The Mysterious and Sacred Yucatan Cenotes

0 0
Read Time:2 Minute, 31 Second

The word “cenote” (pronounced: seh-noh-teh) is used to describe a geographic feature that is exclusive to Southern Mexico and Parts of Central America. The term “cenote” comes from the ancients Mayan word “Dzonot” or “Abyss” and that is exactly what these strange abysmal wells and grottos are.

The soft porous limestone that makes up the local terrain, becomes naturally eroded in certain parts and this creates deep wells and sinkholes that dot the landscape across the Yucatan Peninsula. These cenotes were considered sacred ground to the ancient Maya who depended on the cenote for life giving water. IT was believed that the endless system of sinkholes and underground rivers that flows in this area was the path to Xibalba, the underworld and dwelling place of the Gods.

The cenote was a place for communion with the great unknown and also a place where religious rites and festivals were held.

Today visitors to the Yucatan Cenotes can experience the same epiphanic beauty treasured by the Ancients. The network of cenotes extends throughout the denes Yucatan Jungle and produces Cenotes hundreds of feet in diameter and many others that could barely fit a single person.

The adventures are many and this following article will describe some of the more impressive cenotes for your amazement.

1. Cenote Lol-Ha, Yaxunah

Yaxunah is a small Yucatecan community and home to a select set of fabulous Cenotes. As these sinkholes and grottos are all connected, they are typically found in clusters. Yaxunah has one such set of cenotes and Lol-ha is by far the center jewel of the bunch. You will find mysterious depths cradled by limestone walls and amazing sunlight filtering through foliage above. If you are not an accomplished swimmer, and even if you are, a life jacket will allow you to navigate the cool water safely.

Cenotes Divingh

 

2. Cenote Ik Kil, Chichén Itzá

Actually, located 3k from the Citadel of Chichen Itza, one of the 7 Wonders of the World, Ik Kil is probably the most frequently visited and popular vacation spots for people from across the globe. After a hot day in the tropical archaeological zone, there is nothing more relaxing than dipping in the cool water of Ik Kil before another hot Yucatan Day.

The cenote like most other is surrounded by year-round vegetation and you will find a set of stairs that allows access to the site. You will find a good many people here at any time of the year and if crowded swimming holes are not your thing, there are plenty of other options in the area.

Cenote Diving

3. Cenote Na Yah, Pixyah

One of the more classic Yucatan Cenotes is the Na-Yah in Pixyah. It is only 40 ft long and 30ft. Deep but contains an impressive network of tunnels for the daring scuba enthusiast to explore. Or, you can take a plunge and leap from the ledge high above the water and free fall into a piercing blue jewel in the middle of the jungle.

Cenotes Diving

Happy
Happy
0 %
Sad
Sad
0 %
Excited
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
Angry
0 %
Surprise
Surprise
0 %

Cave Diving Riviera Maya

0 0
Read Time:2 Minute, 17 Second

ALBERTO DOS PISOS ridotta

 

Cave Diving in Riviera Maya is one of the most amazing activity you can do if you are a cave diver or you want to become one.

You can find of caves where is possible to dive in. Cave access are normally simple and the mazes inside are spectacular , with an endless variations of formations such as stalactites , stalagmites, soda straw, bacon strips , rim pools, stalagtites and columns, clear water, low flow and shallow depth.

Cenotes

Cave Diving along the Yucatan coast was discovered in the middle eighties when cave divers began to dive in the Cenotes (maya word for natural well) . The exploration of the cenotes exploded as more cave systems were found, surveyed and mapped. Every year since than, new caves are found and the number of underwater caves is growing and growing.

Riviera Maya has the world ‘s best caves to dive , the most extended underwater systems , basically a wonderland for cave divers.

Cenotes

General Hazards

Scuba diving in underwater caves present a variety of hazards that you must be prepared to face.

General hazards are: water filled, water temperature and complete darkness because natural daylight cannot penetrate inside the cave.

