Top Tulum Cenotes for Scuba Divers with Jordan from Expedition Drenched [VIDEO]

Jordan is a scuba diver and an underwater videographer, that recently had the chance to travel to Tulum Mexico to dive the world-famous cenotes with Koox Diving. There are thousands of cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula of which there are dozens that are fairly accessible and pretty popular with divers, so she had a hard time trying to decide which dives she wanted to book. That is why she decided to create her top nine cenotes for scuba divers list to show some of the highlights of each dive and a little bit of information about each one. In this video, she is sharing some general tips and pointers about diving the cenotes.

Number 9: Casa Cenote

Casa Cenote has the most marine life out of any of the other cenotes. As you’re basically swimming your way up through a mangrove the water, surrounded by beautiful turquoise colour with bright algae growing all around it feels like you’re diving in a forest. Jordan says that for her the coolest part was this big crack that you can swim all the way through and that it is really impressive. This is also a great dive for beginners or to use as a warm-up dive for your trip and what’s really great as well is that you can do what’s called a discover dive with an instructor in this site so you don’t even need to be scuba certified to have your very first cenote experience.

Number 8: Cenote Calavera

Calavera has a really cool entrance. You basically just go into a big hole and splash down into a chamber with a beautiful green haze with rays of light dancing all around you. It is a pretty spectacular way to start the dive. This is one of the best dives to see the beautiful hazy layers of separation that you get when saltwater and freshwater meet but they don’t actually mix together because they have different densities.

Number 7: Dos Ojos Cenote

This site is great if you’re travelling with snorkelers who want to experience the cenotes. There are some really nice big areas for them to explore but it is also a diver’s dream as well. This dive takes you into the darkness through some really cool tunnels and amazing stalactite and stalagmite formations. This eventually brings you out to a chamber where you can ascend to the surface and see hundreds of bats flying around your head. This is not something you see while scuba diving every day.

Number 6: Tajma-ha

Tajma-ha has a really dramatic structure with towering chambers and massive boulders and as you make your way along with the dive you eventually reach a spot where you can ascend up towards an opening to the jungle and you can see trees and debris mixed in with these incredible rock structures. This dive does have a lot of up-and-down changes in depth so if you struggle with your ears at all then this site might not be for you.

Number 5: Carwash Cenote

Carwash takes the prize for being the most unique of all the cenotes. It is a dreamlike lagoon filled with underwater lily pads and bright green algae and it is truly unlike any other place you’ve ever seen. Above and below the surface snorkelers can enjoy the lily pad area as well and for the divers, you can continue down into the cave and see some really beautiful columns and even some Mayan artefacts.

Number 4: Cenote Angelita

Angelita feels like you’re diving in a scene from a horror movie. It’s quite a deep dive and once you’ve descended down about 80 feet you reach what looks like an island of haunted trees surrounded by a river of fog. This fog like material is hydrogen sulfide and it’s actually a poisonous gas that’s created when the organic material like leaves and trees start to rot. It is so trippy to watch your dive buddy suddenly reappear as they ascend from the fog and to top it all off on your way back up there’s a really cool heart-shaped cave that you can explore.

Number 3: The Pit Cenote

This is probably the most famous and the most dived out of all the cenotes and for a pretty good reason. It has the deepest penetrating rays of light out of any of the cenotes which just completely takes your breath away. As you get deeper to around 80 feet or so you can explore a hydrogen sulfide layer that looks like you’re descending straight into the Mayan underworld.

Number 2: Chikin Ha Cenote

Photographer or videographer? This dive is pretty hard to beat. It is stunning both above and below the surface. It’s important that you catch it at the right time in the morning however for the angle of the Sun to reach the water. It creates this magical effect of dancing light rays that is just unlike anything else you will ever see in your life.

Number 1: Dreamgate Cenote

Dreamgate has by far the most impressive formations. It feels like you’re diving through a cathedral. It is simply incredible there are areas where you look up and it’s like a thousand icicles above you. There are huge pillars and spectacular tunnels and stalactites and stalagmites covering almost every inch of the inside of this cave. It is simply a work of art down there.

Cenote Diving Tips and Tricks

Now that you think you know which cenotes you want to dive, here are a couple more general tips and tricks.
1. The first one is to make sure that you’re not wearing any bug spray or sunscreen because the chemicals in them can really damage the underwater environment in the cenotes.
2. If you are planning on taking a camera with you that’s any larger than a GoPro, nearly all the cenotes charge a fee anywhere between I would say 300 and 500 pesos to bring a camera on the dive with you. It is totally worth it because dives are incredibly photogenic both for photos and videos but you do have to pay in cash before the dive so just be aware of that fee and make sure that you bring enough cash with you for your dive.
3. Lastly, it’s definitely worth mentioning that all of the dives do not require any special cave training. If you are a cave diver and you’re interested in learning about some of the more advanced dives, there are a lot of options out there for you. Just get in touch or visit our Dive Shop in Tulum or our dive shop in Playa Del Carmen to find even more amazing dives.