Ever since I first stood on the lip of a Cenote, the entrance to an underground river in the Yucatan, I longed to explore them. Once on a day trip from Cozumel, we followed a sign off the main road that pointed to an entrance.
A large ring of rock and vine gaped open in the jungle.
Within minutes we were peering into a wide, round pit and then followed stairs down to a platform. The water was still and dark yet as our gaze followed the glassy surface we could just spy light beaming in from the distance. Sunlight had pierced the limestone overhang just enough to illuminate a passage. We weren’t prepared to swim towards it but in that moment diving Cenotes rose to the top of my bucket list.
The underground rivers lace the jungle landscape south of Cancun and far to the west. For aeons rainfall has been sinking through fissures to underground aquifers, filling caverns and networks of caves. Mayans felt that the entrances were sacred and built their villages, their temples, near these sources of fresh water.

Cenote Xtoloc en Chichén Itzá” by Salhedine – Own work. Licensed under GNU Free Documentation License via Wikimedia Commons
Many visitors to the region see their first Cenote at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Chichen Itza. The Spanish named, Sacred Cenote sits on the north side of the complex. According to post-conquest notes, the site was used for sacrifices and offerings. Bones of children and adults have been excavated from its muddy depths, along with many artifacts confirming that visitors from across the Americas made offerings there.
The place is surrounded with myth and legends. Local guides will speak about mysterious deaths for those foolhardy enough to fall in. Truth? I’m not sure but the stories chilled my interest to explore. I also had no desire to disturb the rain gods or the mischievous creatures known as aluxes, mythical guardians of the jungle.
Recently I returned to the northern Yucatan and made reservations at Villas DeRosa to stay near Akumal, one of the first Cenotes available to gringo divers. Aquatech Dive Center was founded by our host, Nancy DeRosa, who bought beachfront property there in the 1980’s. After exploring the rich reef life she and then husband, Tony, were introduced to the underground rivers and began mapping what they could. Interest has exploded since then with the theme park distractions of Xcaret, Xplor and Xel-Ha which draw tourists from Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
Listen to the Interview. Nancy DeRosa talks about discovering the Cenotes and life on the Riviera Maya.
Hear more stories of intrepid travelers on the Gathering Road Podcast.
The resorts may be fun but I wanted more authenticity; to dip into quiet waters with a guide and not trail along with a crowd of divers. Akumal gave three of us that opportunity. We set off from our small hotel and soon drove into the jungle to set up near the entrance. As the entrances are yards below the jungle’s surface we had to put on all our gear and climb down stairs to dive. Ocean water along the coast is bathtub warm, but the rivers are often 20 or more degrees colder, so we tugged wetsuits on and trudged down to the rocks below.
Cavern diving takes only an open water certification. You’re always within sight of rays creeping through the undergrowth to meet the surface where they bend and dip. Cave diving on the other hand takes hours of training and special gear. It’s not for the faint of heart. My family group was interested in just a taste of underground diving, so after going over safety precautions, signals and best practices with our guide, we slipped into the cool depths.
For over an hour we carefully swam past stalactites and fossils. We marveled at vines dipping past us from dozens of feet above. There was no sign of the mischievous, mythical aluxes, only a few small fish near the light. The water was spectacularly clear. It looked like we floating unless we moved through haloclines, vertical zones, where fresh and salt water mixed in blurry undulations.
We surfaced in a few caverns to look for bats and passed ages-old towers rising from the depths, skimmed over sunken boulders the size of cars and followed the guideline back to our embarking point.
It was a relatively easy dive. We never went lower than about 45 feet and rose chilly into the steamy jungle air, thrilled by the adventure. If the idea appeals to you, it’s simple to snorkel through cenotes at the resorts mentioned above or join a guided tour to more natural locations.
If you are interested in diving Cenotes:
- Contact one of the many dive guides in the area. We worked with Aquatech, the original Cenote diving center.
- Rent a car to explore the region. Public transportation is irregular and the Cenotes can be down long, incredibly hot roads that you wouldn’t want to wander alone. The main roads are well maintained and traffic is usually light. We found many reputable car agents in Playa del Carmen. Watch out for the Topes, speed bumps!
