Guided Cenote Diving In The Beautiful Riviera Maya

Cenotes are sinkholes created by the dissolution of limestone bedrock in the Yucatan Peninsula. Rainwater filters through the porous limestone, gradually carving out an intricate network of underground caves and tunnels. Some cave ceilings collapse, resulting in cenotes.

There are 3 types of cenotes: open, semi-open, and cave. Cave cenotes are the youngest type; open cenotes are the oldest as their cave ceiling has fallen into itself. Believe it or not, there are over 8,000 cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Cenote comes from the Mayan word, d’zonot, which translates to ‘cavern with water’. The Maya consider cenotes to be sacred, containing portals to Xibalbá - the Maya underworld.

A halocline (from Greek hals, halos ‘salt’ and klinein ‘to lean’) is a distinct vertical layer in a body of water where fresh and saltwater meet. Saltwater, which is more dense and a degree or two warmer, sinks below the freshwater, creating two obvious layers.

Light passing through a halocline will refract, resulting in visual distortions and oily-looking water. Everything will appear blurry when swimming behind someone passing through a halocline, it’s quite the psychedelic experience. When untouched, the halocline looks like the mirrored surface of a flat lake, it’s super trippy! Try moving your hand around the undisturbed halocline and watch the water turn blurry.

Speleothems are mineral deposits that form in caves. Stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and soda straws are some of the speleothem formations that you’ll see while diving in a cenote.

Water dissolves through the limestone bedrock and continues to flow until it reaches the ceiling of the cave, where it accumulates to the point of breaking surface tension. The water drips down to the cave floor leaving behind calcium carbonate & other elements. The calcium carbonate builds up over time forming a stalactite. Mineral-rich water drops from the stalactite to the floor, then builds up underneath the stalactite to form a stalagmite. Some stalactites and stalagmites grow together to form a column.

These formations are extremely fragile so proper trim and buoyancy are of utmost importance.