The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is a diving heaven. Not so far away from the beautiful and tropical beaches of Cancun, the Yucatan Peninsula is widely known to be the home of the Mayan civilization in Mexico, and one of the seven wonders of the world, Chichen Itza. But what a lot of travelers to the Yucatan Peninsula need to be made aware of is the fact that the dry and rugged region of Yucatan is also home to over 6,000 cenotes.
No trip to Yucatan is complete without cenote diving. There is no particular place in the region where there are open cenotes for diving, but they are scattered all around the region. The best way to do cenote diving in Yucatan is to take a day trip from Merida. Naturally, most travelers to Yucatan will choose Merida as their base, which is an incredible, colorful city and also the safest city in Mexico.
My cenote diving trip from Merida was organized by Original Travel.
Here are some practical tips on where and how to experience cenote diving in the Yucatan Peninsula.
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Is diving in cenotes safe?
First and foremost, it is very important to understand that diving in cenotes in a controlled way and with an experienced dive master is highly recommended. Cenotes are naturally formed pools and they have existed in the region for centuries. The water condition is not suitable for diving in all of the cenotes. As cenotes are several feet below the surface of the ground, there are always environmental hazards for rocks or dried-up tree branches to fall inside the hole.
Best cenote dive centers in Yucatan?
I had the experience of going cenote diving with the amazing team at Diving Yucatan. It was a perfect day trip from Merida. The dive package included two dive sites, all scuba diving gear, and lunch at a local Maya family home (which to me was the highlight of the trip). While there are many cenote dive centers in Merida, I highly recommend booking your diving trip in Yucatan with Diving Yucatan.
Where can I dive in Yucatan?
As I mentioned earlier, there are over 6000 cenotes spread across the Yucatan region but not all cenotes are recommended for diving. I got the opportunity to dive at the Cenote Nah-Yah and Cenote Noh Mozon.
Cenote Nah-Yah is a semi-open type cenote, with a depth of 30 ft free fall (without caverns). The color of the water is blue, and the surface of the water measures 72 ft long by 78 ft wide and a maximum depth of 137 ft.
Cenote Noh Mozon is an open-type cenote with 30 ft of free fall. The color of the water is turquoise and it changes to emerald when the sunrays fall on it. The water surface measures 100 ft long by 20 65 ft wide and a maximum depth of 78 ft.
What is the difference between cenote diving in Yucatan vs. anywhere else in Mexico?
I got this question a lot when I told my friends about my cenote diving experience in the Yucatan Peninsula and it is a very fair question. One of the things that attracted me to diving in Yucatan was the historic significance of most of the cenotes (not all). I got the opportunity to dive at Cenote Noh Mozon which was used by the Maya people for animal and human sacrifice until not very long ago. At 18ft depth in the cenote, there is a human skull safely placed between the cliff walls. Many other cultural stories are associated with the Maya people, which is quite fascinating.
What is the best time for cenote diving in Yucatan?
The Yucatan Peninsula has very hot and humid weather almost throughout the year. The summer season starts in May and lasts till September. The temperature can easily rise to over 40 degrees centigrade during the day. Evenings can get humid or there can be occasional later afternoon/early evening thundershowers as well. The winter months are relatively drier and it is the best time to go for cenote diving between November to April when the water temperature is warm and there are no recent rains.
It is also very important to consider that Merida has become a buzzing tourist spot recently for travelers coming to eastern Mexico. It gets quite busy, especially during the winter months with a high possibility of the diving centers being booked months ahead in advance. So if you plan to experience cenote diving in Yucatan during high season, book your trip in advance.
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