Louise Crawley Photography

Mexico 2013


5am on June 1st 2013 saw a small group of enthusiastic divers, sipping coffee and patiently waiting at the Perth domestic airport for their first flight on what as a long (and alcohol fuelled!) journey to the province of Quantaroo, Mexico. Amongst this group were my boyfriend, Birdy, and myself - ready for our first international adventure together!

The two week trip went by in a blur of beautiful dense forests, underground limestone walls, pool bars and plenty of alcohol!

Each morning we left our resort and were escorted into the forests where we kitted up in our dive gear (odd I know!) and followed a trail through the trees to a sinkhole in the earth exposing the underground rivers that flowed beneath. These sinkholes are known as cenotes [sen-not] to the Maya. The waters were clear and warm, with temperatures ranging from 26 degrees in the top fresh water to 30 degrees in the salt water below. The underground caverns were created over millions of years of weathering; the limestone formations were incredible! Cavern diving requires the diver to be no more than 40m from any entrance to the surface; to go further it is required that the diver has undertaken a technical cave diver course. Although we stayed within the limits of cavern diving, there were a number of underground cathedrals that were pitch black requiring us to use flash lights. It was a complete surreal and unforgettable experience!

After five centote dives over three days, Birdy and I convinced the dive operators to take us out into the Yucatan for two days of ocean diving. The waters were vast blue, with amazing visibility and generous sea life greeting us on all four dives. Among the extensive corals on the sea floor we dived with many leatherback and green turtles, one we named Stumpy because of his missing flipper. I was quite curious of Stumpy and took a great liking to him, but the feelings weren't mutual. He was overly cautious around us and wouldn't allow us to get too close; I was unable to get any photographs of the poor little guy. The other large leatherback turtles were generally happy with our presence and would gracefully swim with us along the sea floor. One awesome turtle even allowed us to feel his shell! I think he just wanted the attention! In addition to the presence of turtles, there were quite a few sting rays. Like Stumpy, they weren't as friendly as most of the turtles and would generally try to keep their distance from us.



On our last day of boat dives in the cenotes we tried to convince the operators to drop us off at a location known for its presence of sharks. As a shark advocate, absolutely fascinated with sharks, it would be a dream come true to dive with these amazing creatures. Sadly, this did not eventuate.

Each day our group enjoyed post-dive cocktails at the pool bar, followed by a friendly game of volleyball (AUS V USA) or water polo (AUS V ENG) before settling in for dinner and further drinking into the wee hours of the morning.

In addition to diving, our group visited the Maya Ruins in Tulum. It is a gorgeous location right on the beach. In addition for its historical significance, the beach at Tulum is also a common nesting ground for local turtles and is strictly off limits to the general public. On our last day in Mexico, I travelled solo into the city of Valladolid before continuing onto the Chichen Itza ruins. The Chichen Itza pyramid, el Castillo, is classified as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. If you stand at the correct location in front of el Castillo and clap you are able to hear the cry of an eagle. I was apprehensive when I was told this, but tried it anyway. It was absolutely unreal! The engineering of the Maya and Toltec is amazing. I have a rather strong interest in the Maya culture and history, so being able to visit these amazing sites was fantastic. The visit to Chichen Itza was well worth the eight hour return bus trip and was the cherry on top of what was an amazing Mexican adventure!



Copyright © Louise Crawley Photography 2013