Yucatan Cenote Cave Swim (2020)

As part of the 2020 UTAdventure Yucatan, Mexico tour, I had the unique opportunity to capture the models Sienna Hayes, Femina, and Ivory Flame in an underground wonderland of the area's Cenote caves. From the constant drip of water filtered through the Yucatan's limestone foundation, these caves are filled with aquamarine blue waters. The color is an optical illusion from the sun filtering off the limestone particles suspended in the water (similar to the extreme blue waters found in Canadian Rocky lakes created from runoff of glacial melted snow grinding stones as glaciers retreat in Canadian summers). At times, the water appears to flow in underwater waterfalls as the sunlight filtering from the holes in the cave roof hit the stone particles suspended in the water. As I attempted to capture them in this massive underground low light theater, the models amazed me in their use of the available light, their posing and willingness to dive again and again in perfect form!!. Heck, I amazed myself at capturing what I did given shooting mostly handheld in low light with no flash!!