News
Diving with… Aydin Dinc, The Cenote Guy, Mexico

In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…
My name is Aydin Dinc.
What is the name of your business?
The Cenote Guy – Cenote Diving.
What is your role within the business?
Founder. I’m guiding in the Cenotes and I’m the manager of the business.
How long has the business operated for?
We started in February 2018.
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
Professionally diving since 2017 in Mexico.
Got certified in 1998. I was mostly diving for fun during vacations in the Mediterranean.
2017 MSDT Padi instructor
2017 TDI full cave Diver
What is your favorite type of diving?
For sure, cavern diving. I also love Ocean diving, the Big Blue and marine life.
Cavern and Cave is more like a living style, a daily ritual, a spiritual thought process for me.
Diving in caverns in very addictive. I enjoy the caverns on a daily basis and practice cave diving on my days off.
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you, what would it be?
We are specialized in cavern diving and that´s what make our strength. The dives are tailormade taking into consideration the diver’s experience and skills. We are not doing any courses; we are not doing Ocean dives. We want to give you the best in cenote diving. Fully concentrating on GUIDING. Safety being our biggest focus. And, word of mouth, that’s how our customers choose us. That’s a niche we have chosen because it is not “regular diving.” It’s special, it’s Cenote Diving.
What is your favourite dive in your location and why?
Little Brother is by far the most enchanting dive of all. My personal favorite. Incredibly beautiful and with the most features you can have in Cenote diving. I am proud to guide in this place where you have the feeling of being on another planet, where the words are missing when trying to describe the experience.
What types of diving are available in your location?
We only do cavern diving. So, the main parameter is how much you get inside the overhead environment. I personally categorise them as:
Semi open water dives: The open water surface is wide and easy to spot, like Kukulkan, little brother, eden, Barbie line, carwash, casa Cenote etc.
Penetration dives: You have this real feeling of getting under the ground and tunnels, adventure lovers are welcome! Tajmaha, Batcave, dreamgate etc.
Open water dives: Technically open water dives, but all around 30 meters / 90 feet of depth, for advanced divers. Like Angelita, zapot , Kinha etc.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
I’m into guiding and sharing my passion with my fellow divers is the best reward. It’s amazing how diving creates bonds after having done a Cenote dive. I have seen people crying after the dives, being moved. It’s impacting, calming and so out of this world. It’s a spiritual calling. And believe me, to be someone witnessing the emotion and in a way being the one that is facilitating such moments, is the greatest reward. Back in time, my first cenote dives were the most exciting things I have ever done in my life. And I know that it’s the case for the majority of our divers. A life changing experience.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
My favourite underwater creatures, that we are lucky to spot in a couple of cenotes, are the crocodiles. They are laying on the rocks and watching us calmly. They are the real inhabitants of the cenotes. They are small and very inoffensive. Always a nice encounter for our divers.
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
The fast growth of the region is somehow menacing our beautiful cenotes. We would like to keep this activity as an off the beaten path one!
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
We care about the environment and we are trying to reduce our footprint. No plastic cups and bags, no chemicals in the cenotes. We are helping and working with the local Mayan community to minimize our waste.
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
We are very happy and proud to have very competitive pricing. Having a high demand, we are doing way better in our offer for the people willing to have a very private experience to celebrate birthdays, honeymoons and special days in the cenotes. As our team of instructors is getting bigger, it’s easier to separate private divers from the other divers. We are into diversifying our offer to match with the demand. Keeping the quality and the safety as our main concern.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
From what we can see in the Riviera Maya, tourism activity is increasing. This region is the pearl of Mexican tourism. Radical measures should be taken to allow this blooming to be regulated in order to respect the nature. Unfortunately, the educative ‘pink’ approach is not working anymore – my humble opinion.
From the Airport on arrival to the departure day, the tourist should be hammered with preventive (and punitive) measures to make sure the preservation and protection of the environment is ensured.
Finally, what would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
Cenote diving is a different way of diving. The open water certification is more than enough to enjoy this very amazing adventure. We have seen a lot of divers never going back to “normal” ocean diving after having experienced Cenote Diving 😊
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
WhatsApp messages only: +52 984 100 78 65
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecenoteguy
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thecenoteguy
Gear News
New 60m Reel and Dive Torch Combo from Northern Diver