- Be prepared to pay entrance fees. The accessible Cenotes are on private land and charges are usually nominal per person. If you’re with a tour group, entrance fees are included.
- Safety is the first concern when exploring a Cenote. Many people have been trapped, lost or suffocated due to poor preparation or accidents. Do not explore without a certified guide and carefully follow their instructions. The rest of diving Cenotes is easy.
- Check out the encyclopedic book, Cenotes of the Riviera Maya, by Steve Gerrard, one of the first to explore the underground river systems in the 1980’s. A new version is due out soon. He still leads dive groups in the Yucatan
This post is linked up with Travel Photo Mondays – follow the link for some great pictures from other travel bloggers.
Wow! what an amazing adventure! I haven’t been diving in over 15 years but am just getting my refresher’s done and can’t wait to go diving again now that we are here in New Zealand for a year 🙂
How exciting for you! May you find warm waters and lots of friendly critters in New Zealand.
this sounds like quite an adventure
Thanks. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
I’ve always found the cenotes of Mexico to be spooky, mysterious places. So it sounds as though diving them is the best way to experience them as you can see what’s below rather than imagine what might be there. I love that photo of Nancy DeRosa – the light makes the waters look very magical.
Thanks, Michele. The cenotes are rightly mysterious and need to be explored carefully. Cavern diving is relatively simple – with a guide. Cave diving takes much more training. Nancy was a great source of stories too.
Having travelled to Mexico a few times I am ashamed to say that we have still not visited any cenotes. It is something that we always plan to do and something we fail at miserably every time. Maybe it is because I am a poor swimmer!!!! I would love to explore them though and seeing you images has made me think that we need to make more of an effort next time.
Tam, even being a poor swimmer you could go through the right cenotes with snorkelers using a floatie of some kind. Find the right guide and it could be magical.
What a wonderful adventure; dreaming it and then doing it!! I enjoyed reading about your experience!
Thanks, Marilyn. I live in gratitude to be able to explore the world. Aren’t we lucky?
What a great post – very inspiring and this place looks amazing and somewhere that is going on my bucket list of places to see. Wonderful photos and what a dream experience
Laura x
Thanks, Laura, There’s many interesting cenotes, each with their own personality. I hope you get a chance to explore them.
I’m heading to Cancun in a few weeks, so hopefully I can make this a part of the itinerary. You’ve inspired me! It seems like such a unique experience.
Great news, Katie. This is a part of the Cancun region that too few explore. I hope you find the perfect adventure and weather.
Looks amazing, thanks for sharing!
Thanks. Diving Akumal was a rare treat.
Elaine, thanks for sharing your diving experience. It looks like an amazing place to visit, and having done quite a few ocean dives myself I would love to do cave diving some time.
Thanks, Anne, nice to meet another diver. Cave diving is another animal entirely. Glad I had the chance and hope you do too one day.
The cenotes of Riviera Maya are definitely amazing, with both wet and dry versions. Here are a few I visited, http://travelswithcarole.blogspot.com/search/label/cenotes
What a treat, Carole. There’s not much you haven’t seen or done, I’m discovering. Loved watching the birds flying over the Cenote waters too.
Excellent post – the writing is top notch. I’m a huge fan of Akumal too. This post makes me want to go back 🙂
Thanks for the kudos, John. There’s so much more to the Akumal region that in the post. I want to return too.
My husband and I visited these Cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula about 15 years ago, and even snorkeled in one of them. For me they are a bit scary, I always expect to find skeletons of people who have been killed here by the Mayans for the ceremonial sacrifices. Sorry to sound so gruesome, I actually think there is a lot to enjoy under the water if you like to scuba dive.
I know what you mean about dreading to find skeletons but I felt so comfortable with our guide and was more alert about how my newbie diver son was doing on the dive. Probably won’t be doing a lot more of these there’s just so many other places to explore topside!
I’m more of a snorkeler than a diver. This does look like a lot of fun, and beautiful!
There are plenty of Cenotes to snorkel through as well. Fun? Yes and really not as spooky as it looks in the pictures.
