Guided dives archives cave diving in yucatan mexico. The pit cenote in yucatan the pit is an amazing sinkhole inside the deep jungle, an upstream branch of the system dos ojos. Apr 20, 2012 now we communicate with family and mother the dive guide is already underway, said the spanish consul in the mexican resort of cancun. The mayan word for cenote is dzonot and it means cavernous sink hole. Learn to dive in some of the most unique and spectacular freshwater diving in the world. Cenotes are sink holes in the jungle floor that hold fresh water at and near the surface and usually salt water farther down. There are two separate water entries at jaguar cave, both of which lead divers through the same rooms. The original cave diving exploration of the whole cave system began through these cenotes. Cenote diving cavern diving jungle divers cozumel diving. I had a little trouble remembering to stop breathing the stage when we hit the scooter rds. Grand cenote grand cenote is the heart of the huge system known as sac aktun which means white cave. There was a local photographer there and he would follow the divers and then airdrop the video and. Cenote chac mool the price of the package is 125 usd includes two dives in two of the main lines of this cenote which also includes transfers, entrance to the cenotes, diving equipment and a certified guide in caves. Yucatan peninsula, mexico cenote chac mool scuba diving.
The dive leads to the chac mool dome, a huge room highly. Drift with the current to the main part of the reef full of life and colors. The only downside to the experience was that we were not permitted to take photographs, a new management decision made at the. You will enter from the little entrance, cenote little brother. The deep caves and aweinspiring stalactite formations in this cenote will give you an adrenaline rush. The pit is with 370 ft110 m the deepest cenote in the state of quintana roo. A very famous place, 20 min away from playa del carmen right after the puerto aventuras bridge. Chac mool, guide riviera maya, cenote and openwater diving. The pit, the pet cemetery, angelita, car wash, gran cenote.
At only 12 meters depth, chacmool is a great cenote dive for experienced divers who have an interest in cavern diving. The first dive is normally kukulcan the right of the map below a vast open area ideal for firsttime cenote divers where you can get used to diving in fresh water. Please msg the mods with ideas, links, and info that can help our community grow. Very beautiful cenotes the light patterns were stunning. Cave diving and training in cenotes with private tec. The cenotes and caverns are located throughout the jungle in an ancient underwater river system to which we have access to over 700 kms of explored diving areas. The cenote s twisting tunnels transport divers to chambers richly decorated with sculptured columns. The deep caves and aweinspiring stalactite formations in this cenote. Chac mool, or jaguar cave, and kikulkan are two of these, and provide visitors with a wonderful introduction to cenote diving. It is about a 30minute drive to reach the cenote from the center of playa del carmen.
The diver was cave diving in an area called calimba, which is a part of the system to which grand cenote is probably the best known entrance. Kukulkan, means feathered serpent and is the name of the maya snake deity. The cenotes is located just outside of puerto aventuras on highway 307 from playa del carmen to tulum. Calimba is a very beautiful, highly decorated, tortuous and sometimes fairly technical cave dive. The cenotes twisting tunnels transport divers to chambers richly decorated with sculptured columns. To ensure you have an incredible time, you will dive in a group with no more than 4 people and with a very experienced guide that will take care of all your dive needs. Experiencing the halocline whilst diving can be a bit spooky but great to explore its boundaries. Our guide leads us through a maze of caverns and passages. The entrance to the little brother cenote, chac mool. Cenotes dos ojos in yucatan is probably the worlds most famous and best cavern dive in yucatan.
Chac mool is one of the most popular cenotes for cavern divers. We did our first cenote dives with akumal bay dive centre at chac mool earlier this month. Some are double cenotes, and others caves in which a wide variety of animals and wildlife live. Get a rare and exclusive look at the cenote kukul kan, one of the most infamous cenotes of the mayan riviera in mexico, just outside of playa del carmen. Dive the cenotes in playa del carmen and tulum for the ultimate diving experience.
Best cenote dives with the most experienced guides. Chac mool is a large cenote with lots of light, unbeatable for a first dive in cenotes. Best cenotes for cave diving in playa del carmen blue life. Tips before you go for summer, winter, fall, spring. Cenote chac mool aka choc mool is a shore accessible fresh water dive site, located in puerto aventuras, quintana roo, mexico. We also performed a cavern dive and drilled staging the scooter and a single bottle. Best cenote diving cancun a ha scuba diving cancun. It has two water entries that lead to the same rooms where divers can enjoy twotank dives. Mexico blue dream cenote cavern cave diving riviera.
The dive leads to the chac mool dome, a huge room highly decorated with stalactites and stalagmites, where you can surface in a small space under the roof and see many interesting features and wild life such as spiders, cat fish and cave worms. Cavern diving or cenote diving cancun and riviera maya a cenote is a natural pit or sinkhole resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. If you know how to dive, this cenote is a challenge, because it has all kinds of attractions inside and outside the water. The ancient maya believed these cenotes were portals to the underworld, or xibalba. These caverns are windows to the worlds largest underground river systems and were sometimes used by the ancient maya for sacrificial offerings. Theyre your gateway to the coolest diving in the yucatan, but youll need a qualified cenote guide to show you around.