Northern Diver have launched a new 60m Reel & Dive Torch Combo.
The innovative Northern Diver line reel has a unique design and it has been manufactured from a combination of anodized aluminium and synthetic polymers, to make it strong, lightweight and corrosion resistant. The free-flowing spool has a thumb operated spool-lock, to ensure controlled line deployment and a ‘sprung’ reel handle. Allowing the handle to extend whilst in use, if wearing gloves but springs back to half its length, for easy storage. Supplied complete with 60m (197’) of high-vis orange reel line.
The reel also incorporates an attachment point on the top and rubber fixing band allowing you to easily mount Northern Divers Varilux Micro Dive Torch. Ideal for hands-free directional light, ideal for lining out in reduced visibility (within a wreck). Other torches of a similar size to the Micro may be mountable but you should check dimensions first.
Check out https://www.ndiver.com/60m-reel-dive-torch-combo for more.
Marine Life & Conservation
Reefs Go Live returns for new season

CCMI brings the ocean directly to classrooms around the world through live-stream lessons from underwater
In 2018, the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) launched Reefs Go Live, their innovative, flagship education programme that live-streams directly from underwater on the coral reefs in Little Cayman to students in classrooms around the world in real time. For the 2022 season, the four episodes of Reefs Go Live reached more than 107,000 viewers in 22 countries. CCMI’s Reefs Go Live team hopes to expand their reach with four new episodes and supplemental teaching resources to help integrate the material into classroom lessons.
Science Communications & Development Manager for CCMI, Beth Chafin, is excited to be part of another year of Reefs Go Live:
“Knowing we have an audience that spans the world, our team is energised as we plan and implement our Reefs Go Live season for 2023! We feel that creating a connection to the ocean and sharing the beautiful coral reefs of Little Cayman with others, both locally and abroad, is one of the most important ways to increase support for critical, timely issues such as marine protection and sustainability. At CCMI, we are fortunate to have these stunning reefs at our doorstep; not everyone is so lucky to be this connected to coral reefs, but healthy coral reefs are vitally important to everyone on earth. Bringing the ocean into classrooms and homes through Reefs Go Live allows us to share the work we do at the Little Cayman Research Centre, facilitate real-time interactions between viewers around the world and our experts in the field, and inspire the diverse audience to take positive action for the future of coral reefs.”
The first episode of 2023 will take place on Friday, 31st March at 10 am Cayman time (UTC -5h). The episode, ‘Finding Hope on our Reefs’, will feature what CCMI’s long-term monitoring of Little Cayman’s reefs shows us. The data from the annual surveys reveals important trends in reef health over time that reflect global threats and the benefits of strong local protection. Reefs Go Live hosts will explain why this annual monitoring is important and what the results tell us about the future of our coral reefs that we all depend upon. Viewers of each episode will be able to ask questions of the diver and participate in polls through the online platform to make Reefs Go Live an interactive experience.
Additional episodes for this year will run at 10 am (UTC -5h) on the following dates:
Thursday, 11th May: Adaptation on Coral Reefs
Wednesday, 24th May: Reef Resiliency & Restoration
Thursday, 8th June: World Ocean Day – 25 Years of Coral Reef Research
Registration for Reefs Go Live is free and is only required once to receive access to all episodes: https://donate.reefresearch.org/rgl2023.
Reefs Go Live provides an opportunity for students from all over the world to engage with the stunning ocean environment in its most natural format. As coral reefs around the world face unprecedented pressure, generating increased engagement with these precious ecosystems creates an opportunity to promote marine sustainability in a positive and fun way.
Reefs Go Live utilises streaming technology with underwater video and audio equipment to enable real time broadcasting from Little Cayman’s stunning coral reefs. Little Cayman, a Mission Blue Hope Spot, hosts one of the healthiest reef ecosystems in the Caribbean, which overall remains healthy and shows resiliency to climate change impacts. The broadcasts and education materials draw connections from CCMI’s current research conducted in Little Cayman to the national science curriculum and key ocean literacy principles, making CCMI’s work relevant and accessible to students and viewers of all ages, and emphasizing the relationship that we all have to coral reefs, no matter where we are.
Reefs Go Live is a free education programme that is made possible by the generosity of The Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation. To register for the broadcasts and teaching resources, please visit: https://reefresearch.org/what-we-do/education/reefs-go-live/
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