Stillness.
The overwhelming sensation was one of stillness.
A stillness I’d only ever experienced while floating through the air in a parachute.
A stillness that is increasingly difficult to find in a high-tech, digital world.
A stillness to savour.
Stillness of crystal clear waters trapped within caves called cenotes, near Tulum, Mexico.
Stillness of a world without noise or the tides and turbulence of the ocean. A submarine stillness utterly unique to myself and my dive partner who had only weeks before secured our dive certificates on the Barrier Reef of Belize.
An experience we knew was too special to forego. Thus, we dived both Dos Ojos and Bat Cave and with our two eyes witnessed limestone formations seemingly frozen in time as we floated past in pure serenity.
From light to shade we floated as the sun pierced through cracks in the caves.
We also experienced the method of controlling our buoyancy largely through breathing, rather than relying primarily on the buoyancy device employed in open water diving.
We floated through the caves, following the rope and our guide, in a state of blissful peace akin to a drift dive, but even more serene, as we propelled ourselves with only the slightest of dolphin kicks.
Stillness that must be respected and protected, a stillness so unique that divers must leave only the tiny air bubbles that are trapped on the roof of the caves.
Images: Rachelle Blake
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