EXPLORATION&CONSERVATION

We are highly motivated in knowing more about caves, how far they extend, where they are going, how complex they become. Many times landowners would like to know more about what is laying beyond their land or what kind of fresh water resource they have. As cave instructors we need higher cave diving skills to be better educators and cave exploration challenges us to reach this goal.

Yax Chen - Swampland

Cenote Yax Chen up&downstream, Ox Bel Ha

Year: 2020-21

Total new exploration: 22100 meters / 72500 feet with a new coherent area of 20300 meters / 66600 feet, avg. depth: 12 meters / 39 feet, max depth: 21.8 meters / 71.6 feet.

Longest penetration: 4 km/2.5 miles from Yax Chen.

New connections: 2 upstream/downstream Yax Chen, 6 connection between Yax Chen and Historic Ox Bel Ha.

Explorers and surveyors: Laszlo Cseh, Bjarne Knudsen, Emőke Wagner, Daniel Riordan

Cocom

Resurvey and exploration of Cenote Cocom

This is an ongoing project.

Chuup Ich

Cenote Corazon/Chuup Ich downstream, Ox Bel Ha

Year: 2018-19

Total new exploration: 8200 meters / 27000 feet, avg. depth: 15 meters / 50 feet

max depth: 24.3 meters / 80 feet.

Explorers and surveyors: Laszlo Cseh, Bjarne Knudsen, Emőke Wagner, Dr. Mario Valotta, Zsolt Szilágyi, Gideon Liew, Peter Zirkov and Julian Eynon.

Yax Chen - Los Cinco Cenotes

Cenote Yax Chen upstream, Ox Bel Ha

Year: 2022-23

Total new exploration distance: 10.12 km/33,215 ft Bottom times averaged 6-8 hours, with avg. depths of 12 m/40 ft and a maximum penetration of 6.4 km/20.9k ft.

% new cenotes discovered and one unknown cenote was connected into the system.

Explorers and surveyors: Laszlo Cseh, Emőke Wagner, Bjarne Knudsen

Yax Chen - Roots

Cenote Yax Chen downstream, Ox Bel Ha

Year: 2021

Total new exploration distance: 6060 meters / 19880 feet with a new coherent area of 5800 meters / 19000 feet, avg, depth: 6.5 meters / 21 feet, max depth: 12.6 meters / 41 feet. The team has only used GUE sidemount configuration with multiple stages and SUEX DPVs.

Longest penetration: 3 km/1.86 miles from Yax Chen.

Average bottom times were: 7-8 hours with no required decompression

Explorers and surveyors: Emőke Wagner, Bjarne Knudsen, Laszlo Cseh

New discoveries: 1 new cenote and 1 new connection between Yax Chen and Historic Ox Bel Ha.

Akalche

Cenote Akalche, Ox Bel Ha

Year: 2019

Total new exploration distance 3100 meters / 10200 feet, avg. depth: 13 meters / 42 feet, max depth: 21.1 meters / 69 feet. The teams have used GUE sidemount configuration only, with multiple stages and SUEX DPVs.

Explorers and surveyors: MCEP

Coca Ha

Cenote Corazon/Chuup Ich downstream, Ox Bel Ha

Year: 2022

Total new exploration distance: 3200 meters / 10500 feet with the biggest new coherent area being 2100 meters / 7000 feet. Avg. depth: 11 m / 36 feet, max. depth: 19.5 m / 64 feet. The team has used open circuit GUE backmount and sidemount configuration with multiple stages and SUEX DPVs.

Longest penetration: 5 km / 3.1 miles

Average bottom times were: 6-7 hours with minimum decompression

Explorers and surveyors: Laszlo Cseh, Emőke Wagner, Bjarne Knudsen

Otoch Ha

Cenote Otoch Ha, Sac Aktun

Year: 2020

The exploration only turned up 400 meters of new tunnels, but the interesting possibility of having seen human traces in a previously dry cave made this little effort worth mentioning.

Explorers and surveyors: Cameron Miller, Laszlo Cseh, Emőke Wagner

Abejas

Cenote Abejas, Sac Aktun

Year: 2021

Total new exploration distance: 3500 meters / 11500 feet with the biggest new coherent area being 2400 meters / 7800 feet.

Avg. depth: 9 m / 30 feet, max. depth: 13.3 m / 43 feet.

The teams have used open circuit GUE backmount configuration only with multiple stages and SUEX DPVs.

Longest penetration: 3 km / 1.8 miles

Average bottom times were: 5 to 7 hours with minimum decompression

New discoveries: 1 bone site and 1 new connection between Abejas and Northeast Sac Aktun.

Explorers and surveyors: Laszlo Cseh, Emőke Wagner, Dr. Mario Valotta, Cameron Miller