How to avoid all that?  You should carry the right amount of gas based on the rule of thirds or more conservative, fit a proper diving suit to be comfortable underwater for long periods, carry at least three  powerful diving lights.

Specific Hazards

Specific hazards include:

  • water flow (not in Riviera Maya where there are low flow systems)
  • silt , can be very easy to disturb if you are not properly trained in trim and buoyancy techniques
  • haloclines can disturb the visibility pretty much , be aware once you dive in.
  • mazes , there  are some kind of swiss cheese caves involving the cave diver in very complex navigation
  • large passageways , can easily create confusion in the direction
  • line traps , are not common but you need to check your line to avoid them
  • fail to run a continuous guideline, connected to the exit of the cave can result in fatality
  • diving too deep
  • diving over the personal and certification level limits
  • new places without using a map

Sound Advices

Cenote Diving can be pretty safe if you follow the rules. A sound advice is to hire a local guide, so you will be more safe, will enjoy your dive more and the will guide you in the most amazing places you can find.

For non certified cave divers, Riviera Maya caves are the best to receive a top world training in back mount or side mount , you can be tought to all cave diver levels by the best Instructors.

Contact Alberto at cavediveit@gmail.com, who will organize your dive at the best

 

 

Happy
Happy
0 %
Sad
Sad
0 %
Excited
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
Angry
0 %
Surprise
Surprise
0 %

Cenotes Playa del Carmen

0 0
Read Time:6 Minute, 48 Second

Divers can discover some spectacular scenarios to explore in Riviera Maya: they are called Cenotes Playa del Carmen. Although cenotes are distributed all around the Riviera, in the surrounds of Playa del Carmen there are some of the most interesting cenotes of the whole Yucatan.

According to the ancient Maya, cenotes were the homes where the rain god was used to live. Unfortunately, the ancient Maya were used to offer human sacrifices to ingratiate this god.

Cenotes were filled with a large quantity of water and therefore they were a natural fresh water supply in the Yucatan peninsula and were used in the construction of the stunning Maya towns all around this region.

Cenotes are opened up to any kind of qualified scuba diver from OWD on. Nevertheless, dives should be guided by absolutely competent guides, particularly trained for this type of dives.

Dives should follow specified paths along a fixed to the bottom line. Deepness can vary between 9 and 17 meters and the current is slow and can generally flow in the upstream or downstream direction. For what it concerns the equipment, you don’t need anything special: the usual 12 liters containers and wet suites for a temperature which is around 25 °C.

The most magnificent Cenotes Playa del Carmen are: Tajma Ha, Ponderosa, Angelita, Dos Ojos, Carwash, Chikin Ha, Grand Cenote and Chac Mool. They are all within a short trip from Playa.

Cenote Tajma Ha

Ttajma_ha_2his is  one of the most beautiful cenote in the Riviera Maya and is located 29 Km south of Playa del Carmen. Its maximum depth is around 13 meters/35 feet and is suitable for both cave and scuba divers.

The cave tour take the diver trough amazing areas with sunlight beam penetrating in the water and also strong haloclines developing fascinating mirror-like impacts.

During the dive you can see a bunch of decor (stalactite, stalagmite and also columns) as well as concealed fossils.

In the warm days it is possible to see amazing play of light, going across the cenote Sugar Dish as well as than diving near to Bil’s Opening Cenote.

Cenote Ponderosa

cenote_ponderosa_4At 28 Km from Playa del Carmen, this cenote provides an outstanding perspective. It is like a massive swimming pool in the center of the jungle. It is fantastic for snorkeling, cavern diving and cave diving.

Throughout the dive you will pass through a sort of a tunnel connected with the Cenote Corral is where you’ll spend a lot of part of the dive passing in places with strong halocline and shallow places with fantastic light effects.

With a maximum depth of 14 meters/45 feet and a bunch of shallow areas this dive is perfect also for the inexperienced divers

Cenote Angelita

cenote_angelita_1Is not a typical cenote dive, but is an incredible experience.

For advanced divers only; the maximum deepness is 58 meters/180 feet.

