Secrets of the Yucatan

When Curt Bowen asks you to join him on an expedition to the Yucatan, you don’t just get excited – you immediately start packing! Here was an opportunity to film the discovery and exploration of new cenotes hidden in the remote Mexican jungle. Curt has returned each year for over ten years to search for, survey and document the cenotes in the area. This time a team of explorers, photographers and videographers, as well as an archaeologist was invited, and together we tackled the difficult task of documenting underwater sites that are very much off the beaten path.

The logistics of the trip were difficult and it wasn’t just a matter of going diving. These Cenotes have never been visited by recreational divers, so to access these pristine and unspoilt underwater worlds we had to work hard and sweat hard. Each morning we had to rig ropes and lower heavy equipment into place before the diving operation could begin. This was exhausting and time consuming work. In order to get the most out of the time we spent in this remote location, each dive was planned and had a specific objective. Yet, when it came to filming underwater, it was a matter of a fine and intricate balance between preparation, anticipation and improvisation. Sometimes the most incredible shots simply came together.

Due to the remoteness of the cenotes and the tricky access we were all forced to sidemount. Dropping double tanks 40 feet via a narrow shaft topside would have been impossible. It wasn’t long till I felt comfortable and learned to love sidemounting as it gave me freedom of movement and the versatility to switch quickly from sidemount to a single tank, while maintain the same familiar harness and Dive Rite wing. Comfort was essential for me, as the videographer I spent hours floating in the water without actually diving... while tanks, lights, cameras and divers were all carefully lowered down to join me.

Some may be disappointed for spending so many long hours shouting “on rope… off rope”, but you soon realise the unique chance to be there looking at absolutely fabulous ceiling like cathedral with the slight song of some bats flying. Someday, this dark quiet place might become a cave in, with a completely new look.

The cenotes don’t just offer spectacular and inspiring geological formations they also offer a key to the Mayan culture and civilisation. Scattered throughout the cenotes are tools, pottery, ceramics and both animal and human remains. Full skeletal remains on the bottom of the cenotes were eerie and yet fascinating at the same time. Why where they there? Where the bodies a sacrifice to the Mayan gods, accidental drawings or foul play?

There is no easy answer and each cenote is a different case. Explorers have been studying the Maya culture for more than 200 years and still the Axis Mundi is a world not easily revealed.