TORTUGA
LOCATION:
I am not sure what the deal with this place is. I think it’s a dive site that you need to be in good with a dive guide in order to go here because it’s a site that not everyone knows about or is allowed to go to. It’s just there, hidden on some dude’s property, driving through the jungle until you arrive. There is another cenote on this property known as Tarantula which looks like a cesspit of rotting vegetation that I hope to dive into in the near future. You know… because we all need more rotting cesspits to jump into for funsies.
DIFFICULTY: MODERATE. Need to be careful about not silting up as you go into the cave. Touching on deco for a moment- this cave is a deep one with a good part of it at 22 to 25 meters- watch your time/depth and stay high in the water column (WHILE MAINTAINING THE LINE) if you can if you have concerns about this.
WC FACILITIES: Hell no… pee in the woods.
OTHER FACILITIES: No. Just mud and mosquitos.
FOOD SOLD HERE: HA! No, you are the food! In seriousness, pack a lunch or snacks for your surface interval. AND PACK WATER FOR GOODNESS SAKE. ALWAYS PACK WATER. Why I gotta tell you this? Am I your mom?
ACTIVITIES FOR NON-DIVERS: No.
WEBSITE: Nope!
CURRENT ENTRY FEE: $300 Pesos
SUMMARY: There is a big ass fish in the open water area that stares at you and judges you during deco. It is probably hoping you screwed up so that it can eat you. He really is much bigger than you’d expect around here. Because he eats divers that drop their tanks. See below, DIVE ENTRY:
This is a really nice cave that has almost cathedral-like hallways. The cave is a white cave with some decoration though I wouldn’t say it’s highly decorated. There is a halocline with salty blue water on the bottom and green fresh water on the top. This is where I note the “moderate- depth” above. Obviously, you need to keep your eye on the line but it is possible that if you stay really close to it, you can end up in deco due to the depth. Staying higher in the water column will help alleviate this. Some of the stunning features of this cave are some of the flowstone formations and the opportunity to see some bones.
DIVE ENTRY: This is not hard but it is tricky. You have to be very careful about tank placement as there isn’t much of a ledge here. If you screw up, you’ll drop a tank and silt up the bottom and have basically messed up the game before you even start… then fish WILL JUDGE YOU for it (as will I, because psychically, I will know you dropped your tanks like a newb so DON’T DO IT) so be careful not to drop tanks as you put them on, will ya? You don’t want the fish (or me) judging you.
Check out the video below with a little nature lesson with Natalie from UNDER THE JUNGLE (The BEST CAVE and TECHNICAL DIVING INSTRUCTION/GUIDES in Quintana Roo. Seriously, if you are interested in cave or tech, go see them.)
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
