Cave diving is one of the most challenging and potentially dangerous kinds of diving, but it can also be one of the most rewarding. It offers an opportunity to explore underwater landscapes that are otherwise entirely inaccessible and can lead to truly unforgettable experiences. Descending into the depths of a cave can be like entering an entirely new secret world: alien and unfamiliar, but often breathtakingly beautiful. Repeated diving allows you to get to grips with the strange and sometimes disorientating atmosphere of caves, so liveaboard diving holidays are ideal for exploring them thoroughly. Here are some suggestions of the best places to go cave diving:

The Great Blue Hole, Belize

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4RUa3sMeqtc/RgWX6VEZ1pI/AAAAAAAAAIs/BPZ3NhglLDI/s400/BlueHole_DD_n.jpg

Perfectly circular, 300 metres across and 124 metres deep, the Great Blue Hole at Belize’s Lighthouse Reef is a popular spot among divers looking to get their PADI Deep Diver certificate. Jacques-Yves Cousteau declared it one of the top ten scuba diving sites in the world. The caves here are home to a number of species of shark, as well as elaborate stalactite and breathtaking coral formations.

St John’s Caves, Egypt

The southern Red Sea is home to a number of spectacular reefs and caves, and St John’s is one of the most impressive. Home to an amazing variety of marine life, as well as a kind of serenity hard to match, St John’s is the perfect focal point for Red Sea liveaboards.

Blue Abyss, Mexico

Home to a series of intense and fragile cave decorations, as well as some of the most vivid blue you’re likely to see, Mexico’s Blue Abyss is a rare treat for serious divers – and one that few manage to experience.

Cuzan Nah Loop, Mexico

This stretch of the world’s longest cave system, the Sac Aktun in Mexico, is filled with enormous, beautiful cave decorations. It’s perfect for less experienced divers, with easy access, but that makes it no less interesting for even the most hardened and serious of you.

Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe

‘Spiritual’ and ‘addictive’ are words that are often used to describe the experience of diving at Chinhoyi. While Zimbabwe might not be everyone’s ideal holiday location, these caves are some of the most special on the planet, offering divers a chance to experience incomparable serenity in caves linked to eons of folklore and myth.

Alghero Caves, Sardinia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmap/3346265927/

Home to the Nereo cave, the largest in the Mediterranean, this complex is home to more than 300 caves, making it the most important diving site in Europe. Combined with the local wine and the warm Sardinian waters, cave diving here is perfect for a relaxing break.

Blue Holes, Bahamas

Frequent blackouts, ancient animals, and labyrinthine passages: Bahama’s Blue Holes are not for the faint of heart, or the novice. Providing serious diving for serious divers, these caves seem to disappear into an inescapable abyss, but if you make it through, you’ll never forget it.

Devil’s Eye, Florida

One of the most dived cave networks in the world, with over 30,000 feet of mapped passageways, it’s possible to dedicate your life to diving here and still not see all of it. As part of a resort complex, your trip here will be comfortable and full of amenities that other places might not provide, such as warm showers before the dive.

Komati Springs, South Africa

A flooded asbestos mine, this is now a world-renowned technical training venue. With a maximum depth of 55 metres and varying levels of visibility, it is perfect for advanced training.

El Cenote, Cuba

Centuries of tropical rainstorms in this formerly dry cave have led to some of the most unique stalactite formations you’ll ever see in these caves, which are also home to a species of fish not found anywhere else on the planet.

Join our facebook fan page and be part of our scuba community if you like our articles. Our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DailyScubaDiving

The Yucatan peninsula is located in the south of the United States of México. The earth heated by the tropical sun, thirty five degree by Celsius, impassable jungle, drying up bogs, iguanas, snakes and crocodiles. The rare tropical downpour may suddenly arrive from Caribbean sea. Black clouds, thunder peals, shining lightnings, squall of water lasting not more than from fifteen to twenty minutes and again damp stuffy heat. Well what can I say terrible place for white people , however about 1500 years ago this lands were occupied small people with dark skin who perfectly adopted in Yucatan – Indian Mayas.

