Cave and Cenote Diving - Papakal
Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
The third day of our trip took us to the beautiful cenote Papakal whose Maya name means mud stains.
Before reaching the cenote though we have to arrange for sherpas to carry equipment and rent a wardrobe door with a mirror which will serve as the lighting system.
This we do in the village of Eknakan where we also pick up an interested group that follows us on bikes to the cenote.
Duttons is a machine shop, with belt driven lathes of all shapes and sizes connected to drive shafts high in the ceiling. A really interesting and at time noisy pl ace..
The entrance to cenote Papakal. This wide but low slot at the side of a depression leads into a large and very impressive amphitheater type cavern where the cenotes surface water can be found.
The wardrobe door mirror is positioned on rocks outside and aims the sunlight through the slot where it meets a very precise point on the cavern ceiling. When the point is just right, light explodes into every corner. The beam from outside almost hums with power. This is HID cave lighting at it's absolute best!
Diving into the cenote following the line laid by the first explorers of this cave.
Underwater these giant columns make for an eerie forest, there reflections in the surface light making them appear jointed like the legs of an enormous bird.
Duttons in Merida is where we filled our tanks every day.
Loading the truck; a total of six sets of doubles and 4 single tanks for side mount along with all the climbing and diving gear made for quite a tight fit.
The depression in the land can easily be seen in this picture where the surface land has collapsed exposing Papakal to light.
Cenote Papakal is a truly beautiful place and and not just for cave divers. It is a popular swimming hole with locals and can also be visited on snorkel trips arranged from Merida.
Giant columns are formed where stalactite meets stalagmite., some with a diameter of close to a meter
The diving was good, with a max depth of around 30M (100 feet). The cave passages like many yucatan cenotes are not so long and so the dive times are quite short, certainly compared to the cenotes of the Riviera Maya.