I am actually a little phobic about underwater exploring, but I have to admit these cenotes look intriguing….maybe with the right amount of alcohol….? 🙂
Funny, Jane. Nope, alcohol would be the exact opposite of what you’d need to do a cenote dive. They’re not for everyone. If you were curious really I’d suggest signing up at one of the Riviera Maya playgrounds I mention in the post for a group snorkel through a cenote. They keep it fun and light.
Being IN the ceynotes seems like a magical experience.
Thanks, Irene, It was kind of magical, a strange and silent world to itself. Like most other dive experiences it’s a joy just to be able to visit these environments.
Diving is a really new concept for me, I just recently had my first go. It was very disconcerting at first, to be so reliant on your tank and mask. Canvern diving sounds challenging and exciting. I have friends into cave diving. Don’t think I’m there just yet!
Hi Roma, It takes about 20 dives to really get comfortable with the tanks and all for scuba, I’ve found. Many times I didn’t know if I’d ever ‘get it,’ but am so glad I persevered. Now with over 200 dives I can actually jump in without worry, ever vigilant with the equipment, buoyancy and pressure, but it’s just part of the experience instead of the main event. I hope you keep diving.
Very cool! We swam in the cenote at Valladolid, but just with snorkels. Maybe next time we can go deeper.
I heard that Valladolid is another beautiful Cenote. Diving was pretty special but even snorkeling gives you a sense of the silent beauty of these underground waterways. Thanks for writing.
I really wish we had time during our recent visit to Cancun for TBEX to experience a Cenote but we were not able to schedule this! I can imagine that this was a cool experience though I am not really a diver so am not sure if we would have maximized our time there had we visited one. Thanks for sharing your experience on the Riviera Maya Elaine!
Thanks, Chris. Next time you get to the area I hope you find a snorkel tour to join. That’s another great way to experience the quiet beauty of the Cenotes.
What a brilliant dive experience especially being so out of the norm. Great pics too.
Thanks. It was a pretty special dive but I’m ready to get back into more tropical waters!
This brought back fond memories! I went to Akumal 20 years ago with three friends and we had a wonderful week. Back then the lagoon was full of fish but when I was back there about 9 years ago they’d let runoff water from construction ruin the reefs and that was heartbreaking. But the cenotes are still gorgeous! I’m going back in July of 2015 for a wedding and think I’ll have to take a dip into a cenote in your honor!
Very cool, Kay. I hope you find the perfect cenote to explore, snorkeling or diving. I hadn’t heard of the reef damage but given the surge in turtle populations there, things must’ve improved.
I haven’t been diving in eons and now the thought scares me a bit but there’s definitely a thrill that goes along with the experience. Kudos to you for doing this and what a wonderful adventure. With a little practice I think I’d like to follow in your footsteps.
Thanks, Leigh. Diving takes persistence to master the technology, buoyancy and breathing but considering how much wildlife and cool environments there are to experience, it’s worth the effort.
I’ve been to Mexico three times (and in the Yucatan area), but I’ve never done what you did! You’ve inspired me to go back. I guess it’s time to get SCUBA certified! Great post Elaine!
Thanks so much, David. There’s lots of options and different Cenotes to explore when you finally get back there. Let me know how it goes.
Great Photos! I have always wanted to SCUBA!
If you ever get a chance do a resort dive. In one day PADI instructors can give you just enough of the basics to get in the water and see if it’s for you. I was hooked from my first dive.
Wow, this looks fascinating, I love that image with all the rays of light and the diver centered, excellent capture
Thanks. Sometimes the ‘inconsistencies’ or ‘mistakes’ make for the best pictures, don’t you find?!
I am not a diver, but I certainly admire those of you who are! I can live vicariously through you! Such an interesting post!
Thanks, Suzanne, I never planned on becoming a diver but when opportunity knocks, as they say, I jumped at the chance and every opportunity to get in the water.
Elaine, nice to find you! I am an avid diver, and dive Cozumel all the time. The cenotes were interesting, but I like LIFE, and lots of fish. I travel all the time! Come and visit me, and I am following you!
Welcome, Tam, I know what you mean about liking lots of sea life, but diving the Cenote was so mysterious and odd. Can’t say I’d do much again but sure glad I took the plunge. Off to see your site too now!