After a 5 minutes’ walk through the forest you get to the round formed cenote. After leaving the surface area, you dive in very clear water until you sink right into a hydrogen sulphate layer at 30 meters/95 feet.

The salt water simply begins under the clouds, thus offering the diver a mystical sensation. Throughout the ascent you will fly on the cloud and alongside the wall surfaces you could appreciate substantial stalactites, hanging from the edge.

This cenote is sited 17 kilometers south of Tulum is the most remote area visited from Playa del Carmen.

Cenote Dos Ojos.

dos_ojos_2

The entryway to this cenote is just few meters after Puerto Aventuras.

The name suggests “two eyes” as well as is positioned 50 kilometers south of Playa del Carmen.

Is one of the prominent and also well-known cenote.

The significant system requires two various dives to be uncovered. Both the dives begin as well as finish in the very first eye (eastern eye).

During the cave excursion you could swim in fresh crystal water and about large pillars as well as stalactites. The very first dive leads mostly around the “second eye” (west eye).

The second dive is around the Bat Cave that is a bit darker yet we guide you in impressive covert globe.

Cave divers discover an area to plan various dives. With about 60 Kilometers of checked out length and also connected to over 25 cenote, Dos Ojos is among the lengthiest system on the Peninsula. In this area IMAX films fire parts of the IMAX movie “Quest into impressive Caves” released in 2001.

For non divers Dos Ojos is the excellent location to swim and snorkel in an incredible cave.

Cenote Carwash.

carwash_7Also referred to as” Auto Clean” no longer was made use of to clean taxi.

Is sited 8 kilometers outside Tulum in Coba instructions.

The access is in a little lake as well as for cave divers is possible to visit the upstream and downstream side.

As soon as you leave the surface area you travel through the origins and fallen trees, looking back to the entrance, it looks like we are under the clouds and few meters away we discover lovely developments.

The maximum deepness is around 15 meters/45 feet as well as you require a great resilience to prevent taking up silt

Cenote Chikin Ha.

chikin_ha_1Located 25 Kilometers from Playa del Carmen, is the initial cenote in a system that links several cenote trough greater than 10 km of undersea passages.

During the dive we move in the instructions of Raibow Cenote as well as soon as we reach a deepness of regarding 10 meters/33 feet strange aesthetic results can be seen, because the fresh as well as seawater begin to mix; we call that halocline. Moving close to the surface area we could discover a bunch of origins of many plants browsing for the water as well as producing a below ground forest.

Looking towards to the entryway we value lovely light results. The optimum depth is 14 meters/45 feet as well as the big passages develop a spot for all the divers.

Gran Cenote.

gran_cenote_1This cenote belongs to the system Sac Aktun which means white cave in Maya. In 2007 a team of cave scuba diver discover the link between this system and Nohoch Nah Chich and also now we have the biggest system of underwater collapse the world (157km).

Gran Cenote is situated 4 km outside Tulum in Coba instructions. The cave dive is along the side of the circular cenote with a maximum depth of 10 meters/32 feet.

Perfect buoyancy is needed as the passages are quite enhanced; in warm days light program are outstanding and you can dive in crystal water.

Snorkelers can find an ideal area to invest their time.

Cenote Chac Mool.

chac_mol_4The entryway to this cenote is simply couple of meters after Puerto Aventuras.

There are 3 different water entries to Chac-Mool system.

On the side entrance we have Little Bro cenote as well as Kukulkan cenote.

In the main entry we could access directly at the Dome Room. Right here a portion of the ceiling has collapsed under an air dome where the scuba divers can appear as well as appreciate a great deal of attractive stalactites and also some fossils. In Kukulkan side, in bright days, we have an amazing play of light.

Chac-Mool is among the caves which has halocline, indicates where salt and also fresh water integrated as well as developing aesthetic impacts.

With its large spaces and optimum deepness of 12 meters/36 feet, is a perfect area for the amateur cave divers.

