| experiences of our lives. We first flew to one of the coast islands and stayed in the town of San Pedro from where we planned to do a little scuba diving. SCROLL DOWN FOR THE STORY AND PICTURES |
| Our first dive, on the first morning, was just a ten minutes boat ride from the town to the local reef where we saw the expected beautiful fish and coral in crystal clear waters with 70 feet visibility. It was on our second dive (that same morning) that we realized this might not be an ordinary trip. |
| Here in about 50 feet of water, we came across a school of about a half dozen sharks ranging from maybe 4 to 8 feet long. They seemed at least as interested in us as we were in them, and stayed with us for half of the dive. Randye had a very close encounter and actual “petted⠀� one. (She claims her hair standing up was due to the water not the shark, but none of the other pictures show that) |
| We planned to take another morning dive two days later with this same group but found out instead of doing a local dive they were going 2-3 hours off shore to explore one of the only coral atoll’s not in the pacific. Although the first dive would be an “expert only� affair we would have the option of seeing the atoll and snorkeling and then joining for the two afternoon dives. We had absolutely perfect weather and a glass smooth sea. |
| the incredible and world famous “Blue Holeâ €�. Explored and made famous by Jacques Cousteau who labeled it as one of the worldâ €™s four “mustâ€� dives for experienced divers. Following quote from the national geographic magazine “The almost perfectly circular Blue Hole is more than 1,000 feet across and some 500 feet deep, the opening to what was a dry cave system during the Ice Age. When the ice melted and the sea level rose, the caves were flooded creating what is now a magnet for intrepid divers. The journey into the cavern is not for fainthearted or unskilled scuba divers. The entrance to the cavern cannot be reached without descending more than 110 feet down a sheer rock wallâ €”some 10 feet deeper than the recommended maximum depth for recreational divers. At these depths, a diver has only a matter of minutes before breathing compressed air becomes dangerous, due to high levels of nitrogen that accumulate in the blood. â€� |
| Well we were out there on a perfect day and snorkeling just did not €� and had only done two post certification dives before this trip, neither one more the 40 feet down. This dive has to be done on a strict schedule – 4 minutes to equalize, 7 minutes on the "bottom" and the rest of the time decompressing on a graduated accent. At 50 feet down on the edge of the hole we successfully equalized - at least to that point – and we both steeped off the edge and plunged in a kind of free fall straight down. It rapidly got darker, much colder and murkier as the pressure grew. In what seemed less then a minute we found ourselves passing the 110 foot point. Randye leveled off at 132 feet I did at 140. Incredibly the whole area and visibility clears at this point with pitch darkness above and below. We could swim among the gigantic stalactites and stalagmites as the cave widened out past the hole’s 1000 foot diameter. A bull shark circled above apparently guarding the exit. It was at this point I discovered I had gone through more than 2/3 of my oxygen in only the first 1/3 of the dive. I first thought maybe I had been hyper ventilating but then discovered my regulator hose had sprung a leak at the connection point. My hand over the leak did not work and a rapid accent from this depth is absolutely not an option. I found our dive masters and pointed out my predicament. To preserve my air for my final accent I shared the air off his tank with a spare regulator. A maneuver last tried in the YMCA pool – at 6 feet depth - some three years ago. Fortunately I was not suffering from the nitrous narcosis - common at this depth. On deep dives the boat throws an extra tank in the water at the point you do your 8 minute decompression stop and I could then switch to that tank and then back to mine again for the finally ascent. |
| We lunched on the atoll and our final dive dream about, swimming in schools of multicolored fish among the most beautiful coral imaginable. Altogether one of the most amazing days we have ever had – but to be surpassed only a few days later. |
airplane view - postcard
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| The second half of our week was spent in a Jungle Lodge in south west Belize. We were advised to take a day trip to a remote cave (Tunichil Muknal) that had not yet made our travel books. It was only recently explored and just opened to small guided trips for the public in the last 4 years. The first hour was a dirt road, the next hour a mud “road� and the last hour on foot through a dense jungle trail following and crossing a river. The river exited from a hole in a 100 foot high cliff. With our guide, and one other couple, we entered the cave by swimming up stream in over 15 foot deep waters where the river emerged from the rock. Only our helmets and headlights were above water as we made our way forward into the darkness. The depth varied from ankle deep to over our heads. Some passages were so tight the dry bag with my camera and water had to be pushed ahead before squishing my body through, at other points it opened up to giant caverns. |
| Often (as in the photo) we clung to the walls and walked on underwater ledges. In one narrow section I mentioned that my head light was shining on a medium sized black scorpion. Randye then realized that was what had just stung her. They guide rushed back and declared this a non-poisonous variety but indicated some people have very bad reactions to it (a subtle distinction I thought) Randye pulled out the stinger, and hand throbbing moved forward in waste deep water in what we now realized was a scorpion infested cave. At least the vampire bats flying above left us alone. |
| After an hour and a half in the river the guide had us take off our shoes (to protect the cave) as we climbed about 60 feet up the side of the cave to a very recently discovered small opening that lead to a beautiful and enormous cavern. In this side cavern virtually everything remained exactly as it was found and left by the Mayans who clearly used this remote spot for ceremonial purposes 1200 years ago. |
| They believed rain gods lived in this cave and the pottery was used in some ceremony for these Gods. Once use it had to be destroyed as shown in the hole in the upside down pot. We carefully made our way through 100’s of Mayan artifacts left just were they were used. All alone, in pitch darkness –except for our headlights- in the giant caverns, two hour into the cave, with amazing formations it was all surreal to be thinking of the Mayans there before us. |
| We then came across the decapitated scull of some sacrificed individual. The artificially flattened head showed this was a member of the Mayan elite. The stone implement used for the execution was still there. Perhaps a winner of one of their games - sacrificed to appease the rain Gods. Other bones – of children and adults -were scattered with the pottery. Watching every step we cautiously made our way deeper into the cavern. |
| Climbing up to a very high ledge we came across this teenage maiden - skeleton fully intact – crystallizing into the rocks for over a thousand years. Some Mayan princess, in her finally resting place, unfound and undisturbed for all these years. |
| We worked our way back via same route. On the next day we saw some above ground Mayan temples. On our last day, directly from our lodge, Randye and I paddled down river for over two hour though the jungle to the closest town - where our jeep meet us for our trip back to the real world. Martin August 2003 |
