DOUG CHAPPELL & RICK CRAWFORD
I returned home to Puerto Aventuras on Tuesday, January 15th from Hawaii. I have three months off from my boat that is now stationed in Guam. I am booked solid with guiding and teaching until the end of March.
Beginning Sunday, January 20th I had the great honor to pick up at the Cancun International Airport – Terminal Three veteran cave divers Doug Chappell of Jacksonville, Florida and Rick Crawford of O’Brien, Florida. Doug is a Northwest Airlines pilot and has been cave diving since 1977. Doug was trained and certified by my cave Instructors Barry Kerley and Dale Malloy. Rick works as a fireman for the Jacksonville Fire Department and has been cave diving since 1981 who was trained and certified by the late and great Henry Nicholson. They arrived at 10:30 A.M. and we drove south on Highway 307 stopping in Playa Del Carmen Centro Maya mall for them to pick up groceries at the Soriana grocery store as they were staying in the Condo Suite located in my building La Costa. We agreed to take one hour to unpack things, have lunch in the Marina and then make our first cave dive at CENOTE CHAC MOOL. This was Doug’s first visit to cave dive though he has stayed in Cancun during four previous visits vacationing with his beautiful wife Nia. This was Rick’s fifth trip cave diving in the Riviera Maya as his first visit cave diving was in 1989 diving with Jim Coke at the Akumal Dive Shop.
We drove over to my bodega located at the CENOTE CHAC MOOL road entrance and set up our gear with double tanks and prepare ourselves for the first dive of their six diving days trip. The guys wanted this dive to be a tune-up dive so we swam downstream to view the impressive drip stone in the Chuac Na Room (The Monster Room). After the 75 minute dive Doug realized he was in for a treat as he was impressed with the cave as I casually told him that each day it would get better.
For Monday, January 21st we drove south of Tulum to dive CENOTE CHAN HOL (Small Hole) as this cave system has rapidly grown into a very popular cave diving site. I took photos of them in the small water pool entrance. We dived upstream 1600 feet to view the ancient human skeleton and during our return swim we viewed an animal bone vertebrae site along with location where there are human carved marks embedded into the limestone wall. I showed them the two Maya pots along with other bone fragments located close to the cave entrance. I was told by good sources that a second human skeleton, more Maya pots and a second cenote have been recently discovered. This cave was recently connected into the Sistema Toh Ha cave. This cave sells itself as it always a big winner.
For Monday afternoon, we dived CENOTE XANAAN HA located behind the village of Chemuyil. I took them downstream to a beautiful, very shallow passage that I started diving last, July, 2007. It is so shallow that both men agreed it was a little bit challenging. They admired the newly installed braided nylon yellow guideline. For a second short dive we swam upstream about 900 feet as we all liked the newly installed number 36 twisted, knotted guideline as it was a much safer line than the old number 18 original exploration line. The guys were very happy with their second day of diving.
On Tuesday, January 22nd we traveled further west of the village of Chemuyil 8 kilometers to dive with one stage bottle the superb SISTEMA TUHS (TUX) KUPAXA as we had a three hour dive. I showed the guys the Mastodon bones, we swam to the furthest point restriction, and we surfaced at the double well cenote and explored a new passage. Doug and Rick were flabbergasted by the power size passages and the multiple decorations. The land owner Don Coppertino Moss was there with friends and family having a cookout as we had a friendly chat. We saw the new stairs and platforms for CENOTE TRES ESTRELLAS (Three Stars), which now makes that cenote entry much easier. On our drive back to Chemuyil, the giant resort Bahia Principe, located next door to Aventuras Akumal has widen the narrow road and added a massive amount of sascab graded out with grader machines. There is a new road turning to the north so I decided we needed to check it out. One half of a kilometer the road turns right bending around one of the biggest collapses I have ever seen in the Riviera Maya. Unfortunately, it is dry and no caves. The road ends in a huge square area that I figure will be the new sewage treatment plant as the Bahia Principe is building a huge 18-hole golf course selling hundreds of lots for new homes. (Progress really sucks!) We stopped in Chemuyil to have pizza and refreshments at Leo’s Pizzeria. The guys fell in love with this place as little did I know this would be the first of seven consecutive days of Leo’s Pizza.
