on a visit to a dry cave I can observe the actual growth of stalactites but it's pretty slow
在一个干燥的洞穴里，我可以观察到钟乳石的实际生长情况，但生长的速度很慢
it works like this
生长过程是这样的
when it rains up in the rainforest the water percolates through the limestone and along the way it dissolves a little bit of the limestone
（热带）雨林下雨的时候，雨水会渗过石灰岩，过程中石灰岩一点一点溶解
then it drips from the roof of the cave
然后雨水从洞穴的顶部滴落下来
and over thousands of years
几千年来
each drip leaves a little bit of limestone behind
每一滴都会留下一点石灰岩
forming an icicle like structure called a stalactite
形成一种类似冰柱的结构，我们称之为钟乳石
they get longer and longer and longer with time
随着时间的推移，这些钟乳石越来越长
but the water continues to drip and eventually hits the floor of the cave forming a little bump
但是水继续滴落，最终到达洞穴地面，形成一个小肿块
and that bump gets bigger and taller and taller forming sort of like an upside down icicle called a stalagmite
这个肿块变得越来越大，越来越高，形成了一个颠倒的冰柱，我们称之为石笋
if you wait long enough the two of them keep getting longer and longer until they connect into what is called a column
如果等待的时间足够长，它们两个就会变得越来越长，直到它们连接成所谓的柱
at the end of the Ice Age the sea levels rose and so too did the ground water levels in the Yucatan
冰河时代末期，海平面上升，尤卡坦半岛的地下水位也上升了
soon these huge subterranean caverns filled with water leaving the stalactites frozen in time
很快，这些巨大的地下洞穴灌满了水，钟乳石凝固了
in some places the caverns have huge air pockets where the water doesn't go all the way to the top
一些地方，洞穴有巨大的气穴，水不会一直流到顶部
here we can surface for a breath and take a look around
在这里我们可以浮出水面呼吸，四处看看
some of the cenotes can even be explored by snorkelers
有些洞穴甚至浮潜者也可以来探索
good buoyancy control in the cavern is essential
良好的浮力控制至关重要
the limestone formations are incredibly beautiful yet fragile sculptures
石灰岩的构造非常漂亮，但也很脆弱
the formations took thousands of years to form but a single careless fin kick could destroy them in seconds
这些阵型经历数千年才形成，但一次不小心踢到可能在几秒钟内摧毁它们
so we must kick gently and stay off the bottom
所以我们必须轻轻地，不要碰到底部
the floor of the cenote is covered in super fine silt
天然井的地面覆盖着超细的淤泥

swimming too close to the bottom would stir it up and reduce visibility to zero
游得离水底太近会搅动这些淤泥，能见度降至零
which could be very dangerous
会非常危险
as I follow marco deeper
我跟着马尔科潜至深水处时
the water starts to get weird and blurry looking
水开始变得怪异模糊
many of these underground rivers make their way to the ocean
许多地下河流流入海洋
at some point along their journey the water transitions from fresh to saltwater
潜水途中，水从淡水过渡到咸水
saltwater and freshwater have different densities
海水和淡水的密度不同
the interface between the two different densities can cause an optical condition called a halocline where the water appears blurry
两种不同密度之间的交界会产生光学条件，我们称之为为盐跃层，在这种条件下，水看起来很模糊
it's a weird swirly foggy haze
像奇怪的漩涡雾霾
I follow Margo down below the Halleck line and into the salt water
我跟着马尔科沿着哈勒克线，进入盐水区
I can taste the salt on my lips and the temperature is about five degrees warmer
我能尝到嘴唇上的盐味，温度大约是5度
soon we reach the Swiss cheese room
很快我们就到了瑞士奶酪室
down here a chemical reaction with the salt water leads away some of the limestone
这里与盐水发生化学反应带走了一些石灰岩
creating thousands of holes in the rock and the unique Swiss cheese appearance
岩石上留下数以千计的洞，形成独特的瑞士奶酪外观
it's a completely different kind of formation than I saw in the fresh water part of a cavern
这种构造和我在洞穴淡水区看到的完全不同
as we swim into the far reaches of the cenote
当我们游到天然井的尽头时
we eventually reach a point where we can no longer see sunlight from the opening
我们最终到达了一个点，在那里我们完全见不到来自入口的一点阳光
this has now become true cave diving
现在已经是真正的洞穴潜水
a much more dangerous activity
更加危险了
here we find a sign warning divers to stop and go no further
在这里，我们发现了警告潜水员停止前进的标志
people have become lost and drowned in these vast labyrinths
在这些巨大的迷宫里迷路、淹死的都有
this is as far as we go
我们就到这里
turning around we head back out towards the entrance
我们转过身，向入口走去
just before we reach the light of day we find some Mayan pottery on the bottom
就在我们见到日光之前，我们在底部发现了一些玛雅陶器
probably thrown into the cenote as an offering to the gods
可能是作为祭品被扔进了天然井
the Mayans believed that the cenotes were pathways to the underworld
玛雅人相信天然井是通往阴间的通道
offerings of gold food pottery and even humans were made to the gods through the cenote
黄金食物陶器甚至人类都是通过天然井供奉给神的
with my scuba tank getting low, the time has come to leave the cenote
随着我的氧气瓶越来越低，是时候离开天然井了
so I head back to the surface
于是我又回到了地面
in the shallow water, just below the jungle tiny fish come over to check me out
在浅水区，就在丛林下面，小鱼游了过来
some of them nibble on my hair and ears
一些小鱼咬我的头发和耳朵
they must be really hungry if they think I look like lunch
如果它们觉得我像午餐，那他们一定饿坏了
wow I can't believe all the cool things I saw in this cenote
哇，我真不敢相信我在这个天然井里看到的那么多酷炫的东西
who would have thought that there's so much amazing stuff hiding under the floor of the forest
谁能想到森林的地下藏着这么多神奇的东西
and even though I'm done with my diving for the day like it's time for one more dip
即使我已经完成了一天的潜水工作，是时候再来一次了