July 2005

Bogusław Ogrodnik

It took Czarnecki and Starnawski less than six hours to go through the corridors of the Yucatan cave system, through the karst wells known as cenotes.

Each of the two divers had eight tanks with oxygen enriched breathing air (called Nitrox). Each of them also had three underwater scooters, which resemble small torpedoes in shape and principle of action. A diver is towed by a cigar-shaped, metre-long propeller scooter. Krzysztof Starnawski, Leszek's friend, is passionate about both speleology and diving. He was a Polish record-holder for cave dive depth. In Hranicka Poprast he reached the unimaginable depth of 186 meters! But he no longer holds the record, as he has been (amicably) beaten to it by none other than Leszek Czarnecki, who in the Boesmansgat (Bushmansgat) cave in South Africa descended to 194 meters.

Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula, the Dos Ojos system of underwater caves. It was here, in July 2005, that divers Leszek Czarnecki and Krzysztof Starnawski beat the world record for the longest cave diving. In less than six hours underwater, they covered the distance of 14 km. A kilometre more than the previous Brazilian record.

Leszek and Krzysztof simply had to meet – not knowing each other before, they were brought together by their shared passion for diving and the successes they had in it. When Leszek beat Krzysztof's record it proved the beginning of a great friendship.

Leszek has been exploring the Yucatan system of caves for several years. These are some of the most beautiful caves in the world. They are extremely clean with very hot water of about 26 Centigrade, and have two distinguishing features. There is also an unprecedented variety of formations - underwater stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, which create a world of fairy tale. Dos Ojos is a network of caves in karst (rinsed in limestone), over 50 km long, forming a complex maze. The real challenge for divers is not get lost in it. The uniqueness of this cave system also lies in the fact that they are dotted with cenotes – wells with fresh water. The phenomenon of halocline, or mixing in salt water, occurs here and there. It gives an amazing effect, making the water seem 'oily', but also greatly impairs visibility.

The idea to break the record has resulted in several fortnightly or triweekly expeditions to the Dos Ojos. These trips were devoted to solid technical preparations and training. The basic need was to gain thorough knowledge of the topography of caves. In those, the dive is executed along the so-called goldenline – continuous lines marking the route in the caves. Leszek and Krzysztof decided that they will also go into corridors that veer to the side of the main route. Therefore, in training they attach their guideline to the goldenline, unwound from the jump reel. Their life depends on whether they hold or not. Leszek puts it bluntly: ‘You have to learn the caves. Learn, so that you feel confident enough not to panic and do not get lost. This is the greatest risk of diving in caves. Getting lost and, consequently, drowning due to the lack of air.’

Why go where you can rely only on yourself? Deep in the caves, in which it is so easy to get lost and never come back? Where there is eternal darkness, illuminated only with divers’ flashlights? In an interview, Krzysztof explained it this way: ‘I like just that dark, stylish atmosphere in the caves. I'd rather go for that, than the colorful fish in the Caribbean. We're in the twenty-first century, there are few places left, where you can still discover something new. And the caves are a microworld, where there is still much to discover. If you were there first, you can name what you discovered; tell yourself: no one before me had seen it. This is the thing that drives my psyche and the psyche of many people for whom the discovery means something. I do not do this because I have an existential crisis, I do not know what to do. Although diving certainly does help me deal with life's problems. This is my time out from everyday life, which is rushing at a quick pace. Under the water, we go by different standards, the rules of nature. You do not have to fight with people, bureaucracy, politics. The water will not do me anything out of malice, because nature is not inherently malign.’

Leszek admits that for him diving is an adrenaline rush, a beautiful experience, but also an opportunity to test himself, confirming how much he can do underwater. ‘I'e been diving for 25 years and I think in the beginning, some 20 years ago, this was really this - this incredible fascination with the depths, records. Binding the whole life with water. And anyway, the first few years of my professional life worked out so that I worked as a professional underwater diver. Mainly out of the love for it, out of passion. With time, I discovered some other interesting spheres of life. I realized that life is not one-sided. That it's not that there is only water and diving, and everything besides it is less important. Diving is very important, but it is only one area of life.’

Each day during the training in the Yucatan begins with a joint breakfast and check-packing of more than half a ton of equipment: torpedo-like scooters, diving suits, breathing apparatuses. Underwater divers must have a few sets of equipment. Then we go into the jungle, to the inlet to the Dos Ojos cave system. During training, Leszek and Krzysztof dive 4 hours a day. Before entering the water, the team carefully checks to see if the gas pressure in the tanks is adequate. They contain a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen for breathing. Then, the divers assemble suits, BCDs (buoyancy control devices), breathing apparatuses – everything that is called configuration. This is something you do yourself, your own way, so that in case of failure you know exactly where the backup equipment is.