For Wednesday, January 23rd I decided we needed to the dive the fabulous BLUE ABYSS room. Last year during 2007 I have been taking people to CENOTE I-HOP to enter the cave to swim to the BLUE ABYSS. This year you can pay the Ejido Jacinto Pat direct (200 pesos) and enter at CENOTE PET CEMETARY II. Wow! Talk about country club style entries. CENOTE PET CEMETARY I is a huge collapse with the jungle growing inside. However, it is a 4 5 meter drop and requires a ladder. CENOTE PET CEMETARY II is a shaft into a very large dry cave room. The land owner has built exquisite bathrooms and what appears will be a kitchen. There is a beautiful stone walkway to the opening shaft that has superbly constructed ladder made of the finest hard wood. Incredibly, the ladder rungs are spaced correctly. You can climb down the stairs with a set of doubles just fitting through. If you are a large person, you probably will not fit with doubles. At the bottom is a wooden deck that has a set of four steps leading to another lower level wooden platform. There are lights strung throughout the cave and underwater. No doubt, this place will be a fabulous snorkeling sight for tourists in the near future. Doug, Rick and I lowered by rope our single stage bottles and we carried our doubles down in our street clothes.
We donned on our environmental suits and climbed down the wooden ladder and crawled into our harnesses for the double tanks. We jumped into the crystal clear water and prepared ourselves with the bubble checks, valve checks, ¨S¨ drill and so on. Directly in front of the wooden platform with the two underwater lights you swim out and find a white permanent guideline. Turn left and swim downstream about 30 meters and you will encounter a permanent ¨T¨ intersection that has two large yellow arrows pointing back to PET CEMETARY II. This is the correct ¨T¨ intersection. (Note: a permanent cavern line is being installed and the cave diving lines are now cut back.) Turn right and swim about 250 feet/83 meters and will encounter three Halcyon large white arrows and a slate saying exit to CENOTE I-HOP. Two arrows point back to CENOTE PET CEMETARY II and one points to CENOTE I-HOP. There will be an offshoot guideline less than 18 inches away with a white large Halcyon arrow. This line takes to the DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, a fabulous cave area. However, looking to your left and back about 40 feet away is the correct offshoot line to take you to the BLUE ABYSS. On this line you swim about 400 feet/121 meters and encounter a restriction called the true KING PONG restriction. You can swim through it with a stage bottle. Swimming on you will view some of the prettiest cave around. Eventually, you will come across a 90 degree turn to the left and hopefully, arrows pointing back from where you swam. This is the jump for the BLUE ABYSS as the line is about 20 feet/6 meters down to the right. You swim 300 feet/90 meters negotiating one restriction that is like a slot. The BLUE ABYSS room is 230 feet/77 meters deep. It is a 40 minute swim from CENOTE PET CEMETARY II with depths averaging 25 feet. Rick and Doug were enthralled with the dive and said this was their favorite dive of the week. Our total time for the dive was 112 minutes. Doug often dives with Bill ¨Hogarth¨ Main in North Florida as it was Bill and Mike Madden who found the room in December, 1992. Doug was quite happy and was eager to tell Bill ¨Hogarth¨ Main that he saw the room that Bill helped discover. With the access to CENOTE PET CEMETARY II fairly easy, this dive will become quite popular with cave divers in the future. And, you don’t really have to go deep to enjoy a very beautiful area of underwater cave. After the dive, yes that is correct, we went to the famous Leo’s Pizza in Chemuyil for Pizza Leo and refreshments to celebrate a truly outstanding dive. Rick and Doug loved this place. It was this day that I told Doug and Rick that I felt like I was on vacation. Their cave diving skills are superb and their attitudes were about enjoying the dive for what the cave gives you. Rick said it best as he just loves to dive for the enjoyment. I agreed 100%.
We all were on the same page of disappointment that cave diving has evolved in certain circles that wearing a uniform and behaving like robots was the way to cave dive. The art of common sense and using sound, good judgment is slowly becoming a lost art for this sport. And, the CON job is people are buying the bull shit. Ahhh, as I always said it is all about making money. Business is business. I respect business. Let the sheep follow the sheep master.
