Caves and caverns hold mystery and beauty beyond compare, and so it is with the Cenotes of Yucatan, Mexico. Here, filtered light streams into beautiful caverns below the surface of the earth, and incredible geology provides some of the world’s most incredible cave diving.
What is a Cenote?
Pronounced “say – noh –tay”, a Cenote is an entry to an underground cavern system, which is characterized by a sinkhole. At some of the Yucatan’s Cenotes, you can see the water at the surface or beneath a vine-strewn ledge. Others must be entered via a descent into a well concealed hole in the earth.
There are different types of Cenotes: Jug, or Pit Cenotes are shaped like the mouth of a jug, with a narrow entryway and a wide, domed cavern beneath it. Cylinder Cenotes possess steep vertical walls, Basin Cenotes have bowl-like shallow water basins, and Grutas, or Cave Cenotes, can be entered horizontally and possess some dry areas. The amount of water in a Cenote at any given time is dependent upon the water table below the earth, which can rise and fall according to the weather and other factors.
Cenotes have been known by humans for millennia and were held sacred by the Maya people. Expeditions that took place between 2001 and 2002 led to the discovery of three human skeletons, which carbon dating proved to be 13,600 years old. In 2008, members of the Global Underwater Explorers dive team found mastodon remains as well as a human skull, in a pit called Hoyo Negro, which is part of the Sistema Sac Actun. This evidence was discovered at 57 meters. Considering that the Cenotes have only been extensively explored since the 1980’s, these caverns are certain to reveal even more secrets in the future. Today, some of these incredible systems have been explored to distances reaching and even exceeding one hundred kilometers. Many of them are interconnected and form a circular alignment around the massive Chicxulub Crater, which extends from the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula into the ocean.
Diving The Riviera Maya Cenotes
While more than three thousand Cenotes are known to dot the Yucatan Peninsula, just over 1,400 of them have been explored and studied. The world’s three longest known underwater cave systems are here, along the Riviera Maya. These are Nohoch Nah Chich, Dos Ojos, and Ox Bel Ha, which at 146.7 kilometers, is the longest of the three. Let’s take a peek!
Nohoch Nah Chich
Nohoch Nah Chich, or “Giant Birdcage”, is connected with the Caribbean sea. This cave system, which is fed by a coastal spring, extends five miles inland and is located a little more than ten miles south of Akumal. By 1997, more than ten years after mapping Nohoch Nah Chich began, 42 miles (67 Km) of cave passages had been discovered. Along the way, 36 Cenotes, including the main entrance at Far Point Station were attributed to the system.
The Blue Abyss, which is located within the Nohach Nah Chich Historical Section, reaches 235 feet (71.6m) below the surface. To explore this, divers must first hike for an hour through the jungle, and pay a small fee. The Don Pedro Rodriquez family constructed a platform and steps, as well as ladders that lead in and out of the water, where a guide will lead you through a forest of underwater stalactites and stalagmites into the abyss.
Once you reach the abyss, you will be hovering over what appears to be a bottomless pit of deep blue. Explore the area with the help of your guide and then return. Most of the cavern system that leads to the blue abyss is about sixty feet deep – it is roomy and incredibly impressive.
Dos Ojos
Meaning “Two-eyes”, Dos Ojos has two separate dives. The first is through a clear fresh water cavern to the east, and the second, through another, equally crystalline cavern that exits out the west “eye”. The second dive features a bat cave and a series of passageways that lead through dark areas below the surface. Unlike some other cenote dives, Dos Ojos is normally accessible to snorkelers too, which means you can enjoy a longer dive and conserve your tanks if you like.
Ox Bel Ha
Meaning “Three Paths of Water”, Ox Bel Ha is the world’s second longest explored underwater cavern, and the ninth longest explored cave system overall. Located in Quinatana Roo, it contains more than 116 miles (187 Km) of underwater passageways. As of March, 2011, the system is still in the mapping process – there is more to explore!
So far, there are 111 known cenotes that lead into Ox Bel Ha, and three passageways that lead into the open ocean. There is a strong current on outgoing tide, which exceeds two knots. There is no overhead air throughout most of this system.
Many of the cave’s cenotes are located deep within the jungle and require a major expedition to access, however there are a few which are easy to find and enter. The main cenote, Cenote Twins, is easily accessed near the Ana Y Jose Cabanas and Restaurant. Once you have made entry, you will find a meandering shallow passage with fresh water and lovely geologic features.
Closer to the ocean, you can enter Ox Bel Ha via Cenote Esmeralda or Cenote del Mar. Both of these have longer, deeper, saltwater sections and larger passageways. They are also subject to more influence from ocean currents and surge. So far, the maximum depth in the Ox Bel Ha Cenote System is 98 feet – nothing like the Blue Abyss, but as there is still plenty of uncharted territory, this meandering system of cenotes could hold something even more magnificent.
Preparing Yourself for Cenote Diving
Unless you are already an experienced cave diver, you will need to become a qualified cave diver to explore these magnificent cenotes. Depending on where you live, there may be underwater caverns available for exploration and training. Talk with experts at your local dive shop to decide on a course of action.
Keep researching cenotes, and learn how to use a redundant air supply, if you don’t already have that knowledge. Once you feel that you are ready, all you need to do is make the trip to Yucatan, and before you know it, you will be experiencing some of the world’s most incredible cave dives!