may know, Mexico is a real warm place with a very friendly population. There is always something going on in the streets of Playa del Carmen and the celebration of the end of the year did comfirm the rule.

From Christmas to New Year's Eve, a flow of visitors filled the towns of the Mayan Riviera and sparked a renewed desire to serve you guys, better and better. This are our New Year's Resolutions!

At Scuba Video Services, we are diving on a regular basis on the reefs of Playa del Carmen and the Cenotes around Akumal and Tulum.

The winter months see the migration of caribbean bullsharks near the shores of Mamitas Beach. It is becoming a very popular atracation for all divers. The shark season spans until march and maybe april if the water temperature stays under 26 degrees celcius.

It is a kind of a ritual at Scuba Video Services to end your diving trip in the fresh water Cenotes. Why? Because it is the best way to rinse all your equipement in one go and diving into the Earth's history. This sites are simply a marvel of nature. Often visitors ask me 'what's there?' or 'is it worth it?' and I can't help but smile just by thinking of their faces when we drive into the jungle and park few meters from the sinkholes where crystal clear water reveals the speleotherms and other limestone formations, hundred thousands of years old...!!!

All trips to Mexico are not complete without a visit to the ruins.

The most famous being The Castillo of Chichen Itza and its Sacred Cenote. I recommend there, if possible to spend the night at the Mayaland Hotel. The only hotel that has a direct acces to the archeological site, so you arrive before the big buses and their hordes of visitors!

Then, if you can't make it that far, Coba is a great site. Contrary to chichen Itza where the trees and grass are kept trimmed, the ruins of Coba are hidden into a thick jungle where only a little trail remains and allow visitors to discover this huge site full of interesting and well preserved monuments.

And, finally, if the long drive to Coba is not in your program, then, I can only suggest the Tulum ruins. Fairly large site, looked after like a golf course with an access to the beach if the sun is out and the visit of the ruins left you agonising in heat..!!

That's it for now, go and enjoy a Parillada de Mariscos at Don Cafeto in Tulum and remember:

Have fun diving safely.

I would like to wish you all again, a Happy New Year !!

See you around.

Jason

The Right Dive Buddy

Great diving is something to be shared with. It is so amazing and brings so much joy that it has to be shared...As often as possible...and if possible!

Why this tone, simply because finding the right person to share your diving experience with, is not always that simple. Ok, you may say why don't you share with your girlfriend or wife or best friend? Well, if it was that simple!

You have to understand that here, in the Mayan Riviera, we are privileged to dive the sacred fresh water sinkholes, all year round. From the cavern zone (natural light) to the cave hostile environement (artificial lighting) scuba diving take a new dimension. It is called, 'cave diving'. It is not for everybody and not everybody have the same approach. It's an universe full of competitivity with diver and 'diveresses' willing to show how good they are! So far, nothing out of the ordinary!

Training is a priority, too many divers, good ones, have died trying to explore those underground passages, even instructors with thousands of dives!

So once training is completed, its time to go and have fun! Because, as weird as it may sound, it is big fun to dive in those caves, real good! Again, we all have, regarding training agency, different protocols or views. Here starts the long search for the right 'buddy'! It is often someone who took the class or classes with you and with who you feel confortable enough to go on: 'The Dark Side of the Moon' line in Pet Cemetery Cenote.

So here I am, sitted in front of my computer, chatting on cave diving forums and other social networks, in search of the Graal; The Right Buddy! The one that fits in your level of confort with no desire in 'impressing' or overrind your dive plan.

Well, I found a buddy, her name is Lynne, she just completed her 'Full Cave' class and has the same desire to do simple but interesting dives.

What does that mean anyway?? Well, a lot of the cave divers have, as I was saying earlier, a different approach to what they call 'fun'. Mine, for now, is not to clip one or two tanks to my side and go and find the 'end' of the line...

My cave diving instructor once told me something like, 'go with progressive penetration and built confidence and expend your confort zone slowly.'