For Thursday, January 24th I was determined to dive CENOTE SAC BE HA and when I get focused, I never lose. (Well, sometimes I do). I had a sketch map given to me by a dear friend that gave me a general idea where the cenote was located. Last year, Alex Alvarez (owner of Aquatic Tulum Dive Center and a great guy) spent two days visiting all the ranches we could along Highway 307 and some minimal success finding new cenotes. Therefore, I knew all the ranches that did not have cenotes and those that did but did not pan out. It was the ranches with locked gates and no one home that had me frustrated. After two hours of asking questions to various Maya people and humping a few paths, I decided it was best to take Rick and Doug to one of my favorite cave systems – SISTEMA DOS PISOS (Two Floors). It is located on the Rancho Campe located on the west side of Highway 307 across the street from a huge quarry. You drive back until you think you are about to park on someone’s car porch and then the road suddenly skirts to the right around the house past many animal corrals for cows and other creatures. A few years back this is where you parked. The main cenote – CENOTE DOS PISOS – is two kilometers in the jungle and that requires expedition style cave diving with sherpas. However, the family has slowly built a road for the cenote that is furthest downstream of the cave system that is called CENOTE . Last year it required a ten minute hump with the gear. Well, folks, the road is now extended where it is only a three minute hump. That is doable without much pain. The cave system was first explored by Gunnar Wagner and Robbie Schmittner in 1999 while the Aktun Dive Center was still in business. I agree with Robbie that in regards of beauty it is awesome. Is it the best? It is a matter of opinion. (Oh, I ran into Marco Wagner – Gunnies nephew – the other day in Tulum. Marco said that Gunnie was in Playa Del Carmen doing his new love – Kite Boarding. I will never understand why that German suddenly left cave diving – I knew he loved it.) Damn, he and Robbie found and explored several beautiful cave systems. Today, I regard Robbie as the premier cave explorer of the Riviera Maya as that boy has laid some fricking line. In the past I considered Dan Lins as the best because that guy has laid a ton of line, but he moved back to Florida several years ago and now works for Dive Rite.
Anyway, we parked my truck at the end of the road and we walked the path down to the cenote. The one obstacle of this cenote is you must swim through about 250 feet/76 meters of low and silty passage before reaching the good stuff. If you are the master of your BCD and psychologically comfortable then you will have no problems. Three cave divers is sanely the limit. You have to sit on your knees on a mucky bottom to prepare for the dive. The permanent line is tied off above the water. Our two hour dive was great as we traversed to CENOTE DOS PISOS and back. The guys were impressed. It offers very white limestone and very beautiful decorations. After the dive we packed the truck, I paid the 100 pesos per diver to the family including a couple copies of my Cenotes book and a few Diet Cokes. As we pulled out on the highway at about 4:00 p.m., I told the guys there was one last ranch that is locked that I must check out. It is Rancho Kaan Luum, almost directly across the street from the Laguna Kaan Luum. That Laguna has a 300 feet/90 meter deep cenote that I dived twice last year.
As we pulled into the ranch entranceway, luck was with me as for the first time the gate was open and there were two Maya women. I introduced myself and asked if they had a cenote called SAC BE HA. They said yes. I nearly died.
I asked if we could look at the cenote. There was some reluctance at first but I started using ¨key¨ names of people in the game and then she warmly responded. Fantastic! Her name is Isabella and she lives across the street in Tulum from Don Pablo Canche Balam – the owner of CENOTE ANGILTA. I drove my truck down a slight grade and parked it. Doug, Rick and I walked about 110 meters and we found a cenote that has a low stone wall surrounding it. It is a deep pit drop of 25 feet/8 meters with a set of wooden steps constructed fairly well. I volunteered to go down first and discovered the wooden steps shake abit. Hmmmmm! Halfway down I discover three wasps on my chest sticking their stingers into my precious and fragile body. God, I hate these wasps as I looked above me and saw a decent size wasp nest. I broke my personal rule of looking before going as I have been stung by these little fuckers so many times in the past 23 years I beginning to think science can use me as an antidote. At the bottom I find clear water under the ledge and a guideline with a directional arrow. Yippee Ki Yeah! I carefully climb the stairs keeping my body low praying the wasps will not smell me as their eyesight sucks. I made it up without being stung and satisfied that tomorrow we will have a great dive and that wasp nest will become history. We drive back up the hill and I pay Isabella 200 pesos to dive the cenote the next day. I give her a copy of my Cenotes book that she seemed to recognize it (that book has helped me more than you can imagine) and I kiss her hand thanking her to allow us to dive the cave. She explains what I think that Robbie at the Xibalba Dive Center has the key. No problem. In addition, I notice a big Boxer brindle dog tied to a post with a chain. Hmmmm.
