Stillness
n. State or quality of being still ; freedom from noise, motion, agitation, excitement, and the like ; calmness; quiet ; silence.
It amazes me how well adapted to the water and its depths we are as humans. Without even making a decision our bodies have an autopilot function once our face is submerged in water. The vagus nerves trigger a list of functions in our autonomic system. The heart rate slows and metabolism is throttled down to conserve precious oxygen. Peripheral vasoconstriction (blood vessels narrowing) sends blood from your arms and legs to your heart and brain so they are not starved of oxygen. When you start descending into depths the increased pressure squeezes your spleen to make more hemoglobin, proteins that carry extra oxygen throughout your body. As more pressure is applied to our lungs a thin layer of blood surrounds them, kind of like a protective layer that prevents your alveoli from collapsing (tiny air sacks that absorb the oxygen and distribute it through your system). At this point all phases of the mammalian diving reflex are in full effect, a completely natural occurrence that if you ask me is totally BADASS!
Enjoying the view at 30 meters depth.
Well before I took my trip to Tulum, Mexico to get my level 2-3 SSI freediving certification I was enamored with the depths of the ocean. I grew up next to water most of my life and being an Aquarius (the water bearer) it runs in my veins. I could always find calmness and stillness in my soul at a waters edge and the thought of exploring its unknown wonders excited me. Water is my element, my zen, and my home.
The allure of Tulum was not its bustling main street full of swanky bars and trendy cafes. It wasn't the fashion scene or the Instagram photo opportunities. For me it was the portal to another universe, the well kept secrets of the underwater anomalies known as cenotes. The jungle in this area is rife with fresh and saltwater cave systems spanning hundreds of miles underground. Part of a prehistoric reef that was once deep under the ocean. These sinkholes contain permanent water thousands and thousands of years old. The Maya people used them for fresh water as well as the occasional human sacrifice 😳.
The Maya considered cenotes "The gateway to the underworld". They also had the belief that humans, serpents, frogs, and lizards emerged from these caves. Offerings were a way to complete the cycle of life in their eyes. Some of these offering have been found in the form of solid gold, statues, and of course human remains (most of which were children). Forgive my morbid curiosity but I was compelled to go down there and see if it was in fact a gateway to another world.
The water is so crystal clear that when you are at depth its as if all time has frozen. You are suspended in nothingness but feel the force all around you. This surreal feeling is humbling and dream like, as if you are inside mother natures womb. Encompassed by silence you have truly entered another world.
By this time in my life I had already been practicing freediving for about five years. Albeit my early days were dangerous as I had no proper training and I typically would dive alone in the Caribbean ocean in Panama (an upcoming Onion Travel entry). I wanted to further my skills and awareness in the water so I sought out the help of a professional. I had previously attained my Level 1 SSI certification in Indonesia around 2009 however I was ready to go to the next level. My goal was to feel comfortable at a depth of 30 meters, make that depth my "home" so to speak.
I enlisted the help of Amancay Freediving which I highly recommend if you are interested in learning about apnea and all the science behind it. With their careful coaching I was able to reach new personal best and build a confidence level that has propelled my diving to new heights (or depths if you will). Here is a video diving the majestic Cenote Angelita with my instructor Cande.
"Mankind is bound to earth by gravity until he discovers the weightless freedoms of the depths" ~n.d.
Once again my self confidence and susception to fear was tested in the cenotes. I was having a difficult time allowing my brain rest and letting my focus wander while trying to go deeper than I had ever imagined. I was hitting a mental block when attempting what is called a mouth fill at about 30 meters. To continue going deeper you must draw more air from your lungs to your mouth to continue equalizing. In theory this sounds like a simple task, however, it is a mental challenge to do it successfully. At this depth your lungs are compressed 5 times smaller (only about 1 liter of capacity). You start experiencing convulsions in your diaphragm, deep kicks in you chest becoming more intense the longer you are under. Hard to believe you can overcome these natural occurrences with practice, right?
If you give into fear or break your mental focus at these depths it can be dangerous as well as deadly. I would reach my intended depth to perform the mouth fill, you hear this distinct beep coming from your dive watch signaling it is time, and all of a sudden this grip on my throat would not allow for air to pass. Opening my eyes and realizing I was 100ft below the surface and trying to go deeper put me into a state of shock, panicked with fear and doubt I had to make an escape to the surface. I punished myself for days not only feeling as if I had let myself down, my instructor was giving me everything she had to see me through this moment.
The mental awareness of the body and it's signs you have to understand will only improve with time spent trying. I would lay in bed at night and meditate, perform my breath up as slowly and focused as I could, and hold my breath until I felt this panic inside my body. I would work my way through it knowing I was in bed, a safe place, all I would have to do is breath to stop the process.
