Diving
Tulum offers a wide variety of adventures for those who are looking for some underwater fun. From the famous and amazing cenotes (Tulum is the top place on earth for the cave divers), to the beautiful and colorful reefs that the Mexican Caribbean has to offer (The Caribbean is home to the second largest reef barrier in the world)
Considered a kind of technical diving, the cavern and cave diving offer you the opportunity to experience a unique kind of environment, the clearest water ever, amazing rock formations and some awesome visual effects (light, halocline and hydrogen sulfide layers).
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Try it and discover why cave diving has become so popular in the diving community.
Known to the Mayans as "Ts'onot" which literally means well, cenotes were seen as the entrance to the "Xibalba" the final place of those who passed away, the gods and origin of water and life.
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Cenotes had its origins during the Cretaceous and the Tertiary period when a big stratum of Limestone was formed in the Yucatan Peninsula, this created the perfect conditions for the formation of a relatively stable karst platform that is predisposed to the dynamics of speleogenesis (caves formation). Sea level fluctuations expedited numerous cave formations and the unsupported cave ceilings immediate to the surface collapsed at different intervals along the course of the cave conduits ultimately forming what is known as a Cenote.
Home to the largest reef barrier in the northern hemisphere (Mesoamerican Reef) the beautiful scenery of the Mexican Caribbean holds hundreds of fish species, marine turtles, sharks and corals.
Submerge yourself in the clear and warm waters of the Caribbean and find out the surprises that await for you in this tropical paradise.
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The Mesoamerican Reef System is a marine region that stretches over 1,000 km from the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula to the Bay Islands of Honduras. It is the largest reef barrier in the northern hemisphere and the second largets in the world.
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This reef system is home to more than 65 species of coral, 350 species of mollusk and more than 500 species of fish.
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In Mexico 6 natural protected areas have been designated in order to protect an ecosystem that has been declared as Critically Endagered by the Red List of the IUCN
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Cenote Diving
Since caverns and caves represent an overhead environment, diving in the cenotes requires an excellent bouyancy control and some advanced diving skills (frog and helicopter kick, use of lights to communicate, etc.) we strongly advise you to evaluate your experience and chose a dive site suitable to your level.
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Levels of Difficulty
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*Easy = Open Water and Advanced Divers
(Suggested to divers with more than 6 months of inactivity)
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**Normal = Open Water and Advanced Divers
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***Challenging = Open Water and Advanced Divers with previous Cenote dives
Casa Cenote
*Easy
Dos Ojos
**Normal
The Pit
**Normal (Advanced Diver License or Poof of previous Deep Dives required)
Calavera
**Normal
Dream Gate
***Challenging
Angelita
**Normal (Advanced Diver License or Poof of previous Deep Dives required)
Aktun Ha
***Challenging
Casa Cenote
The perfect Cenote for a first approach, this place has a great variety of wildlife and amazing views (light game) in a mangrove forest and the opportunity to see the halocline effect. Here we will explore the tunnels under the mangrove roots and limestone cracks. With a maximum depth of 7 meters and a visibility of more than 30 meters, this is the perfect pool for any diver, from those in need of practice to those advanced divers looking for new adventures.
Dos Ojos
Probably the most famous Cenote in the world, it was this place that put the word Cenote on the map. With two different dives in one place (Barbie Line and Bat cave) it has become a very popular dive site. While the Barbie Line offers wider and well-lit tunnels (Check out the light game) the Bat Cave (Visit the famous air Bat Cave-Air Dome) has narrower darker paths that will put to test your diving skills. Lots of rock formations and fossils embedded in the Lime Stone make this a unique experience.
Calavera
One of the greatest dives in the Tulum Area, the Calavera is an adventure from the beginning to the end. Start your dive with a 3 meter jump to get into the water and then discover the awesome views that the Cenote offers to divers. Because of a difference of density between salt and fresh water, in this place you will experience the strongest halocline you have ever seen, (A layer of water underwater!!!) crazy rock formations sculpted by the salt water and the biggest wall of coral fossils you have ever seen. Do not forget to look up to the surface and check out the beautiful green light beams that this Cenote offers on sunny days.
The Pit
The deepest Cenote of the Quintana Roo State, the Pit has a maximum depth of 121 meters. The classic Cenote of the sink hole type, this is a deep dive that should not be missed. A massive sink hole with a maximum circumference of 60 meters, it offers the fantastic views of the light beams, the dark void that goes down to 121m, the spooky hydrogen sulfide cloud and the stalactites that decorate the ceiling make this a truly unbelievable deep dive experience.
Angelita
A sink hole in the middle of the jungle with the particularity of having one of the heaviest hydrogen sulfide layers around, this dive lets you truly experience the Xibalba (The netherworld of the Mayan). This Cenote is famous for its thick Sulfide layer that completely prevents all light from going through it. You start this Deep Dive with a super clear water in the first 25 meters of the dive to then find this underwater clouds. Once you and your guide go through it, you will find yourself in a completely dark part of the cenote for a couple of minutes to finally ascent into the clear waters again. A totally out of this world experience.
Aktun Ha
The cave of the water in the Mayan language (Aktun-Ha) offers a dive that has two completely different environments. First you will explore the cavern zone following your dive guide while he deploys a cave diving guide line, an interesting approach into what it is a real cave dive. The cavern zone offers a nicely decorated room full of stalactites and stalagmites and a view of the entrance that has become a classic for the underwater photographers. Then after visiting the cavern zone, you will head back to the pool part and check out the blooming wildlife (Look for the terrapins and small crocodiles that frequently visit this cenote)
Dreamgate
The Dream Gate, the hidden jewel of the cenote diving also one of the underwater photographer’s favorites. This is the Cenote with more rock formations of all, a real natural stone cathedral. With two different dives in narrow and delicate passages, this is the closest to a real Cave Dive experience. Reserved for experienced divers, this dive offers an untouched cavern that will definitely blow your mind.
Ocean Diving
The Mesoamerican Reef offers a variety of dives that go from the shallow local reefs of Tulum to the Deep Walls at the Cozumel Island. Drift dives, shipwrecks and tons of colorful marine life await.
Levels of Difficulty
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*Easy = Open Water and Advanced Divers
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**Normal = Open Water and Advanced Divers
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Tulum Reef
*Easy
Cozumel Island
**Normal
Tulum Reef
As a part of the Mesoamerican Reef System, the reef around Tulum is a perfect place to discover some marine widlife. Known for its shallow dives, in this sites you will be able to see soft corals (sea fans, sea rods ,sea plumes etc.) and stony coral (brain and elkhorn coral) together with a variety of colorful tropical fish (angel, butterfly, surgeon, parrot , groupers, grunts and snappers) keep in mind the occasional sights of stingrays, turtles and nurse sharks
Cozumel Island
The top Diving destination in the Mexican Caribbean, Cozumel offers a variety of dives thta make this a worldclass destination. Deep walls, pilars of coral, a great and astonishing diversity of fish and wildlife make all the dives in the island an unforgettable experience. Beacasue of the gulf stream carrying a vast amount of nutrients to its waters, Cozumel is a place full of life. Rays, turtles, eels, sharks and countless fish have their home in one of the more beautiful reefs in the area.