Chac-Mool additionally offer penetration for cavern scuba divers, is in cave diving where we could find the largest undersea stalactite in the globe

As you can see from this short list, Cenotes Playa del Carmen include several different places where you can dive and discover fantastic natural scenarios. As said at the beginning of this post, diving in Cenotes are opened up to any kind of qualified scuba diver from OWD on but requires competent guides, particularly trained for this type of dives.

Contact Alberto at cavediveit@gmail.com to organize and enjoy this unique adventure.

 

Happy
Happy
0 %
Sad
Sad
0 %
Excited
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
Angry
0 %
Surprise
Surprise
0 %

Cenotes Riviera Maya

0 0
Read Time:2 Minute, 19 Second

What is a Cenote Riviera Maya? There are different answers to this question:

  • A swimming pool of crystal clear water
  • An entryway to a below ground stream system
  • A Mayan spiritual room where the real world and also the spiritual abyss fulfill.

The entire river system on Riviera Maya runs through miles of underground caves. Because this region  is mostly limestone, water seeping into the porous rock occasionally causes the earth to give way. The sink-hole-like opening to the water below is called a Cenote.

Cenote

Some Cenotes appear like small ponds

Some Cenotes appear like small ponds; the water level with, or just below, the forest floor. But more often, gaping holes will have you staring into a dark abyss where you can jump into an ancient cavern complete with stalactites, stalagmites, and even bats if you’re lucky.

Modern day divers have discovered jade, silver, bones, and pottery in some Cenotes which leads archeologists to believe the Mayans sacrificed on these sites to the gods, probably to Chaac, the rain god. It is rumored that some of these caverns witnessed human sacrifices, most evidence points toward more mundane rituals.

 Yucatan’s Riviera Maya is quite arid

Yucatan’s Riviera Maya is quite arid and Cenotes are natural wells providing an endless supply of life-giving water. So on a practical level, it’s easy to understand why the Mayans would revere these pristine pools. On a deeper, darker level, just try diving deep under the surface and looking into the enormous black hole that leads off to who-knows-where and you will understand why such fear and mystery surrounds these other-worldly gifts to the Yucatan.

If you plan a trip to go diving in Cenotes in Riviera Maya, you should expect that your trip will begin with a four wheel transfer down a narrow jungle road through palms and ceibas and copal trees. Cenotes are beautiful and lost in the jungle, away from civilization, you feel as though you are walking into another world. In fact, the Mayans believe cenotes are entrances to Xibalba, the underworld, a place that is neither heaven nor hell, but leads to the afterlife.

Most dives in Cenotes are cavern dives

Most dives in Cenotes are cavern dives as opposed to cave dives. In a cavern dive, the divers never leave sight of the light coming in from the entrance. A guideline should run for the entire dive, giving you a point of reference because the silt on the bottom of the cavern get stirred up and decrease visibility.

Cenotes

 

Your project  to dive in Cenotes Riviera Maya should therefore include a dive master  who is well acquainted with the area.

Contact Alberto at cavediveit@gmail.com to organize your dive in the best way.

Happy
Happy
0 %
Sad
Sad
0 %
Excited
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
Angry
0 %
Surprise
Surprise
0 %

Cenote Diving

0 0
Read Time:2 Minute, 27 Second

Cеnоtе diving оr Cavern diving, iѕ a рорulаr activity sought bу tоuriѕtѕ interested in a little undеrwаtеr еxрlоrаtiоn tо аdd some excitement tо thеir vасаtiоn. Riviera Maya nоt оnlу оffеrѕ уоur tурiсаl ореn-wаtеr dives, it аlѕо оffеrѕ a Cеnоtе diving еxреriеnсеѕ in mаѕѕivе undеrgrоund саvеrn systems.

cenote diving

 

Diving in a Cenote оffеrѕ divеrѕ thе uniԛuе еxреriеnсе of еxрlоring underground, undеrwаtеr есоѕуѕtеmѕ thаt is unlike any оthеr dive осаtiоnѕ. These freshwater caverns wеrе formed over milliоnѕ of уеаrѕ аѕ rаinwаtеr frоm аbоvе ѕеереd thrоugh thе ground, сrеаting hollow саvеrnѕ. Aѕ timе раѕѕеd, portions оf the grоund above gave wау сrеаting openings to thе саvеrnѕ bеlоw. Owining tо thе frеѕhwаtеr соmроѕitiоn оf mаnу Cenotes, visibility iѕ аn inсrеdiblе 200 mеtеrѕ, mаking for an exceptional dive еxреriеnсе.