Yeah quite interesting , but this blog’s direction is Scuba diving and I do not want to get you bored with history stuff , you can check more about Yucatan in wiki

Why I’ve decided to write about Yucatan? Well the answer is quite simple – This place is really paradise for Cave divers

Today more than three thousand cenotes already discovered, but most of them are still not investigated. Well you may ask what the hell is Cenote? – In my earlier blogpost Best Scuba Diving Destinations , I’ve shortly described them .

Quote from post “Entrance to the caves are called Cenotes which is translated from Mayan language and means «well». Yucatan cave system
The Indians called Cenotes «gateway to the kingdom of death» and considering them sacred water. That’s why gifts for gods – from gold jewelry to the sacrificed fellows were been dumped in here.”

With huge efforts of brave divers it was possible to prove that many of which are connected among themselves and have the general hydrosystem. Thus after diving into one of Cenotes, it’s possible to appear far from an immersing place, in other part of jungle.

As I’ve already there are more then 3000 Cenotes discovered already, among them are many established and famous dive sites but I’ll shortly describe the most famous one Dos Ojos.

Dos Ojos ( Two Eyes )
Solar beams play and are poured in water and on failure walls. Underwater labyrinths from different directions open. Over an input in them as huge teeth of a dragon hangs down conic black stalactites. transparency of water more than twenty meters, and you soar in the underground tunnel over sandy dunes.

Immediately after immersion you’ll find yourself blocked by the terrible poster with the image of the old woman-death with plait in a bony hand. The inscription on it says:« It does not matter who you are, instructor of scuba diving or simply skilled technical diver, think again and do not continue immersing further because it is very dangerous and for this purpose is required to have special training preparation ».But It is obvious that is smart advertisement

Dos Ojos dive involves a 45 minute traverse between two of the main Dos Ojos cenotes. This is only part of the total system. The complete Dos Ojos system is one of the largest underwater cave networks in the world and connects a number of cenotes. The traverse between the two cenotes is a fantastic dive, and can be combined with a visit to the nearby Bat Cave, with its incredible stalactites.

Special training required for diving in Dos Ojos

Well enough words, better just to look the video

In addition I would like to add different photos from different cenotes. Click on photos to enlarge

Join our facebook fan page and be part of our scuba community if you like our articles. Our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DailyScubaDiving

The Bahamas probably in one the richest places in the world with diversity of dive sites , complexity and abundance of experience.

Only here during one trip and you can feed sharks and dive in the most beautiful and complex caves in the world ( many of those have not been investigated yet ).

Wrecks and walls for miles down into the crater, and a smooth bottom leaving a hundred meters in black and much more and much more.

I’m going to write this article about most mysterious caves in Bahamas and other diving experiences

Black Hole of Andros

Black Hole of Andros is discovered recently. It’s a system of vertical caves found in the vicinity of the Bahamas in most cases close to the South Andros. This cave got its name from perfectly circular entrance with diameter 300 meters, which is seen in orbital pictures taken from Shuttle.

At a depth of 18 meters underneath the entrance , the cave is blocked with 1 meter violet jelly layer of bacteria , which are heating the temperature of the water near to 40 degrees. Above and underneath this layer the water is crystal clear. Few tens meters and you’ll reach the «false» bottom of the cave, which is an opaque violet-orange jelly surrounding landscapes reminiscent of the fantastic scenery of the film flights to Mars. It is still soft violet stalactites which are moving from touch.

Presumably the real depth of the black hole – 50 to 100 meters, diving conditions are considered to be close to the critical indicators.

Black holes are different from Blue that comes from the surface vertically downwards, associated with the sea only through the faults and fissures in the rock and have no side branches. That is why black holes ecosystems remain unchanged over a long period of time. There is an interesting theory that black holes appeared because of giant meteorites which had fallen on earth from ancient times.

