Cenotes

Site Overview
Dive Centres
Site Type: Cave Dive
Location: Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Diving cenotes on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula gives you access to some of the finest, clearest, cavern diving in the world.

Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula has an extensive subterranean river system with several sinkholes or cenotes (pronounced sen-o-tays) with openings that provide access to some of the finest, clearest, cavern diving in the world.

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Image: with permission Yucatan Dive Trek

Because of a recent split in the definition of cave diving, cenotes are now accessible to a wide range of divers. As long as you maintain a minimum of natural light, cenote diving is defined as cavern diving, allowing access to confident open water divers.

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Image: with permission Yucatan Dive Trek

Depending on which cenote you choose, the dive may begin with a kilometre or more of lugging dive gear through the jungle. Then it’s a giant leap into the sinkhole into a crystal-clear world.

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Image: with permission Yucatan Dive Trek
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Image: with permission Yucatan Dive Trek

Once inside, follow a guideline and the light of your dive leader into the many halls and tunnels of the cavern.

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Image: with permission Yucatan Dive Trek

Of the more than 6,000 cenotes in Mexico, most accessible to Open Water divers are scattered between Puerto Aventuras and Tulum.

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Image: with permission Yucatan Dive Trek

 

Most cenotes feature one or two dive paths meaning you could spend a full day diving any one cavern.

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Image: with permission Yucatan Dive Trek
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Image: with permission Yucatan Dive Trek