Browse the map to localize the different cenotes dive sites. Cenote the pit is a multilevel dive and one of the greatest cenotes. Travel northwest on calle 12 towards 20 avenida nte. Their water is so clear with over 500 feet visibility that it will make your cavern diving adventure unforgettable. Chac mool is a popularly visited cenote located just south of the puerto aventuras entrance, between playa del carmen and akumal. I was picked up at my hotel by mateo precisely at the 8am as agreed and after a brief stop at the shop to sign the forms and pick up weights, we headed south for cenote chac mool. The most unique aspect of diving the riviera maya has to be the omnipresent cenotes sinkholes formed by collapsing underground caves. Gran cenote 36ft, cavern dive, min ow, things to see. Just after the puerto aventuras bridge and only 20 minutes by car from playa del carmen is one of the best cenotes in mexico to practice any type of scuba. This wonder of nature is one of the best known mexican cenotes for diving because of its excellent visibility and and fascinating caverns. There are 2 cenotes to dive on the 1 site here, plus a small cafe and clean toilets and showers here also. Scuba diving in chac mool cenote, mexico dive site. Dario, a middleaged italian man who thought and probably wished he was a lot younger and more handsome than he actually was, drove us out to the chac mool cenote, on the way south to tulum.
Cenote kukulkan is also part of the chac mool system and the entrance is a few hundred feet away from cenote chac mool. Now we communicate with family and mother the dive guide is already underway, said the spanish consul in the mexican resort of cancun. We dove two caverns at the site and both dives were great. In mayan mythology the cenote is considered the entrance to a parallel underworld full of gods, spirits and demons. Scuba diving in cenotes cavern diving in mexico home. According to early reports, the three divers entered thursday afternoon at cenote chac mool, the mayan riviera, but when he did not go after the maximum time available to oxygen tanks began a rescue operation. This was my first cavern dive and it was very cool. The area between cancun and tulum on the yucatan peninsula is world famous for its underground water systems and their contents, in spectacular caves, the cenotes. Cavern diving cenotexperience cavern, cave and ocean. I have a similar photo from the nearby chac mool cenote. Cave dive playa del carmen tulum heaven under earth divers. Mar 20, 2018 cenote chac mool is located only 20 minutes away from playa del carmen, in puerto aventuras. Cenotes kukulcan and chac mool will introduce the first timers to a very safe, easy and fascinating set of dives.
Emergency call out during the pandemic to patch this sinking fishing vessel. As soon as you start the dive, a curtain of laser beams will take your breath away. There are 3 different water entrances to chacmool system. As chac mool is the first cenote south of playa del carmen it can get very busy and at times the water clarity can be affected by the number of divers. The dive sites presented here are shown to you as a recreational diver with interest in cenote cavern dives, there are many more off the beaten track cave dive entrances without a cavern diving area. Descending at the southern end of the reef, you will see a patch of coral which accommodates many lobsters. Last month the padi your scuba view contest generated thousands of incredible photo entries that reflected divers personal views of their scuba diving adventures. After many years of inactivity diving related, my oldest son david became interested.
The mayan cave, is a team of local people, proudly born in this beautiful mayan world. Kukulcan cenote kukulcan is part of the chac mool system. Besides the beauty, the cenotes, unique in the world, offer certified divers the opportunity to dive in the bowels of the earth, explore something different, float through caverns full of clear water, cave decorations and sunlight effects. The 7 best cenotes in mexico for diving and snorkeling. Diving in cozumel by speedboat from playa del carmen day 3. Almost across the street from puerto adventuras and very near to playa del carmen lends to this dive site being one of the most popular. Each cenote in the region has certain characteristics. Three cenotes, air pocket, halocline and decorations. The views are impressive and the sunlight entering through the cave gives us a formidable light game.
From this point of the dive you get the best view of the light rays piercing through the cenote in the background contrasting with the thousands of stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Cenote dive center is a multipurpose dive center in tulum, mexico that specializes in cavern and cave diving in the riviera maya. The word cenote comes from the word maya tz oo not sacred well. As chacmool contains a halocline, where fresh water lies atop salt water, and as it is easy to penetrate, it is very likely that this cenote was once a sacred source for the mayan people. Open since february of 2007 it still does not appear in the common dive guides. Cenote scuba diving in playa del carmen beyond diving. One of the four winners from the contest was max franlund from sweden, who submitted his winning photo seen below of him diving a cenote in mexico. Mar 30, 2017 get a rare and exclusive look at the cenote kukul kan, one of the most infamous cenotes of the mayan riviera in mexico, just outside of playa del carmen. The dive was very cool and dive master mateo was great company and a very experienced diver. This is one divers personal account of her experience. On site there are 3 cenotes with 2 separate leader lines and completely different diving experiences.
