It was the persistence of travel agent who just wouldn't let it go that got Craig Brown to Akamal, Mexico and it was the desire to say, been there, done that, that got him into the water but it was the beauty of the caverns and caves that keep him going back. What began as the desire to "get it over with" ended in a beautiful relationship between one Olympia Washington diver and the architecture that is nature at its best. Brown of Capitol Divers in Olympia is now a certifiable "cave diving nut". 
His story begins in 1998 when he went to Cozumel for work. "We were working with a manufacturer as a part of Splash Week, an event that takes place in Cozumel," Brown says. "We knew this travel agent who would pester us to go to Akamal while we were there to try cavern and cave diving. She was persistent and would not let up. She insisted we just had to go." Akumal, Brown discovered, is located just one hour and ten minutes south of Cancun on the Mexican Caribbean coastline of the Yucatan peninsula. It is a small community that has three beautiful bays—Half Moon bay, greater Akumal bay and Aventuras Akumal bay. Visitors often come for the snorkeling, tropical reefs and for the scuba diving. Yal-ku Lagoon with its calm clear waters is beautiful and there is a world class beach at Akumal Bay. While all of this was nice, Brown was out to try the cavern and cave diving so that he could go back and tell his travel agent, I did it, now let's move on. "The cavern tour sounded scary and dangerous," Brown said, "but this time we had a little time so decided to go and check it out. From the minute we arrived we loved the area. We hooked  up with a dive shop and tried the cavern tour."
Brown says that right from the start he was impressed with the training. "I was immediately impressed with level of thoroughness and detail of the briefings," Brown added. "I was also impressed with safety factor, these folks were making sure that we would feel safe as we were diving the cavern. Safety was something we were concerned with so it was nice to be put at ease so that we felt comfortable giving it a try." Brown says that after a morning of running drills to learn to navigate the cavern they went to. went to Dos Ojos Cavern, Two Eyes, in English. The Yucatan Peninsula and the Rivera Maya offer a bevy of activities and places for cave and cavern divers. Cenotes are the natural spring fed pools that lead to the underwater limestone formations beneath the jungles of the area.  There are over 1,500 feet of cavern to be explored in the famous Dos Ojos Cavern and on this particular day it was opened up to Brown and what he saw was something he would never forget.
"As soon as we dropped down and could see 400 feet in warm water, I felt just jaw slack amazement at the beauty, there is light everywhere," Brown says. "The cavern is the light zone. You don't even need any other light to see. Cavern diving can be for any one; if you have good buoyancy you can cavern dive." Brown does add that cave diving is different though. "Cave diving is just out of the light zone and it is a little more involved. Once you go out of the light zone you go full on technical. You need more equipment. It is a big training and equipment commitment." Brown does recommend that divers give cavern and cave diving a try. "We were so thrilled with it we went back six months later and took the full course cavern tour and then took the cave diving course. We now make the trip and do this every year, most years we go twice."
Brown says he didn't stop at just enjoying his new found obsession alone, he has, to date, convinced 30 other people to do these dives as well. "We do a November trip and a spring trip every year," Brown said. "It keeps growing and we tell more and more people. One time and you are hooked."
Brown says that there are plenty of places to stay in Akamal. They stay in condos that are right on the ocean. "We go through AkamalVacations.com which is based  in Houston, Texas." According to their website  Akumal Vacations offers beachfront properties on the Riviera Maya and south of Cancun in Akumal. Brown also cites the Akamal Dive Center as the dive shop where they get their equipment and training as well as Protech, the folks who provide what they need for cave diving. "I now know why that travel agent was so persistent," Brown says, "I'm thankful that she was. I can't fault her for it now because I am just as persistent with people I talk to about cavern and cave diving. Everyone should give it a try, they won't be sorry they did."