Buoyancy control and swimming techniques

          Do not touch! To the best of your ability, avoid touching the walls, floor, ceiling, and formations. Stay away from the fragile ceilings, as they are most vulnerable to damage. Diver's fins that regularly hit the ceiling have damaged many fragile decorations. Divers need to stay horizontal and away from the ceiling.  

          Be aware of your presence while swimming and particularly when stopping or hovering along with turning around. Allowing your equipment to bump into the walls, columns and the various decorations is detrimental to the cave and very poor technique. Be gentle!

 Bubble Trouble

          Unfortunately, a major culprit of damage to the underwater cave  systems is the exhaust bubbles from SCUBA. When air lodges itself on the ceiling, this tremendous force tries to find its way to the highest point or through the limestone. Any loose particles (called percolation) will quickly fall to the cave floor. The real damage occur hours or days later when air, trapped on the ceiling, actually begins to ‘pop’ formations such as soda straws and small stalactites. 


          You cannot see it happen but it does occur. It is a problem those divers cannot control (unless you use close – circuit rebreathers). To keep bubble damage to a minimum, divers should stay on the guidelines. Wandering off the guideline can leave a trail of destruction. Common sense and good judgment dictate the situation.

 
Vandalism and Graffiti
 

          Defacing, breaking, or removing anything from the cenote or the underwater cavern or cave are terrible crimes that leave permanent scars which cannot be fixed. Already, portions of the Cenote Carwash, PonDeRosa and the Temple of Doom and other popular cenotes are showing clear evidence of stalactites being broken off and removed. 

          Divers are leaving handprints or scratching messages into the soft limestone walls with knives or similar tools These acts of vandalism leave permanent scars. For hundreds of years, the Mayans have viewed the cenotes as a spiritual and special place.

          It is insulting and sacrilegious towards a culture to exhibit such immature behavior. This problem comes from a small minority of divers who visit the cavern zones of the cenote but it is a major responsibility for all divers who enjoy these extraordinary windows to the underground world.
 
          Each of us must make a conscious effort to protect our fragile cenotes and educate others who are not aware of their unmatched value to the present and the future. There is nothing wrong with enjoying cenotes for our pleasure, our interest, or to study them and the past, but it is our duty to take personal responsibility in preserving these unique and special places that are part of the Riviera Maya. Let us all work together with the common goal to protect and enjoy our cenotes.

 THE FUTURE

          The growth and development of the Riviera Maya is far exceeding everyone’s expectations during the late 1990’s. This is occurring because of blatant corruption of the government of the State of Quintana Roo, the Mexican Federal government and several local politicians. 

          This reckless attitude must change very soon or the delicate balance of the fringing reefs of the Caribbean Sea, the mangroves that filter the impurities ad allow the perpetuation of life to evolve and the numerous cenotes that allow access to our most valuable commodity - the aquifer.  

          There must be a careful analysis of everything that can affect our local environment and proper management should be exercised to maintain our existence with the fragile ecosystems that make up the Riviera Maya. Everyone needs to get involved to make a difference.