Cenotes are ancient sinkholes that exist throughout the Yucatan Peninsula. For many years, these caverns have been a major scuba diving attraction in Mexico. The cenotes are home to approximately fifteen species of fish including mollies, catfish and tetras.
Can beginners dive cenotes?
The Pit. The Pit is excellent for cenote beginners who are comfortable with deep diving. A large “pit” in the Earth allows for long, beautiful beam of lights to shine down to around 100 feet.
Is diving the cenotes worth it?
Cenotes are places of great calm, most of them inside of the jungle, and diving into them is a beautiful and relaxing experience that changes the perspective of traditional scuba diving in the ocean.
How deep are cenote dives?
Diving in Cenote Dos Ojos
The Dos Ojos Cenotes are an amazing cavern diving site and is very popular receiving around a hundred visitors per day, many snorkelers. The average diving depth here is 5–7 meters (16–23 ft) so you can dive as long as your air allows.
Can you scuba in cenotes? – Related Questions
Do sharks go in cenotes?
Cenotes are not only safe for swimming but they’re nature’s perfect swimming spots free from the dangers of the beach. In cenotes, there’s no current so you don’t have to worry about rip-tides, waves, or boats while you swim. There are also no predators like sharks, large crocodiles, or even fish.
Can sharks be in cenotes?
From mid-November until March, female bull sharks return close to the shores of Playa del Carmen, where they enjoy the mix of salt and fresh water, coming out from the cenotes. Bull sharks are known for their robust shape and and many divers travel the world hoping for an encounter.
Can you get sick from cenote water?
Although not all E. coli bacteria represent a danger to humans, the ones detected in the area’s cenotes may cause symptoms such as diarrhea, urinary tract infections, as well as respiratory disease.
Are there skeletons in cenotes?
A recent underwater survey in the cavern, or cenote, located in Mexico’s Yucatán, has found a likely reason for its fearsome reputation—the floors of its two chambers are littered with human bones.
Do cenotes have snakes?
You may also see other jungle creatures near the cenotes, including iguanas, snakes, and birds.
What is the deepest cenote?
Zacatón, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, is a geothermal sinkhole, or cenote, that is more than 282 meters deep. Nobody has ever reached bottom and at least one diver has died attempting to do so.
Are cenotes in Mexico deep?
The cenote is fairly shallow, but not shallow enough to touch the bottom (15 feet deep at the shallowest point). Not to worry, there are plenty of Life Jackets, or PFD’s, available at the cenote and a lifeguard is always present.
What is at the bottom of a cenote?
Archaeologists have discovered Jade, pottery, gold, and incense at the bottom of sacred cenotes, along with human remains.
How deep is the water in the cenote at Chichen Itza?
The water is VERY deep (around 35 metres). You’re allowed to dive in (there’s a diving platform carved into the rock) and no-one has ever hit their head on the bottom!
Are there alligators in cenotes?
If you’ve visited Tulum, Playa del Carmen or one of the surrounding areas, you’ve probably visited a cenote. But, have you ever wondered if there were any crocodiles in the cenotes? Well, the answer is: yep, crocodiles can be found in some of the cenotes.
Are cenotes full of bacteria?
According to the Directorate for Protection Against Sanitary Risks of Quintana Roo, also known by its Spanish acronym of COFEPRIS, a significant amount of bacteria, such as Escherichia Coli, commonly known as E. Coli, has been found in at least three cenotes close to Tulum and surrounding areas.
Are there skeletons in cenotes?
A recent underwater survey in the cavern, or cenote, located in Mexico’s Yucatán, has found a likely reason for its fearsome reputation—the floors of its two chambers are littered with human bones.
Why are cenotes so cold?
Their temperature remains cold because they are fed by underground rivers that have little or no contact at all with solar energy, therefore, it does not raise the temperature of the water.