Water Activities

This entry is about the water activities from various days. Earlier, Mimi played with the dolphins, and we took a zip-line swim as part of the Selvatica tour. We also swam in the ocean - in a lagoon where an underground empties into the ocean, a dip in another cenote, and a trip in an underwater river as part of our Xcaret Park trip:

The lagoon is called Xel Ha, near Akumal, and is a cab ride away from the resort. It has a rocky shore, with several sculptures that double as benches. Jan is posing below.

Wider view of the lagoon. A very popular place.


Underwater view of the rocky shelves. A good place for fish to hide. The mixture of the fresh and salt water creates strange viewing at times.

Small fan coral.


Some of the fish ...


The fish especially like to hide in the mangrove roots.


The crew drying off and warming up after the dive.

Cenote swimming is a popular activity here. The exotic environment combined with the coolness of the water makes it unbeatable. This cenote was near Chichen Itza, and part of the trip to the ruins there. It made a nice ending to a hot day.

Cenote walls are covered with plants and long roots of trees and bushes, reaching down to the water.

The ceilings of cenotes have their own ecology, including birds and bats.

A particularly nice shot of a cenote wall. Try enlarging it.

Peering down from the top, one can see swimmers at the bottom.

One in particular looks familiar...

Next is the underground river trip at Xcaret Park. The crew assembles for a picture. We wear life jackets for safety, but they are nice for a leisurely float down the river.

Mimi with her eternal smile....

The river was illuminated by holes to the surface - miniature cenotes.

Mayan warriors try to spear you as you float by - to add to the fun.

We met a nice Canadian couple as we floated. They took a picture of us with Jessica's water camera.

What a cenote looks like from underwater, looking-up.

The underground river ends in a mangrove swamp. Mimi is looking a little cold.

But a little further down, before the river runs into the ocean, is an area to get out. Nice and warm again.

This is what happens when I get on the wrong side of the camera...

Next time: Xcaret Park