I must say, I'm not the most adventurous cave diver around but I love my girlfriend and my ginger cat and think about them when I feel the pressure of the cave... So progressive penetraion is right on for me and my buddy, Lynne, who has extremely good set of skills and no desire, for the moment, to go 'stage diving' or any further experience. Keeping in mind, that the caves here have huge possibilities to offer as little as twenty minutes into the dive, no need to go very far!

In the last three days, we've been diving, diving and diving again, it was great. My best dives since certification!

So we've done, cenote Chan Hol, famous for his ancient pots and human remains (+10000 y.o), Dos Palmas in the Dos Ojos system, very nice and first real 'flow cave' for me, with a travers to High Voltage and finally on wednesday we did Taxma Ha (another spelling option!!) where we followed the line towards Chinese garden but did not make it all the way there as I was with my video camera and prefered to keep dive simple!

It was a blast! No headaches planning as we were either on thirds or more conservative (for the flow cave) and just 'exploring' any jump, one after the other. We never did more than 2 jumps in a row and felt very confortable with it.

Our first dive together was Chan Hol...It was The Revelation. I had finally find The Right Buddy. The one, that I could only say good things about. Good and similar SAC rate (air consumption), very good trim and propulasion techniques with a consistency in safety procedure...remarquable!

All, in all it took a while to realise that it is possible to find the right buddy, it may take some time but, after all, this caves are not going anywhere! Few important tips are the questions and answers you will get from the first contact. Who did u train with, when, amount of dives and general dive experience. It is important to feel good about this 'procedure' as it will avoid any misunderstanding as of your ability to dive together. Meet up, have a drink or diner and get to know each other.

I hope this topic will interest and maybe help you with finding The Right Buddy.

See you!

Tux Kupaxa

Waow!!! This is what comes to mind after a trip at Tux Kupaxa cenote.
After discussing the plan with David aka Aktun, we decided to go to this marvellous site located far out in the jungle, behind the village of Chemuyl.
Thanks to our new car we made it close to the cenote but still had a good 200 meters of ups and downs trail in the jungle. At first, we deicided to go to take a closer look at the site...Waow!!
There are two palapas left from the first exploratory groups, led by Gunnar Wagner from Aktun dive center and also Robbie Shmittner from Xibalba Dive Center . More recently a group from the Czech Speleological Society came to resurvey the cave system. (If any of you, readers, can translate the page on Tux Kupaxa, that would be great, thanks)
This cave hosts an enormous amont of prehistoric skeletons amongs wich, sleuth, mamoth and other giant tapir.
Back to our sunday 'enjoy cave diving' trip and its ups and downs!
Once back at the car, we start to unload and prepare our equipment. Lights are ok, reels ready but there is something wrong with my buddy. He does not feel too well, so we decide to bring stuff slowlly to the edge of the cenote and take our time. On the second trip back to the car, things are not getting better but at least we know whats going on; after drinking a canned fruit juice, symptoms started, so we thought it was it. We do another ttrip and decide to jump in to refresh and check on my buddy's status. Apparently the cold water of the cenote helped cool him down and relax.
Once back at the car, we load the twinsets and start a long and tortuous path to the cenote...OOooofff! Its hard work but according to David, its worth the effort!
As we almost had to call the day because of my buddy state, I now feel the surge to go diving, so is he! We jump in our suit and get strpped in our harness...
Murphy knocked at the door again! My regulators, reserviced and checked the day before at the feelling station are not working...AGAIN!!! I just can't believe it, but its real and happening in such a remote place. Well, better it happens at the surfce than into the cave!
Thanks to my buddy for carrying a stage and spare regulator, we can dive...
I know, I should have done the regulator check back at the truck and at least it would have saved us 4 or 5 trips extra to get all we needed to do the fix...
I'm learning, and we've agreed not to dive until all our problems were solved...Well my regs are on their second 'fail to deliver air' incident, Aqualung deluxe!!
Anyway, we are now doing a gear check and (re)locate the line to go in. As the pool is too small and not deep enough we had decided to do the s-drill once in the cavern zone.
Waow!!! This cave is nice from the very start of the line! It is a complete first time for me, and I must admit, I feel like a virgin on its first date!!
Very nicely decorated, lots of formations. I think of Nohoch as I'm passing the first set of arrows marking a set of jumps to the right...

