Unexpected things can happen on vacation, especially in Mexico. Plans may have to be changed at the last minute. If you are inflexible this can be very frustrating, but if you are willing to change plans and enjoy what comes up, well anything can happen.
My wife and I had been looking forward to our trip to Akumal, a small resort about an hour's drive south of Cancun. We had been there about five years ago and had stayed at one of the condos on Half Moon Bay, about a quarter of a mile north of Akumal Bay. Early on that trip we had discovered Yalcu lagoon, a small, uncrowded lagoon that is on the Akumal property, and snorkeled in it every day. The water was crystal clear every day and full of an incredible assortment of tropical fish. We had seen sergeant major's, parrot fish, even a small barracuda and a manta ray.
On this year's trip we had few firm plans. We wanted to look up and down the coast for a new place to stay at the next time we came to the Yucatan, and we planned on doing as much snorkeling as possible in Yalcu lagoon.
We arrived late Monday afternoon and went straight to the beach. A stiff breeze was blowing in off of the water. Four to six foot waves were breaking over the reef that sits about a quarter mile off the coast. After renting snorkeling equipment at the dive shop at Akumal, we went for a short swim. The water was stirred up pretty good from the onshore wind. We later found out it had been blowing for eight days, and the divers were unable to take the boats out through the reef because of the waves.
The next morning at breakfast we asked about Yalcu. Our waiter told us that the water was very murky, and the snorkeling would not be very good. "How long will the wind last?" we asked. He shrugged and told us that sometimes it lasted for a couple of days and sometimes for a week or more. "If it rains, maybe it would stop." He turned and started walking back to the kitchen then came back and asked "Do you like to swim in cenotes?" we answered that we had never been in a cenote but would be willing to try.
What are cenotes? The whole of the Yucatan peninsula is a flat slab of limestone. Underneath the limestone are numerous underground rivers and aquifers. In places the water moves, and has carved out caverns, complete with stalactites and stalagmites. When the water level gets high enough the roofs of the caverns can erode and occasionally collapse. These sinkholes, or cenotes which are generally round openings, can be from a dozen feet to a couple of hundred feet across. Some are no more beautiful than a quarry, with steep sides falling away into the water. Others are spectacular.
Our waiter friend knew of one of the spectacular ones nearby. "On the road to the ruins at Coba there is a small turnoff with enough room for two cars at the most." he told us," A few yards from the road there is the hut of a local ranchero. For the price of a few nuevos pesos he will let you swim in the cenote. This cenote has a cavern at each end, and stalactites. There are many cenotes near here," our newfound guide told us" but it is my favorite".
After breakfast we threw our snorkeling equipment in the car and rushed to the cenote only to find that there was no one there. Once more we had to make a change of plans (a common occurrence in Mexico). We drove on to Coba, which we had visited on our last trip. Coba is a large site covering 67 square kilometers, but only a small portion of it has been uncovered. On our last trip there was only one pyramid uncovered and partially restored, the 140 ft tall Nohuch Mul (Mayan for "biggest hill"). This time there were two addition temples uncovered and partially restored. From the top of Nohoch Mul you can look out and see dozens of "hills" each one an uncovered temple, for in this part of Mexico there are no natural hills.
After a long hot hike around Coba with a very well informed guide, we stopped at a small restaurant and hotel in Coba village to have lunch. During our meal a beautiful tall blond German girl came over and asked if we could give her and her two friends a ride to Tulum so that they could get a flat fixed. Her name was Vivianna and she was with two young Mexican guys, but we could see their car broken down just a hundred yards or so down the road so we agreed. We told them we had planned to swim in a cenote but could take them to Tulum first as it was only a few kilometers away. "Oh no," she said, "we will go with you and see how the cenote is and swim for a while." They loaded the tire in the back and went back to the car to get their snorkel and mask. One of her friends stayed with the car and the rest of us started off for the cenote.
The owner of the cenote was there when we arrived, and there was a van parked in the turn off. Our new Mexican friend whose name was Mauricio quickly cut a deal, handing the owner a fistful of cigarettes and what looked like four nuevos pesos. The cenote was just a few yards behind the hut. It was about 60 feet in diameter. We scrambled down a few feet and then had to climb down a ladder to the bottom, where a group of six Canadians were swimming. Already I could see it was extraordinary. We were at the bottom of a 25 foot hole, standing on a small piece of land that was formally the top of the cavern. around the edges of the cenote there was a crescent of water. To our left and to our right the remains of the cavern could be seen. On the left it started about five feet from the top lip of the cenote and sloped back 60 feet or more. Stalagmites hung down from the ceiling, extending well into the water. On the right, the cavern went in at least 40 feet, and at the end there was another small 12 foot opening that illuminated the water.
Snorkeling in this was unlike any snorkeling I had ever done. We were able to swim among the stalactites to the back of the cavern where it was very dark, and the water was 40 feet or more deep. When we turned around, shafts of light shone down through the water in the center of the cenote. Small fish swam about and there were water lilies growing from the center "island" section. Swimming along the perimeter to the other end we could see underwater caverns below. Scuba divers with cavern certifications swim into these caverns. A diver later told us that it is possible, though extremely dangerous, to swim to another cenote nearly a mile away. At the opposite end a sandy floor rose gradually, so that there was a small beach under the smaller opening.
We were very lucky to have stumbled onto this treasure, but later in the week we discovered more cenotes. One is located at the back of the newly developed ruins at Xel-ha. While the Xel-ha lagoon that this cenote feeds can get crowded at mid-day when the tour busses arrive from Cancun, we were swimming alone in the cenote. This is a larger less spectacular cenote, surrounded by lush tropical vegetation that grows literally to the edge of the water. In fact to get out of the steep sided cenote you need to find a suitable root or fallen tree to use to boost yourself out of the water. Granted there were no colorful fish, but it was very relaxing swimming in our very own jungle hide-away.
There are many more cenotes in the Yucatan. Some may be advertised by small handwritten signs, but most are hidden. This is bound to change quickly as the Cancun development spreads south down the Mexican Caribbean.