On Friday, January 25th we pack up my truck at my bodega at 7:30 A.M., pick up three sets of doubles at the CUZEL Air/Gas station and head for Tulum. We stop at the Xibalba Dive Center and luckily Robbie is there. Robbie shakes my hand and I introduce Doug and Rick to him. I explained that I had permission to dive the cenote and was told that he had the key to the ranch. Robbie says he does not. OK. Where exactly does Isabella live and Robbie explains. Great! We say thank you and goodbye and we drive over to the neighborhood where Don Victor Balam (owner of CENOTE JAILHOUSE) and Don Pablo Canche Balam (Owner of CENOTE ANGELITA). However, finding Isabella’s home was very tricky. To make a long story short, it took 90 minutes, asking 400 Mayans questions and Doug and Rick laughing their ass off with my frustration. I never give up and Doug and Rick were very impressed with my determination. I finally found the correct home and door and met Isabella’s daughter would gave me the key to the ranch. I ran out into the street with Doug and Rick in my truck raising my fists in the air like Rocky Balboa as he runs up the steps of city hall in Philadelphia. Doug and Rick are still laughing their asses off.
We drive out to Highway 307 and head south for Rancho Kaan Luum, which is actually two kilometers north of CENOTE CHAN HOL. We pull up and Doug unlocks the gate. I drive through warning Doug to be careful with that Boxer dog.
Doug relocks the gate and we drive down the hill and park my truck.
This cave system was discovered, explored and beautifully mapped by Nadia Bernie and David Seiffi who live in Tulum and cave exploration is their passion. Anyway, about a year ago the SISTEMA SAC BE HA was connected into the bigger SISTEMA TOH HA that now has close or over 70,000 feet of line in it.
The word I got that this cave is very pretty and being located halfway between the gorgeous CENOTE CHAN HOL and the SISTEMA DOS PISOS it had to be a winner. I wanted to shoot photos of Doug and Rick so we decided to swim downstream (left of the ¨T¨ intersection) and shoot photos as advice from Robbie. And that we did swimming 900 feet before it started getting small. Returning back to the CENOTE SAC BE HA my battery started going dead in my camera despite knowing I fully charged it the night before. That is what I get for not using the camera system for six months. However, I got enough good photos for the guys. Our second dive we swam what I will call upstream. As expected, a stunning, beautiful cave system. We check out one line with an arrow labeled fish killer. We were all amused with the catchy and clever names written on the white exploration directional arrows. After the dive, both Doug and Rick considered this cave their second favorite for the week. It is a beautiful cave system though fragile. We packed the truck and headed out to the gate. We stopped and somehow I sensed the big boxer dog was a nice doggie. He sure was as we gave him water, petted him and Doug and some wiener hot dogs in a can to feed him. I could adopt this dog but Joe T Cocker would be pissed. We drove back to Tulum and I returned the key. Afterward, you guessed it, we drove to Chemuyil to enjoy great pizza and refreshment at Leo’s Pizzeria to celebrate six great days of fantastic and beautiful cave diving. Like I said before, I felt like I was on vacation diving with Doug Chappell and Rick Crawford. Great guys, outstanding cave divers and the type of people you get a good feeling about, which is why I enjoy sharing the caves of the Riviera Maya.
The next day on Saturday, January 26th Rick and Doug wanted to take the day off before flying home on Sunday morning. We got invited to meet Connie LoRe and Lena Ericson at Villas DeRosa in Aventuras Akumal at the beach bar to enjoy refreshments. Connie had finished one group of cave divers for a week of diving and had a new group beginning on Monday, January 28th. We arrived at 4:00 p.m. and enjoyed several hours of socializing. Finally, we decided we were all hungry and you guessed it, we drove to Chemuyil in my truck to enjoy Pizza and refreshments at Leo’s Pizzeria. We all had a great time!
The next day I took Rick and Doug to the airport as they had a 9:00 A.M. flight. to Miami on American Airlines. I got them there by 7:00 A.M. We squared up the bill for tanks, gas and guiding. It is really nice getting paid while on vacation.
Both men expressed their sincere gratitude and appreciation for a great week of diving. (Read my guest book!) I met Lena Ericson at 11:00 A.M. at Villas DeRosa and we drove out to CENOTE PET CEMETARY II and we had a wonderful dive to the BLUE ABYSS. Lena was impressed and thoroughly enjoyed the great and beautiful dive. Afterward, to celebrate, you guess it back to Chemuyil for more Pizza Leo and refreshments at Leo’s Pizzeria. I confess…I am Pizza Leo over dosed and I need a break!