Diving

Three days of incredible diving.  I only have 23 minutes left on my internet card here at the resort, so I'll flesh out this post in more detail later.

First day, from a small boat off Playa del Carmen.  The weather was still mixed, and the current at the first site very swift. 

Wednesday, ferry to Cozumel and right onto the dive boat where we dove two incredible reefs, the water so clear you were almost tempted to take off your mask...huge purple, yellow-orange and various translucent colored corals.

Today, the cenotes in the jungle, two next to each other, the first named KuKulcan "The Snake" in Mayan, the second named Chac-mool, "The Jaguar."  The trail through Cenote KuKulcan is 462 feet; the trail through Chac-mool is 1320 feet.  When Polo, the cavern guide, took me down the path to look at the pools in the ground, I really wasn't so sure.  I hadn't felt this shaking in my heart for a long time.  But I had committed, and had faith it would not only be fine, but be incredible.  That it was.  I had expected the cenote to be a bottomless hole.  Instead both were really cavern dives, with a somewhat small opening pool, where one descended and then proceeded horizontally into the cavern, sometimes through tunnels.  A few highlights - the views of the entrance, the stalactites, the air hole where the tree roots dip down to drink.  In many ways, easy dives - no waves, no potentially dangerous animals or boats - but instead the eeriness of being underwater, under the earth, being strong mentally to maintain control, at the same time, trying to relax and enjoy the dive.  Truly a unique experience.  I bought the video and the pictures and will post.

Later Thursday, I started packing since I'll be leaving here Saturday at 10.  And tomorrow, Friday, I'm off to Chichen Itza.  Tulum is probably the most beautiful ruin, but CI is the largest and most impressive.  Couldn't miss it.

I'll post more when I get back to Oakland.