cenotes

Millions of years ago the Yucatan Peninsula was a coral reef. During the ice ages the oceans receded and rainwater mixed with carbon dioxide started to seep through the porous limestone creating miles of subterranean rivers and caves richly decorated with stalactites and stalagmites. After the last ice age the water levels around the world rose again and these caves and rivers were filled with fresh water. In some places, the ground weakened and collapsed over time, thereby creating the famous cenotes, which serve as entrances to the underground rivers and caves.

There are hundreds if not thousands of cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula. It is believed that man has explored fewer than 10% of these cenotes. At this point it is estimated that close to 560 km. / 350 miles of underground caves have been explored in the area between Playa del Carmen and Tulum.

The Ancient Mayans considered the cenotes sacred and gifted by the gods. Ancient ceramic and precious stone pieces have been found in the cenotes, suggesting that ceremonial offerings were made to the gods. One common belief amongst the ancient Mayans was that the Rain God Chaac rests in the cenotes during the dry season. Ancient ceremonies, many still performed today, are performed near the cenote to urge the Rain God Chaac out of his rest and to go back to the heavens and start making rain. These ceremonies use the fresh water of the cenote and ritual prayers in Mayan ending by banging pots and making noise to wake the sleeping God.

cavern diving

Of all the fantastic diving to be done in the Mexican Caribbean, the dives in the caverns of the cenotes are the ones you'll certainly never forget! Fresh water, visibility as far as you can see, fantastic stalactites and stalagmites surrounded by beautiful jungle are what characterizes a cavern dive.

Cavern diving is absolutely NOT the same as cave diving. Cavern diving takes place in that part of the cenote where you are always within sight of natural daylight and the maximum linear distance to the surface is no more than 65 m or 200 feet. In the cavern area of the cenote there is always enough room for two divers to pass side by side. There is always a continuous guideline to the surface. No special equipment apart from a dive light, to better see the formations, is needed to partake in a cavern dive.

ALL cavern dives have to be guided by a cavern guide who is a certified full cave diver with a maximum ratio of ONE GUIDE TO 4 DIVERS. The cavern guide will be equipped with full cave equipment, including double tanks, a large primary light with a minimum of two backup lights, redundant regulators and safety reels.

cavern diving with us

Before each cavern dive a detailed briefing will be given and the rules of cavern diving will be explained and reviewed.

Usually the first cavern dive is made in a big cenote called Ponderosa. Here a long traverse (of approx. 100 meters) is made to another cenote, Cenote Corral. The average depth of this dive is 8.5 meters. The second dive of the day is made in cenote Taj Mahal or in Cenote Chac Mool. Both of these cenotes have famous cavern areas with various highly decorated passages. The depth of these dives is around 13 meters.

If you book a second day of cavern diving with The Dive Company or if one day simply isn't enough (which is to be expected) we'll take you to the caverns of Hidden Worlds / Dos Ojos. Because the cavern area at this site is so big and beautiful, consisting of various (inter) connecting cenotes, gigantic columns and decorations, we'll make 2 dives at Hidden Worlds / Dos Ojos. The average depth of these dives is no more than 7 meters.