Long dive times

Additionally, thе ѕhаllоw nаturе оf thе Cеnоtеѕ аlѕо means lоngеr divе times аnd moderate wаtеr temperatures, all year 24 degrees/77 Fahrenheit . Bесаuѕе оf these idеаl conditions, divеrѕ оf all ѕkill lеvеlѕ are аblе to enjoy this unique and amazing еxреriеnсе.

Cavern diving is a mоdе оf undеrwаtеr diving. When you dive in Cenote the sсubа equipment mау bе open circuit, in which еxhаlеd gas iѕ еxреllеd tо the ѕurrоundingѕ, оr a сlоѕеd оr ѕеmi-сlоѕеd сirсuit rеbrеаthеr, in whiсh thе brеаthing gаѕ iѕ scrubbed to remove саrbоn dioxide, and the оxуgеn uѕеd iѕ rерlеniѕhеd from a supply оf fееd gas bеfоrе bеing rе-brеаthеd.

Thе general idea оf ѕсubа diving in mоѕt аrеаѕ is thе same аnd whаt уоu will ѕее undеrwаtеr can be quite different and аlluring bу thе рrеvаlеnсе оf undеrwаtеr animals and рlаntѕ.

cenote

A list of reasons

Hеrе iѕ a list of mаjоr reasons when уоu are planning уоur firѕt undеrwаtеr adventure in Cеnоtе diving:

  1. A ‘cenote’ iѕ vаѕt ѕуѕtеm оf undеrgrоund rivеrѕ, рооlѕ, аnd caverns. Many оf thеѕе ‘cenotes’ саn bе found between Playa del Carmen and Tulum in thе Yucatan Pеninѕulа. With an еxреriеnсеd guide, these ‘cenotes’ аrе open fоr swimming, cavern dive аnd cave diving. Thе Yuсаtаn Peninsula is wоrld renowned for its network оf underground caverns. Diving in a ‘сеnоtе’ is unlike саvе diving and rеԛuirеѕ nо certification bеуоnd OреnWаtеr. The rеаѕоning that nо сеrtifiсаtiоn iѕ rеԛuirеd iѕ bесаuѕе you аrе nеvеr more thаn 200 feet (60 mеtеrѕ) frоm an ореning.
  2. Aѕ in many оthеr саvеrnѕ, ѕtаlасtitеѕ and ѕtаlаgmitеѕ соvеr роrtiоnѕ оf the tор аnd bоttоm оf thе саvеrnѕ. Lаѕеr bеаmѕ оf light реnеtrаtе thе ѕurfасе аbоvе, lighting thе wау аnd сrеаting a uniԛuе аnd соlоrful undеrwаtеr аurа. Shаdоwѕ and outlines of massive rосk fоrmаtiоnѕ саn bе ѕееn thrоughоut. With rеgаrdѕ to mаrinе lifе, several ѕресiеѕ of blind fiѕh and ѕhrimр аrе соmmоnlу seen in thе саvеrnѕ, fеw оf whiсh grоw vеrу lаrgе. Thе large mаjоritу оf thе арреаl and аurа behind Cеnоtе diving comes frоm the rосk structures that hаvе fоrmеd of thе milliоnѕ оf уеаrѕ of thе Cеnоtе creation.

Contact Alberto at cavediveit@gmail.com to organize your Cenote Diving

 

Happy
Happy
0 %
Sad
Sad
0 %
Excited
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
Angry
0 %
Surprise
Surprise
0 %