Exploring The Yucatan Flooded Caves (cheap flights to beijing)

August 13th, 2008 admin Posted in travel |

By Rachel Yoshida

One of the 31 states of Mexico is Yucatan. It is bordered on the southwest by the state of Campeche, bordered on the east and southeast by the state of Quintana Roo, and is located on the Yucatan Peninsula. The Yucatan has many features in its relatively flat land. There are beaches, vast expanses of jungle, coral reefs, swamps, and even the Puuc hills.

More than half a century ago, the Mayan civilization thrived and prospered in Yucatan. They relied heavily on the waters from cenotes, which is a sinkhole that contains groundwater that can also be found in the Yucatan Peninsula and some of the nearby Caribbean islands. In the Mayan language, the word cenote means dzonot, a sacred well. One of the most popular cenotes is the well at Chichen Itza, which was used for human sacrifice. These holes in the ground are formed when the rock is dissolved, creating a subsurface void. When the water table is below the void in the ceiling, the rock will collapse at an even faster rate.

Cenotes vary in size and shape, but the kind most often seen resemble circular ponds and can measure many feet in diameter. While the water surface in some cenotes is at ground level, the majority would require some bending to reach the water. There are thousands of species of fish and plant life that exist in this underwater network of caves. The roots of trees found on the land above have pushed their way through the rock and limestone below.

Yucatan is a frequent vacation destination. Cenotes in Yucatan and in other areas of the world attract visitors worldwide and even divers who want to explore the vast underwater caves. This underwater world stretches for hundreds of miles and has not been fully explored. The most experienced of divers still have difficulty navigating through these waters. Divers often have to squeeze through very tight spaces to continue their exploration, which can be dangerous if any equipment is damaged.

It requires a tremendous amount of skill and knowledge to map out the caves. At this time, more than 350 miles of the Yucatan cenotes have been mapped, but it is an extremely dangerous feat. The next cenote could be hundreds of miles away, and it is easy for divers to get disoriented in direction and lose air.

Divers use spools of string that they attach to rock formations to avoid getting lost. Due to the fresh water flowing in from the jungle meeting with the ocean’s salt water, it creates an illusion in the water, leading divers to think they have found an area without water.

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There Are Many Reasons Why You Should Choose Inflatable Boats Over Traditional Boats
By www.KomailNoori.com

If you spend any time in or around the water then you probably own or have considered owning an inflatable boat. There are many uses for inflatable boats and many people own them for a variety of very different reasons.

What Can I Use An Inflatable Boat For?

Inflatable boats were originally used in the Navy to haul cargo and missiles back and forth to larger ships. Eventually the inflatable boats moved into the recreational market for fishing, personal transportation and for tenders on larger boats, particularly yachts.

Some other uses are:

* Scuba diving

* Search and rescue

* Emergency lifeboats

* Security patrol

* Law enforcement

* Fishing and hunting

* Pleasure

* Water sports

* Many others

What Are Some Benefits Of An Inflatable Boat?

There are many advantages to an inflatable boat over a hard sided boat, but to see the true benefits you really need to know what you plan on using your boat for.

Are They Heavy?

Inflatable boats are extremely lightweight in comparison to more traditional hard sided boats. And the fact that they are light weight makes them an excellent choice for many people. This is great if you are using your boat for fishing. Instead of towing a regular dinghy or canoe behind your vehicle you will be able to strap your inflatable boat to the roof of your car or even strap it into the bed of your truck.

The lightweight nature of the inflatable boat is excellent if you need to pull your boat up on the shore of the lake, or river during a fishing trip. One or two people can easily pull an inflatable boat up on shore a safe distance.

What About Stability?

A big concern of most people have when they are considering an inflatable boat over a more traditional boat is the stability of the inflatable. Will it be tipsy or unsteady when you are standing in it? This is a major and very common misconception of most people. In fact, an inflatable boat is generally much more stable than a traditional boat.

Because of their buoyancy tubes, inflatable boats are actually known for their incredible stability. And because of these buoyancy tubes these boats actually sit flat in the water which makes them virtually impossible to flip over. This is a great feature for people who might be a little bit nervous about small boats, or especially scuba divers who need to flip backwards into the water and pull themselves up and into the boats.

Why Choose An Inflatable Boat?

There are a number of reasons why inflatable boats make a better choice than the more traditional aluminum or fiberglass boats. Depending on why you need a small boat will depend on why you are better off with an inflatable.

If you are a fisherman, a lightweight inflatable canoe makes a much better choice than a traditional hard shell canoe. With an inflatable you will be able to carry the boat to the river or lake by yourself, which is very handy if you prefer to fish by yourself. Also you will be able to transport the boat to and from your fishing site easier and without fear of scratching your vehicle if you choose to transport it on top of the vehicle.

If you are a yacht owner looking for a tender for your larger craft an inflatable boat is the best choice for a few reasons. It is very important to yacht owners that they not scratch their beautiful boats; with an inflatable, those concerns are virtually eliminated, because these boats are made from materials that are soft and will not mark the surfaces of other boats.

Also, because inflatable boats are lightweight they can easily be brought on board when the yacht is under sail. However, just because you have an inflatable does not mean that you cannot attach a trolling motor to it. In fact most inflatable boats allow quite large motors to be attached to them. Although many inflatable boats are not built for performance and speed, some are built for speed and efficiency. However, even if you have a motor you should always carry paddles with you and you should always wear a life jacket.

All Purpose Inflatable Boats

Inflatable boats are much more than the image of a blow up boat that you played with in the pool as a child. You can now attach motors to these boats, put boat seats in them and even drive through the ocean surf at top speeds. This is much more than the boat that you remember as a child!

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