When I returned to the cenote to attempt my failed objective I had a fresh perspective. My plan was to do what I had been doing in bed, but this time 100 feet down. With more focus than I had ever experienced, I reached my trouble depth easily. My instructor staring into my eyes simply gave me a nod in the calmest way. I continued down the line until the bottom and turned myself effortlessly. We both had this moment of bliss and happiness at over 133 feet. I had overcome this fear and was now enjoying the deepest I had ever been, and it happened naturally. I successfully rewired my focus and broke through to the next onion layer 🙏
Mask squeeze from lack of equalization.
Even though I just posted my personal best in deep diving, conquered my inability to perform a mouth fill, and made myself proud beyond explanation...I managed to give myself mask squeeze by not equalizing my mask. 👏
The rest of this trip was a success as well. I enjoyed the culture with the locals, excellent food, and superb hospitality.
Al Pastor street tacos.
Coco Rasta (there is a michelada and a shot of rum inside)
Day trip to Lake Bacalar.
The beach in front of the Mayan Tulum ruins.
I want to take this chance to thank all of you for accepting me into the Hive community with open arms. The love expressed here is unwavering. I look forward to sharing more adventure stories, photography, and video. As always I am an open book and would love to hear your opinions, questions, and thoughts.
Up next we are going to take a little trip to South East Asia 😁
Be well and Mahalo
That´s some very impressive feat here, wow :) Btw you know that there are crocodiles living in some of the cenotes, right? :D Thanks for bringing some sweet memories back to me, I lived on the Mayan Riviera (mostly PDC) for almost 2 years. Cheers + follow from a fellow nomad ;) Welcome to Hive!
Thank you amigo! I did see quite a few crocs in Casa Cenote and a very small baby in Carwash Cenote. Pretty chilled out on the banks so I didn't feel any threat. Im in love with the cenotes as its such a special place to dive and reflect. The ocean is stunning in its own ways but the silence in the jungle is so majestic it just makes for a whole different experience! Thank you for sharing, following back 😎
Exactly :) When the beaches get too crowded or polluted with the seaweed, cenotes are always there for you, hidden deep in the jungle, some even yet to be discovered :) I loved them. These were some of my favorites:
https://steemit.com/travel/@phortun/beauties-of-yucatan-my-ultimate-photo-collection-of-cenotes
Another gem! I went snorkeling in Maui (second time in my life) and the mental toughness of controlling my breathing WITHOUT diving under was exhausting. The first 10 minutes it felt like a total panic. I couldn't imagine the mental exercises you had to endure to accomplish this feet! Congrats man, very impressive! Look forward to the next one!
Dude, sorry it took me so long to reply. I have family over and its cutting into my Hive tome lol (super excited to have my family around 😍)
Honestly, apnea has been one of the hardest mental challenges in my life. We were made to breath regularly and not have immense pressure all around us. However, with practice you can tap into your instincts and utilize this amazing Mammalian Dive Reflex (MDR) and enjoy the depths. Sure it takes time and discipline but it is such an amazing feeling.
Thanks for the support and encouragement amigo, working on the next story! audios amigo
Bro, did we have a talk about Tulum when I was down there? I feel like we did and don't want to be repetitive. Buttttt...
The cenotes are ridiculous. So cool. I think the best one we saw was at a Jungle preservation maybe 20-30 minutes from DT Tulum.
I can hold my breath for quite a while, I just don't know if I could handle the depth. My ears start to hurt. We did a small scuba tour when we visited Brazil, the clarity sucked but we didn't go too deep, so I felt ok, but it was fun regardless.
I'd love to go snipe some lobsters on the beach Tom took me too on the last night I was down there. Maybe soon enough we can make that happen!
Great story bud! Keep em' comin!
Im not sure if we touched on the subject or not but if we did we could have talked all night. Im a cenote junkie and I cant wait to go back.
You can overcome the equalization problems with practice, I had the same issues at the start. When I was spearing in Mexico a few years back I had a root canal explode at like 20ish meters. Made me realize ears are not the only problem.
I wish we had nice lobster here unfortunately they have been fished out. There are lobster just not big enough to keep. I hope the ocean recovers at least for the next generation. Cheers dude and thanks for the re-blog and love as usual, you are the man!
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Avacado and prawns on a green coconut with rum? I like all those those things, but not sure about the prawns on the coconut ...
😄 It is absolutely delicious, one of those must try things. There is Jicama, coconut flesh, prawns, pulpo (octopus), avocado, chamoy sauce. Inside is coconut water with lime, habanero seasoning, and rum. Very refreshing after a day in the water!
An absolute inspiration! I had my open water scuba diving lessons last December and it was a different world down there. Having an advanced scuba diving class is already in the plans for summer this year. I also had my plans, together with my friends, to do freediving this May. This post just made wanted to push through with those plans the soonest!
I highly recommend experiencing the underwater world on one breath! I have done open water scuba courses in a few places and I loved it. Since practicing apnea it has opened a whole new chapter in my love for the ocean. I think it is mostly the freedom from equipment and the mental challenges it requires. I say go for it asap, you will have no regrets! Looking forward to your future scuba/freediving post 👀 enjoy mate
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