Together with kukulkan next to chac mool this cenote is usually visited as a first cavern dive to practice your buoyancy and technical diving techniques. Cenote chac mool is one of the most popular cenotes and diving sites in playa del carmen. The maximum depth is 14m50 feet and it requires a few depth changes along the dive. However, below the ground run the three longest underwater systems in the world dos ojos 82km, sac aktum 172km and the ox bel ha 270km. One of the most famous cenotes is chac mool, and i got the chance to dive there. Cenote the pit is an excellent spot for uw photography. Thatll keep you busy for a couple of days, if you have more time then check out carwash, dream gate, the pit, tajma ha, the garden of eden and chac mool.
The first dive is usually completed in the kukulcan cenote. Chac mool has two entrances, the main one, which is a big opening in the downstream section of the site, and also a small entrance called little brother which is actually a side entrance. We caught up with max in between his travels to hear more about his dive trip that. I started back in 1977 back when i was in high school. Heres a short video of a cavern dive conducted at the chocmool cenote located in the mayan riveria of mexico. Dive in cenotes scuba diving centers and diving sites. You may encounter bats, turtles, mot mot birds the famous regional bird with a long.
Use your mouse to roll over the names of the different sites on the left to learn more about all the great places to dive in and around tulum. This dive site is one of the few that offers 2 completely different dives within the same park. Here in mexico we offer exceptional dive sites, where only few divers have been before you. Brief vid from one of 2 dives at chac mool cenote this past. Every time you dive into one, youll understand why. Mexico has more than 10,000 cenotes and a lot have still not been explored. It is an ample collapse that allows the diver to enjoy a large area with natural light. A travellers tale from mark moxon called cenote diving about a visit to mexico in. The area is full of side passages, and navigation is complex. Through susanne and the web site, you can learn to dive, learn to cave dive, or go on a guided tour of one of the most spectacular diving environments an open water diver can swim. Everything you need to know about cenote chac mool. The visibility seemed unlimited except for the haloclines lower.
Explore underwater passages and halls that reveal an array of natural wonders. One moment, our light beams stave off unnerving pitchblack nothingness. Cenote dive center is a multipurpose dive center that specializes in cavern and cave diving. Chac mool playa del carmen all you need to know before. Playa del carmens chac mool cenote is an ideal diving location. Get a rare and exclusive look at the cenote kukul kan, one of the most infamous cenotes of the mayan riviera in mexico, just outside of playa. A welldeveloped gravel slope leads us to the large parking lot of the cenote. In chichen itza you can find a sculpture of kukulkan at the base of the west face of the northern stairway. Chac mool has something for everyone from speolotherms galore and airdomes on the cavern tour to. We have been immersed in the cenotes, beaches and archeological zones for many years and we know, like no other, the wonders that surround us.
Chac mool kukulkan dive cenotes, dive cozumel from. Our world consists of clear waters, cenotes and caves. The cavern is very amazing for the variety of scenes that will present themselves during the dive, like the two enormous caverns where you enjoy sun. The cenotes are mostly around 15m deep, but some can reach a depth of 100m. Tulum and riviera maya are home to a dense and green jungle with fresh water natural sink holes scattered throughout the jungle, this water runs like veins throughout the jungle. Diving in cenotes are made in maximum security in the occupied zone of the cave. Scuba diving in cenote chac mool, quintana roo mexico. Chac mool, or jaguar cave, is named after the mayan god, chac mool, who had the head of a jaguar. The second dive is performed visiting two cenotes including the fantastic dome with its gigantic colapses and hundreds of stalactites. The word cenote is a phonetic translation of the mayan word dzonot, which means well.
Diving in the mexican cenotes mares scuba diving blog. Coming through the main entrance it is possible to go directly to the dome room. Chac mool cenote chac mool mayan god of water is in puerto aventuras and is the closest cavern dive to playa del carmen. There are 3 different water entrances to chac mool system. Cenote the pit cavern diving jungle divers cozumel diving. The ancient mayans considered cenotes sacred wells connecting two worlds. Dive cenotes is a wonderful place for experiencing cenotes, for the first, or the 50th time. On the side entrances there are little brother cenote and kukulkan cenote. Sep 19, 2016 cenote chac mool kukulkan mexico, playa del carmen, quintana roo.
Chac mool playa del carmen 2020 all you need to know. Click on the icons to see a full technical description. These editors recall the dive trip that started it all. In these places you have the option of cavern diving where you will enjoy amazing stalactites, stalagmites and marine fossils. The name dos ojos means two eyes, and refers to the two neighboring cenotes which connect into a very large cavern zone shared between the two. Dario had been telling her to fix this by inflating her jacket, which only made things. Just a warning, we want this community to be about sharing news, stories and experiences, questions and help, and diving photos and video basically anything diving and dive lifestyle related.
Chac mool has something for everyone from speolotherms galore and airdomes on the cavern tour to long penetration cave dives in both directions. Snorkel with these gentle giants in their natural habitat. Scuba diving in chac mool cenote, mexico dive site divebooker. Aug 24, 20 diving in chac mool cenote near puerto aventuras, quintana roo mexico in 20. A strong halocline will give the divers the feeling of diving in jelly. Cavern diving in the cenotes divemex diving with friends. Cenotes, the oasis in the mayan jungle dive in this spectacular caverns. Divers can enter through an entrance down a set of steps, or one could do a short cave dive.
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