– Johan Glindre
The Yucatan Peninsula and Riviera Maya in Mexico are very well known among other things for the Cenotes.
They are the largest underground freshwater cave system in the world. They run for kilometers from North West to South East of the Peninsula and end up in the Caribbean Sea.
There are no overground rivers on the Yucatan Peninsula so this is the only source of fresh water to the area.
About twenty years ago people started to scuba dive the Cenotes to discover this hidden world. Nowadays, Cenotes have become a must-do of scuba diving.
Many scuba divers come to Mexico especially for diving the Cenotes. The cavern part of the Cenotes can be dived by Open Water certified divers. To be able to dive the caves it is necessary to hold the full cave diver certification provided by TDI and IANTD.
To see the best Cenotes in Mexico, click HERE.
Brief History of the Cenotes
Before the ice ages the Yucatan Peninsula was a giant coral reef submerged by the sea. During the ice ages between 70,000 and 50,000 years ago the fall of sea level exposed the reef to the atmosphere. This eventually became the Yucatan Peninsula.
Acidic rainfall gradually started traveling through the ground dissolving the alkaline and highly porous limestone. The power of water started to erode the rocks and to sculpt the inside of the earth forming caves. These caves are known as solution caves.
They might take tens to hundreds of thousands of years to form. It is believed that the Cenotes started to form about 12,000 years ago.
a.k.a. Solution Cave after being formed from acid rain – Credit: Public Domain
Rain water dripping through the ground formed stalactites and stalagmites creating beautiful decorations. The subsequent collapse of the rock ceiling created openings to access the caves.
Cenotes are filled with fresh rain water and some of them have a bottom layer of sea water due to their proximity to the sea. When these two layers of water meet they form a halocline.
Cenotes used to be dry caves. They provided shelter to the Mayas. Some caves still provide testimonials and remains of this ancient civilization inhabiting the caves. I find the history behind the Cenotes the main reason to dive these caves.
The historical value of Cenotes is worth cave diving for – Credit: Sergey Popov V
Coming To Mexico
Bewitched by the idea of cave diving in the Cenotes, my partner Dom and I decided to venture to the Yucatan in Mexico.
We were also aiming to work in the area and we thought that holding our full cave divers certification would have made us more employable by the local dive shops. Only instructors and divemasters with a full cave diver certification are able to guide certified divers in the cavern part of the Cenotes.
If you are a backpacker and planning to visit Mexico, check this Mexico itinerary
Full cave diver certification
Two weeks into the Country and we decided to enroll in the full cave course. We were thrilled by the idea of exploring the caves and hopeful for a job position in the area.
There are so many freelance cave instructors and many dive shops offering courses from cavern divers to full cave course. We were spoiled for choices.
We decided to go with Anders Heegaard of GoPro Playa a freelance PADI Course Director and TDI Tec and Full Cave Instructor. He was highly recommended by a friend of us and we couldn’t be more satisfied with our choice. I would highly recommend him myself.
An underwater warning sign to untrained cave divers – Credit: Anders Heegaard – GoPro Playa
The Way to Go
I definitely recommend the full cave course to scuba divers planning a diving trip to the Riviera Maya and Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. It gives the possibility to see places where not many people have been and to explore the inside of Earth.
Here is a list of some the best Mexican cenotes:
It is absolutely overwhelming and it definitely takes scuba diving to a different level. Follow here next week for a walkthrough of the Full Cave Diver course.
Merida is one of the larger cities in Yucatan, and visiting cenotes is one of the most popular day trips from there. Should you find yourself in the region here is a suggestion of other most popular day trips from Merida.
Learn more about the underground world of Mexican Cenotes.
Have you ever done any cave diving? Tell us about your cave diving experience!
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