Mystery Cave

Underwater cave system under the island of Exuma has always been considered a place of mystery. Three entrances are discovered , two of which are under the water – Mystery Cave and Angelfish Cave. Both caves are located near to the coast and start in a place known as Hurricane Hole 3. The third entry in cave is on the island, it is called the Bottomley’s Blue Hole and is located directly behind the house of Mr Houlanda who is resident of Stoking Island.

All three inputs are interconnected through a network of tiny channels and giant tunnels, some of which exceed the size of metro’s tunnels. Most of the tunnels and canals located on the axis south-north at a depth of 30-35 meters. This system is unique because it is related with continental regional faults. In areas where shallow tunnels intersect with faults giant failures occurs with depth of 65 meters or even deeper. The Bahamas – the only place in the world there relationship between these two forms of the underwater landscape exists, moreover cave systems of exuma are the most longest ones. The total length of tunnels are more than 3 kilometers, but the study continued, opening up new areas of the underwater maze.

Mystery cave and Angelfish cave are «Sea caves», which means that they are completely filled with salt water and linked to he schedule tidal. During tidal caves are «absorbed» water, during tide – they are empty . The speed of water flow is around 3 knots, depending on the size and location of tunnels.

Flora and fauna of the caves are very specific and sometimes endemic.Walls of caves are completely covered with sponges (30 species, half of which is not found anywhere else), tunicates, anemones, chosen shrimp, lobster and other living creatures.

The caves are located near the capital island of Exuma, Georgetown. In the caves periodically conduct underwater research group of geologists that are on the cards of the new system.

Other caves Exuma

The Nature gave the island Eksuma (Exuma) and associated smaller islands,thirty amazing caves. The deepest of them is Norman’s Pond Cay Cave (depth 94 meters) . It is located just very near to the docks ( 5 min by walk ). This is not only the most profound, but the biggest cave in the district, with numerous lateral branches.

Cave Oven Rock Cave is a large dry-cell with 500 meters of underwater corridors and tunnels. Although the cave is subject schedule ebb and flow but it is almost imperceptible. Studies have shown that in this cave inhabited by greater number of marine organisms than in any other underwater cave of the world!!!

Sugar Bay Blue Hole is a small circular cavern with over 500 meters of tunnels and passages at depths of 35 to 45 meters.

Minor and fractured caves are Devin Boston’s Caves which are located in the tiny picturesque bay, near the town Ruleville. There are currently investigated by 300 meters of tunnels and corridors, numerous side branches.

Entrance to the big island of cavity Kermit’s Cavern is located on land. Water on the surfaceisf red, so that the entrance to the cave is constantly light up with purple light – eyeful.

Another interesting place is sea cave Crab Cay Crevasse, situated above a major fault. Over 1000 meters of tunnels and corridors are located at depths of 35 to 55 meters.

Not far from Georgetown is a ground entrance to Basil Minns Blue Hole – one of the most biologically rich cave of the Bahamas. The length of the corridors studied, the average depth of 53 meters, more than 500 meters. About 300 meters from the entrance was found a vertical tunnel, ending a great domed chamber diameter of 10 meters, set by almost reaches the surface of the island and covered the roots of trees and strange insects. The main corridor of the cave systems decorated with stalactites and stalagmites.

Not far from Georgetown, south from the docks, there is another large fractured cave – Masters Harbour Blue Hole. The main corridor – 700 meters, maximum depth – 70 meters.

* With blue holes associated many myths and legends, the most common and popular of which is that cave inhabited by «Luska», fantastic monster, half-squid, half-shark.
* In the underwater cave systems of the Bahamas found the thermocline, and halocline himocline.
* Caves in the Bahamas are divided into three categories: cenotes , fractured caves and tunnel caves.

Join our facebook fan page and be part of our scuba community if you like our articles. Our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DailyScubaDiving