Scuba diving

Cenotes Diving - Into the Underworld

The cenotes, pearls of the Yucatan… This unique underwater network has been giving archaeologists new insights into the sacred landscapes of the ancestral Maya for ages. Formed over hundreds of thousands of years, those underground fresh water sink holes not only attracts archaeologists attention but divers. No wonder, who wouldn't want to dive in huge underwater cathedrals and experience breathtaking light effects wrapped by ancient mystery.

18. 11. 2014 Photos: 8

If you want to discover the Mayan world through almost unexplored cenotes, Phocea Mexico, a scuba diving centre located in Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya in Mexico might be worth to check as they know the place like no other. Their out of the ordinary 5-days expedition will leads you to dive in the farthest cenotes of Yucatan; incredible rarely visited cenotes, lost in the middle of the jungle, accessible through paths opened with a machete. You will not only experience some unforgettable dives, so typical of this area of Mexico but also meet extraordinary people, who only speak Maya, but have a golden heart and will be able to communicate their love for their land, their culture, and their cuisine to you. Sounds tempting, doesn't it?

Dos Ojos and Chac Mool are two of the most famous cenotes, but Phocea Mexico also dive "Angelita", a cenote in which decaying plants form a sulfur cloud that makes you feel like you are flying when diving through. The entryways to these two incredible caverns are just a few hundred feet from each other, and the entire cenote system here has been set up for safe diving.

Dos Ojos

Located 30 miles away from Playa del Carmen, Dos Ojos is one of the most famous cavern dives thanks to the movie Amazing Caves. This cenote offers the opportunity to make two different dives. The Barbie Line allows you to navigate between huge stalactites and columns thanks to its generous natural lighting on the whole 500 yards long circuit. The second dive is into the Batcave, making you feel as if in a cave due to the weak lighting. The passages are narrower and formations thinner and more delicate. The name comes from the many bats you will meet having a break in the air dome.

Chac Mool & Kukulkan

Both Cenote Kukulkan and Cenote Chac-Mool offers two nice dives accessible to all certified divers, so it is possible to visit these unique underground treasures, even if you have never dived in a cave before. Chak Mool means Great Red Jaguar and is located just 15 miles South from Playa del Carmen. A dense halocline lies around 30 ft. deep; it feels like navigating in jello. Kukulcan will astonish you with its sunrays. One of the interesting passages, a Little Brother, has its ceiling collapsed under an air dome, and there is a spot from where divers can admire hundreds of stalactites.

Don't worry, there is much more to explore. There are tons of others cenotes Phocea Mexico can take you to. Just check their website to see what they have to offer; from haloclines and huge flowered gardens to beautiful fossils and limestone vaults, you won't miss a thing.

The Dive Center is based in Playa del Carmen, a charming village on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan peninsula, and also on the island of Cozumel, another paradise for divers, an underwater site whose reputation has been a fact for a long time. The Cenotes Expedition starts at 100 bucks, including all you might need, the center also offer equipment rentals, run various Scuba Diving programs and courses and apart from eastern Mexico they also operates in Belize and newly in La Paz as of February the 1st 2015.

Cenotes Expeditions : 2014/2015 schedule

December 7 to December 11 2014
January 18 to January 22 2015
February 15 to February 19
March 15 to March 19
April 19 to April 23
May 17 to May 21
June 14 to June 18
July 19 to July 23
August 17 to August 20
September 13 to September 17
October 18 to October 22
November 15 to November 19
December 6 to December 10