Part 2... Cantil Dive Playa del Carmen Riviera Maya

Part 2…

The dive plan. Depth 42 metres, bottom time, 20 minutes. The ascent, three minutes at 15 metres, two minutes at 9 metres, two minutes at 6 metres, fifteen minutes at 5 metres. Diving tables.

After a choppy boat ride, the group was dropped off over top the cantil. Nothing but dark blue below. It took eight minutes to reach the edge of the cantil.

“We just flew down” says Johnny. “we were in the middle of the blue and then we were level with this huge sloping wall. It gives you the feeling that it is the end of the earth.”

A reef on a grand scale and it didn’t disappoint. Johnny
Gets the credit for sea life sightings.

“At one point we saw a huge sea turtle sitting on the edge of the cantil, then a bull shark came out in front of us, it appeared out of the dark and followed the edge of the cantil, it was like wow! It didn’t even pay attention to us, like a commuter on the way to work.” Johnny Faulds.

“It was fantastic” says Dean, his face lighting up. “I was blown away by the size (of the sea life) and the variety. We saw a remora and that meant there were bigger customers around. An eight foot bull shark! Just a beautiful shark, it just went about its business. I saw the biggest parrot fish in my life and a big fat thick barracuda”

Though none of the abyss staff are first timers to the cantil, the beauty of it never escapes them. The dive extraordinary because they got to do it together and take some guests along. Dean got the dive he wanted and…

“It was something we wanted to do for Johnny; we wanted to show him the cantil”. Ross Anderson

So, the dive didn’t go exactly as planned, even though the plan was on dive tables, Dean’s sunnto kicked in some conservative numbers, telling him he needed a 25 minute deco stop at five meters, so he wanted to do it. But air was good and the rest of the group stayed above and within sight to wait out Deans stop. In all it was a ninety minute dive!

Katy couldn’t have said it better. “it was a lovely, lovely dive. A great experience”.

“As a business owner, I love to have staff functions. It’s a great shop bonding experience. It builds camaraderie and teamwork. This felt similar and I felt chuffed to be included. It was nice of Dave to run the front of the dive shop. Whoo hoo”. Johnny Faulds


Whoo hoo indeed, Dean is already pestering Dave for a repeat performance.


By Denelle Balfour

Cantil Dive in Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya

Dean Turner couldn’t wait to do a deco dive. Though decompression certified, Dean hasn’t been able to go deep for years, because of hockey related shoulder stress -- he’s Canadian, eh! -- and subsequent surgeries.

He simply couldn’t lift his arms to reach the gages. Now after seven years of keeping it recreational, he was good to go.

Dean has been a friend of the abyss dive center and its owner, Dave Tomlinson, for years, so he dogged Dave and the staff to dive the cantil.

The cantil is part of the continental shelf that spans the Riviera Maya and beyond. It starts at 30 to 35 metres, and gradually slopes off into the abyss (couldn’t help it), meaning it’s beyond the limits of recreational diving. Which also means it’s not a regularly scheduled dive for the shop. Special arrangements and considerations have to be made.

For advanced or Padi deep divers, the cantil beckons. It’s full of life, large sponges, soft corals, sea fans, large ocean going fish, including bull sharks. Not to mention the big blue.

Not only did Dave make the dive happen, he decided to make it a staff dive and include the abyss dive slave, now certified dive master, Johnny Faulds, another canuck! A sort of graduation gift to mark Johnny’s new certification. Dave would man the shop. The schedule that day also allowed for the dive.

Ok, Johnny Faulds…. A walking advertisement for his tattoo shop, urge 2 tattoo, in Edmonton. There are a lot of stories in that ink. His personality, enthusiasm and smile light up the shop, especially when the sun hits his gold tooth. Everyone loves him.

How often does the entire staff of a busy dive shop in playa del Carmen get to do a dive? Hardly ever. The abyss staff couldn’t believe it! It was like a holiday on the job, they were thrilled. Johnny told me he didn’t want to be too sappy, but he was honoured to be included. Dean had made the initial request, now it was a dive group beyond his expectations.

“It’s a dive” Dean says, “that I wouldn’t do with people I didn’t know, trust or dive with before.” As much as this was to be a staff event to enjoy, Dean says it was 100 per cent professionally handled. “the vibe was relaxed and happy and very professional”. Dean hunter.

Dive day. This is the first opportunity for abyss staff members, Sebastian, Katy and Ross to dive together. Not only are they colleagues, they are also good friends.

Sebastian Peña has logged well over 100 dives on the cantil, but this was unique. “I liked my dive buddies the best” he says.

Katy Djelia has been diving since she was a child and is no stranger to deep diving. But “this was like a little present” she says “it makes the job all that more fun”

On dive day, the group meets; Ross has come in on his day off. They silently gear up, double tanks for everyone, Ross and Sebastian are side mounting, Katy’s second cylinder is oxygen. Dean and Johnny are getting whatever assistance or gear they need. Everyone knows this is a special dive.

“Tech diving is always fun, because some people are quiet, some joke, but it’s a serious dive, everyone looking after their own equipment, checking, double checking” Ross Anderson. “we have a very high safety margin, the motto…plan the dive, dive the plan. We also know the boat crew is trained and on stand by, and Dave, the owner, is waiting in the shop.”


To be continued…