The Cenotes of The Yucatan Peninsula
Yucatan Dive sites:
Cenote Car Wash
This is the most popular Cenote due to its easy accessibility and extremely clear water making it suitable for divers of all levels.
A cave diving certificate is not necessary as this dive is classified as a cavern dive i.e. as long as the diver remains within eyesight of the entrance throughout the dive they do not require a special certification.
Entrance: The entrance to this Cenote is a huge arch which connects to a labyrinth of tunnels and caves.
Cautions: This cenote contains voracious freshwater fish such as the tetra. Its advised to wear a protective suit and hood as these fish have sharp teeth and can be a real menace.
El Grande Cenote
The visibility in this Cenote is spectacular; diving at a distance of 60m (200ft) and still being able to see someone snorkeling at the surface is a fascinating experience.
El Grande Cenote is a huge collapsed cavern with a completely filled in centre where the cavern system extends well behind natural daylight to eventually connect into other cenotes where the pattern is repeated. Particularly fascinating are the stalactites, stalagmites and flow stone creating unusual formations.
The entrance is covered by lily pads (creates very interesting underwater photographs) and the dive takes you around the perimeter of the circular hole.
Cenote Sac Actun
This dive site never disappoints and it has been know that people have cried from the overwhelming experience.
Cenote Sac Actun consists of thousands of columns ranging from straws to chandeliers. It has over 5000 m (16,400ft) of explored passageways and was only discovered in 1988 by Steve De Carlo and Jim Coke.
Max depth: 14m (45ft)
Constant Temperature: 24 C (75 F).