Our plan is to dive to the 'T' and turn right to look for the giant sloth remains. Actually, this cave system is rich in archeo and paleonthologic treasures. On the other side of the 'T' one can find the remains of a Tapir and...so I heard, there would also be a fire pit with 'unfinished' meal 10.000 years old!

So as for a plan, it sounds good... but that's not counting with what happened before the dive...

My regulator failed to work again, I had checked it the night before and it worked and my buddy had a bad reaction to a canned fruit juice he had drunk minutes before we arrived at the site.

So you can imagine the delay it take to change the regulator around with the stage tank and leave enough time to David to recover.

We finally got in and had a great short dive. It was short because I had too many thing in my head (reg, buddy, gf) and we were running late..So I decided to turn the dive after 30'. We were minutes from the 'T' and David wondered why, I wanted to turn the dive.

Once back at the surface, I told my buddy why I did what I did and also the fact that I even forgot about our dive objective (giant sloth) reassured me in my decision to call the dive.

Once done, chilled a bit in the pool and packed our stuff, it was time to go through the jungle once again. Thanks to Jeep Cherokee. Although not 4x4, she did a good job.

Thats it folks, hop e you enjoy the read and looking forward to dive here again with a fresh set of regs and buddy!

Hola, que tal?
I have been doing my website lately and forgot about the blog... Anyway, I'm here and will go over what went on for the last six months (for real???)
Just before, as it is still fresh, let me tell you about my last cave dive.
I was at Chikin Ha with my new buddy. I'm a member at The Deco Stop forum and there, I met a guy who lives in Cancun and happens to be also looking for a buddy from time to time.
So, last Sunday, meeting at Chikin Ha, ten minutes from Puerto Aventuras, we decide to do the dive there. My new buddy seems to know the owner and 'gate keeper'. We end up paying a ridiculous $80 pesos for both of us, or in another way, I pay and my buddy does not! It goes like that in some cenotes, not always but it goes as 'one guide and one diver'.
At the setting tables, we go for a view of the upstream entrance...It is a beautiful spot, surrounded by lush jungle. It is quiet for a Sunday, but apparently the owners are having it private that day, so it's just us...
The dive plan is or was to dive the upstream line until we reach the Deli Shop line or on air restriction.
So, as we gear up, we talk and get to know each other a bit more. My new buddy is an experienced cave diver and has been diving for the last ten years, doing 25 to 30 cave dives a year. Not much but enough to have logged more dives than me!
Once ready, I start my way down to the entrasnce of the cenote Chikin Ha aka cenote X'Tabay.
at the edge of the entrance pool, I realise that my primary regulator is not working properly. I decide to take the plunge anyway as the air temperature is reaching 100 in my seven milimeter wetsuit...
(the rest!!!)
Thank to Murphy for the heads up, and thanks to my new buddy who had brought a stage with him. After the swap of hose and posts we review our plan.
It was going to be a simple dive, as I haven't been in the water for few month. For those of you who know me, after my cut at Punta Venado and the Flu crisis/pandemic I was forced out of the water!
Anyway, the plan goes like this:

• S-drill then follow cavern line until it ends and jump onto cave line (to the left)


• After 10/15 minutes, another jump, at that point we were at cenote Xochacalico.


• From there, go on the line until third


• At the time to turn, just take a look at the jump to Deli Shop line


• On the way out, enjoy the shallow of the cave and look for cave lines

It went very well, and just as we reached the jump to the Deli Shop line, I was on my third. So we turned the dive and swam out.
In the cavern area, we found a cave line, not marked (arrow), we entered the first 50 meters, with our own line and realised that it percolates from every angle and needs to be done with fresh tanks!
All in all, this was a great come back to the cave diving scene. We promised to each other to dive again and certainly, dive again, here, at cenote X'Tabay.