In determining the record route, we must select the wells (cenotes) which could be used as emergency exits and learn their topography. It takes several days. Leszek and Krzysztof check the horizontal route's corridors step by step. Before they go to beat the record, they leave additional scooters in several places, as well as tanks with air and other breathing gases. They will exchange them without ascending to the surface even once.

During the preparations we encounter a serious problem. Divers cannot, for a few days, find the way to an important underwater cenote - Pit, one of the key emergency exits. They decide to access it through the jungle and from the Pit try to reach the corridors penetrated earlier.

The team employs the Maya to carry the equipment. There is to be six of them, but only two show up. In Mexico, everything goes according to local rules. Which is why Leszek, Krzysztof and their team will have to carry most of the equipment through the jungle by themselves - you cannot get there by car. The Pit is an hour's hike away. The heat is terrible, close to 40 degrees, the humidity 90 percent. Everyone can feel the effects of dehydration. But the trip through the jungle pays off. Leszek and Krzysztof get to the caves they already knew. Now they have the entire route covered.

The route the divers will take when breaking the record resembles the letter "Y". It leads from the Monolith cave, through the caves Tikin Chi, Pit, Kentucky Castle and back to the Monolith. Along the way, two kilometres of restrictions await - tight places where you have to disable the scooters, each weighing 55 kg, and drag over the remaining 200 kg or more of other equipment using only the fins. And then spare scooters, spare tanks, spare regulators, spare mask, spare flashlight - if one fails, there is a second one. In total, that makes 6 scooters, 16 tanks, 12 regulators, 2 masks, 4 flashlights.

Three days to the attempt. The team is concerned, because Krzysztof's ear hurts, and it may exclude him from diving, and thereby undermine the preparations and the whole expedition. He gets an antibiotic; maybe it will have time to act. There are also problems with the equipment. Leszek's main flashlight has gone out underwater. This failure means that the team have to double-check all the equipment before we go into action: inspect it thoroughly and remove any faults. Two days to the attempt. Everything seems to go on fine. Leszek and Krzysztof are already acclimated. They know the route, had time to think about every detail, practice every step. Only something unexpected can prevent them from doing it. Leszek admits that he and Krzysztof are aware of the risks they take and know the possible consequences. Krzysztof adds: ‘Everyone who does unconventional sports, has to acknowledge the fact that they may slip and not live through it. But you plan and practice it ad nauseam, so there is no such situation. For me, this is particularly important. Apart from running a diving school, I am also a mountain rescuer in the Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue. It would be kind of silly to die doing my own thing, when every day I try to save others.’

12 hours to the attempt – Krzysztof's ear still hurts, though now less. The team therefore set final details. Now, a few hours sleep and when we wake up – an attempt to beat the record. 4 hours to the attempt. Our last breakfast before entering the water and one last duty. The team signs the documents required by Mexican law when diving.

Last preparations. Equipment checks. There's no more joking. Slight tension arises. All are very keen to see them come back alive. To achieve, what everyone here dreamed about: establish a world record. ‘There is no committee to verify what you achieve, only your peers’ - says Leszek. – ‘I think it is very similar to mountaineering. There's no committee on top of the eight-thousanders and yet you know who did it , who was first and which peak of his or her career was it.’

Time: 11:10. Everything is ready. Leszek and Krzysztof enter the water. Each of them has eight tanks with Nitrox and three scooters, which look and work a bit like small torpedoes. Now begins to struggle with time, water and one's own limitations. But they will not be quite alone. Team members along the route stay alert at several evacuation points. At the entrance to the Tikin Chi cenote, in the middle of the jungle, I stay put, waiting for them. At the designated time my task will be to check whether I can see bubbles exhaled by the divers. If they do not appear two hours from the start hour, we begin the rescue. Just to make sure, going through the cenote Krzysztof will attach a flashlight with a bolt snap to the goldenline. So far everything is going according to the plan. Even better: They pass by at 12:31, which is 81 minutes from start time, and they were supposed to be here after about 95 minutes. So they are 14 minutes ahead of time. Along the way, Leszek and Krzysztof see warning signs for amateur divers and a tourist attraction – a Barbie doll eaten by a crocodile. Nearly 5 hours from the start. At one point, they leave a card that the equipment began to fail somewhat, but they are getting on an heading on. Not everything goes according to the plan. When Leszek and Krzysztof set off into the last passage, there is no communication with them... Finally at 17:02, 5 hours and 52 minutes after they have taken off, here they are. They did it! It is a new world record! 14 kilometres.

And on Monday: shirt, suit and back to the office. To another life ...