Mauro Bordignon 

Mauro divides his time between sharing his passion for diving and training new cave divers, exploring the endless caves of the Yucatán Peninsula, providing lighting for world-renowned photographers such as Laurent Benoit, Martin Broen, Joram Mennes, and Valentina Cucchiara, coaching CrossFit, and spending time with his dogs.

Born in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, in 1975, Mauro’s passion for diving began in 1997, thanks to a friend who was teaching diving with a local club. Just minutes into his first pool dive, Mauro knew that diving would become an important part of his life. In 1998, he took his first steps into cave diving in the beautiful cold water springs of Elefante Bianco, Oliero (Grotta Parolini), and Fontanazzi, all just 20 minutes from his hometown.

In 2001, after graduating from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice with a degree in English Literature, Mauro decided to take some time for himself and moved to Egypt to work as a dive guide. His original plan was to stay six months before returning home to pursue a “serious” job, but he ended up staying in Egypt for nearly six years.

In 2007, Mauro moved to Mexico to follow his passion for cave diving. While still teaching open water courses, he began his journey to become a cave diving instructor and started cave exploration.

Notable Exploration Projects:

• 2009: Sistema Xunaan Ha Resurvey and Exploration – This project began in 2009 and, within two years, expanded the cave system to over 50 km. Mauro was responsible for key connections with Cenote Palomita, Sistema X-Casel, and Sistema Pitch. Exploration is ongoing, with a focus on finding a new entrance for easier access to the upstream end of the line (11,890 feet from air). Additional projects included Cenote Chan Chemuyil Norte and Sistema Templo in Chemuyil, Mexico.

• 2010: Exploration of Sistema Three Holes, Cenote Balan Ak, and Sistema Under the Bridge (Playa del Carmen, Mexico).

• 2011: Exploration of Sistema Lycka (Tulum), Sistema Ek Be (Chemuyil), Cenote Sand Crack (Tulum), and Cenote Doggi (Muyil, Mexico).

• 2012-2013: Exploration of Sistema Sand Crack, Sistema Caterpillar, Sistema Doggi, Sistema Nohoch Pek, Jaguar House Cave, Sistema Chikeen, Cenote Red Dragon, Cenote Iron Monkey, Cenote Drunken Snake, Sistema Murena, Sistema Ek Be, and Sistema Xunaan Ha.

• 2014: Continued exploration in the Riviera Maya and participated in the first Mahafali Karst Exploration Project in Madagascar, funded by the National Science Foundation and National Geographic.

• 2015-16: Ongoing exploration in the Riviera Maya, with new caves discovered, including Galaxians, El Guano, and The Nest. In August 2016, Mauro participated in the GGG Project at Grotta dell’Acqua Nera in Italy, where he assisted the original team of Gruppo Grotte Giara Modon in continuing a project that began in 2001.

• 2017: Completed Cave 1 in GUE and focused on working towards becoming a Fundamentals instructor. Mauro also explored various cenotes and sumps in collaboration with Peter Sprouse and many other cavers.

• 2018: Exploration shifted to the upstream section of Xunaan Ha, starting from Cenote Pitch. Mauro also collaborated with Osama Gobara and David Dusek in the Mexico Cave Survey and Zero Gravity/GUE Mexico Cave Exploration Project. Additionally, Mauro embarked on the Arizona Mine Exploration Project, exploring approximately 700 feet of the Missouri Copper Mine, located at an elevation of 5,900 feet (1,800 meters) in the desert.

• 2020-2021: Exploration focused on extending the upstream section of Xunaan Ha using CCRs and DPVs, reaching a new end of the line 6 kilometers further. Multiple kilometers of new passages were explored.

• 2021: Mauro returned to Grotta dell’Acqua Nera in Northern Italy, continuing a project that had started over 20 years ago with Gruppo Grotte Giara Modon. The cave presents both beauty and difficulty, requiring three days to set up exploration in Sump 3, where the cave continues.

• 2022-2025: Mauro has been involved in multiple exploration projects in Mexico (states of Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, and San Luis Potosí), and has made significant progress in Acqua Nera and other exciting exploration projects in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

To follow Mauro’s explorations closely, check out his Instagram and Facebook pages:
Facebook
Instagram

TDI Instructor for:

• Side Mount Diver
• Cavern
• Intro to Cave
• Full Cave Diver
• Side Mount Cave Diver
• Stage Cave Diver
• DPV Cave Diver
• TDI X-CCR and Hammerhead CCR Diver, KISS Side Winder and JJ Cave CCR Diver

IANTD Instructor for:

• Fathom MKIII and Gemini CCR
• Technical Diver and Technical Cave Diver Instructor