Yesterday, I took my regulator at Phocea, so the tech there could have a look at it...I was told to leave it on watch for the night as it suffers a strange flu like symptom...WTF!!!

Ok, thats it for now, hope you enjoy the read and will be posting about my regulator soon, I hope!

Giant birdcage...

That's it! It is the second time me and Steve, (from www.freelancecoursedirector.com) are going for couple of dives at Nohoch Nah Chich which means in Mayan, Giant birdcage.
I haven't got so many cave dives but I must admit this place is magic. So many formations and so many different ones as well!
Once tied off, the downstream main line is easy to find, so is the upstream!
Then it is a long swim in the meanders of what is one of the longest, if not The longest, underwater cave system in the whole world!!! Can you imagine??
Before I start talking (showing off) about the dives let me explain the site of Nohoch Nah Chich.
It is located south of Dos Ojos entrance, it is not indicated as Nohoch but hey...you've got to have a guide if you want to go there, it's worth it!
So, lets admit you found it, after a rough ride in the jungle, parc the car and pay your 'entry fee'.
Few steps from your car, towards a tree where the rope is readied for yout o lower your gear here comes the sinkhole of Nohoch Nah Chich. It is huge and very nicely kept.
After lowering all the equipment, it's time to walk around the hole and take the stairs all the way down to a sundeck and tables, surrounded by a crystal clear water pool. It is brest taking...(oops)
Most of the days are filled with the snorkeling tours from the largest adventure/off road company.
The 2 dives we did, day before yesterday were 70' for the first one and 80' for the second one.

Latest news

This last few days have been going around preparing Steve's arrival and also our holidays.
It doesn't go without having to clean the house to frequently with cat poohs and other 'oops' that are located all around.
It's becoming very out of proportion! Well, we started new rules and hopefully it'll work.
Enough said!
Our holidays could take us from the west coast to the east coast of the US...
There is the DEMA show in Vegas, where I could find some good deal for a Gates or L&M housing and maybe get some other new stuff out on the market. Only dive pro can get in after paying a hefty fee, so Fiona is probably gonna have to wait in a spa....Poor her!
Hotels on the strip are not so expensive. Of course if we go at the Bellagio or Luxor it's going to cost us, but Fi found some for $50 or so and they don't look to 'smelly'!
It I can't get my hands on a housing there, the plan would be to go to California to the H2O shop next to Huntingdon Beach.
So far, even if there would not be a race to get my toys, it would be a nice trip.
We are still looking to find the cheappest flight deal to do all this...
Looking forward to it and I will keep u posted.

Well, well, not much today!

No, I'm not telling the truth. In fact I did a lot. It was webdesign oriented and MySQL tutorial education. Very borring...

The most exciting was to create the first 'menu' pages for Fiona's website. Its still a pending work but by the end of the year, it should be online.

It's the pic on the upper left corner!!! Didn't know where to put it!

After all she is the editor and she knows about layouts and all that stuff. I think, it looks good, fresh and atractive. And, and...all the links work.....;-)

A bit more about webdesign, I've seen some site offering the kind of stuff/products I'd like to offer and I must say, they're HOT!! With HD media player and Flash gallery, all the flashy stuff a 'modern' site has.
Although and this is according to our editor in chief, they are not 'reader' friendly. So it's something to take into account when designing a site, realy!

A little video to add a bit of life to this page! Not that it's a sad page but, I have to show off a bit now that I find the time to upload stuff here and also to show my work as an underwater videographer...
On the other hand, I went to take alook at the GUE/DIR training curriculum and specialy the Cave 1 & 2 and Tech 1 & 2. It is now, with a bit of experience/knowledge about this training agency, I can say that it is probably a good choice...if you've got the $$$$$$$ Well, I have to prepare, we are going to eat at Babes probably and the misses is hungry!!