![]() They were important sources of fresh water for the ancient Maya people who used to inhabit the area. The Yucatan Peninsula is renowned for its many beautiful and historical cenotes that are linked to the largest known system of underwater caves on Earth. But you can also experience spectacular scuba dives. They are very popular for swimming, snorkeling or zip-lining. Some cenotes are wide open and some only half filled with water. Over time they have developed into spectacular underwater caves that are perfect for curious explorers. These caves consist of limestone which erodes quite quickly, so a ceiling of these caves have collapsed and formed sinkholes. Simply put cenotes are just sinkholes filled with water. Best Cenotes in Riviera Maya – Top 10 Places.Here even confirmed scuba fans become enthusiastic free-divers. You should cope with stressful situations and need special equipment.īy the way, if you’ve ever been a fan of freediving, then you should definitely dive in the cenotes. You also need an overhead certificate and at least 25 registered dives. You have to be over 18 years old and you should already have a lot of diving experience (Advanced Open Water). Unlike for cavern diving, you need special training for cave diving. Behind it, the area that is closed for security reasons begins. If not, then you should not dive with him.īy the way, in the cenotes of Mexico there is usually a stop sign somewhere under water. He will dive with more than one tank according to the safety standards. He leads a maximum of four divers in the group. Your guide is a trained cave diver with special equipment. This means you will never dive into a hole where you have to turn around to get out. And of course, you will never dive into a cave. But you will never be more than 40 m away from the surface and you will always see natural light. It is an overhead environment with overhangs and passages for swimming through. In the cenotes you will normally dive in caverns. Special training and special equipment are a basic requirement here. They are reserved for the most experienced divers. An unforgettable experience.Īnd then there are the caves with their impenetrable darkness. And sometimes there are also remains of the ancient Maya, such as shards of clay or bone remains and fossils. One of the most beautiful things is the light plays in the crystal-clear water. You discover overhangs and stone columns and can swim through passages. As long as you stay in the caverns, you never completely escape from daylight. But as soon as you arrive further down in the salt water, everything is back to normal.Ī magical world awaits you there. When you cross it, your vision will also become slightly blurred. It looks a bit like a mirror in the water. It is located in most cenotes at a depth of between 10 and 20 m and is clearly visible. The boundary between fresh and salt water is called halocline. Due to the different salinity, the two layers do not mix. But this is only the top layer, further down there is salt water. In the past, the Cenotes were therefore used by the Maya as drinking water wells. The top layer of water in a cenote consists of fresh water. In Quintana Roo, Mexico alone, more than 1000 km of underground rivers have already been explored. Closely followed by Ox Bel Ha with a length of 256 km, which is accessible over more than 140 Cenotes. With a total length of 372 km, Sac Aktun/Dos Ojos is the longest known system of underwater caves in the world. It is also connected to the system Dos Ojos further north by a dry passage. It is connected to the surface over 226 cenotes and has its lowest point in the Blue Abyss at 119 m depth. The longest detected system to date is Sac Aktun with a length of 222 km. Many cenotes in Yucatan are linked to the largest known system of underwater caves on Earth. But this is perhaps an innocent way of looking at it. Most tourists think cenotes is just a natural swimming pool. But in many locations, you can also experience incredible scuba dives. There is a lot of fun and adventure for families and tourists. They are often visited for swimming, snorkeling, kayaking or zip-lining. Some cenotes are wide open and only half filled with water. Limestone erodes quite quickly, and then it can happen that the ceiling of the cave collapses and gives access to the subterranean waters. They are limestone caves that have collapsed. ![]()
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