Another exciting few days of exploration in the Ox Bel Ha cave system for CINDAQ & MCEP divers.

CENOTE COOPER

This very unassuming entrance was discovered early this year and has proved to be a real gem. The restricted muddy opening leads to increasingly larger passage culminating in a huge room measuring 150 meters / 500 feet wide! It is here where Cenote Cooper was connected to the main OBH cave system in February.

A lot more diving was completed from Cenote Cooper this past week bringing the total of newly explored cave from this point of access to 3,577 meters / 11,765 feet.

DEEPER TUNNELS

It has proven very productive to revisit some of the historic areas first explored in Ox Bel Ha some 15 years ago. Now with greater experience and better equipment to help us we are making new discoveries in these areas. Small, high-speed Suex DPVs and robust Halcyon RB80 rebreathers have allowed more time analyzing the cave at deeper depth and with far less percolation.  Some of these finds include big saltwater passages at a depth of 21 meters / 70 feet and extending for nearly 2,000 meters / 6,500 feet.

UNDERWATER CAVE PIT

CINDAQ & MCEP would like to announce the discovery of an underwater in-cave pit dived to a depth of 52 m / 172 ft. This is a very unique feature for caves of this area.

The roof of this large chamber towers up at 30 m / 100 ft. A red like organic sediment is covering the entire cave from 36 m /120 ft down. Curiously, the same sediment is often observed in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve caves.

There is a distinctive North - South tunnel alignment at 165 ft / 50m. Although continuing passage seems unlikely further diving will be needed to fully understand the depth range and characteristics of this new exciting discovery.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

CINDAQ & MCEP are grateful to all involved for their support in making exploring, survey, and documentation a purposeful and enjoyable experience. Project divers this past week included JP Bresser, Steve Cox, Fred Devos, Osama Gobara and Chris Le Maillot. As always, we would like to emphasize the team approach rather than any particular individual efforts.

CINDAQ is a Mexican non-profit organization based in Puerto Aventuras, and dedicated to facilitating research, promoting education, and supporting conservation of the natural and cultural resources associated with the cenotes and underground rivers of Quintana Roo, Mexico. MCEP is a group of like-minded divers helping to accomplish these goals.