Cave diving · North America
Cave diving in Mexico
10 cave systems26 entrances and sites9 providers
Mexico's best-known cave diving is in the flooded limestone caves of Quintana Roo on the Yucatán Peninsula, entered through cenotes (natural sinkholes that open onto the water table). The Quintana Roo Speleological Survey's archive held 1,736.7 km of underwater cave passage in more than 412 caves when its site was last updated in January 2025, including Sistema Ox Bel Ha and Sistema Sac Actun, the two longest surveyed underwater caves on its list. The caves are anchialine: fresh water lies over denser salt water, and the boundary between them (the halocline) blurs visibility when it is disturbed.
How access works
Cenotes sit on ejido (communal) or private land, and each owner sets its own entry rules, fees, opening days and camera policies. Guided cavern tours for divers without cave training run only at designated cenotes on fixed cavern lines with a local guide, under rules published by CREER, a regional committee of cave instructors and guides that states it is not a government body. Cave diving beyond the cavern zone requires cave certification; CREER also runs a voluntary registration for visiting cave divers. Commercial dive tourism in Mexico falls under the federal standard NOM-012-TUR-2016, which requires operators to be registered with the national tourism register and to use dive guides accredited by the tourism ministry.
A general summary; each site page gives its own dated access information.
10
Cave systems
Sistema Ox Bel Ha
Quintana Roo
Sistema Sac Actun
Quintana Roo
Sistema K'oox Baal
Quintana Roo
Sistema Xunaan Ha
Quintana Roo
Sistema Toh Ha
Quintana Roo
Sistema Dos Pisos
Quintana Roo
Cueva Quebrada
Quintana Roo
Sistema Taj Mahal
Quintana Roo
Sistema Chac-Mol
Quintana Roo
Sistema Carwash
Quintana Roo
26
Entrances and dive sites
| Site | Cave system | Type | Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Cenote Aktun Ha (Carwash)Quintana Roo | Sistema Carwash | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions |
 |
Cenote Chac MoolNear Puerto Aventuras | Sistema Chac-Mol | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions |
| Cenote KukulkanQuintana Roo | Sistema Chac-Mol | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions | |
| Cenote XuxiQuintana Roo | Sistema K'oox Baal | Cave entrance | Restricted access | |
| Cenote Mayan BlueQuintana Roo | Sistema Ox Bel Ha | Cave entrance | Open to qualified divers, with conditions | |
 |
Cenote Dos OjosBetween Xel-Ha and Tulum | Sistema Sac Actun | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions |
| Cenote DreamgateQuintana Roo | Sistema Sac Actun | Cenote | Restricted access | |
| Cenote NavalQuintana Roo | Sistema Sac Actun | Cenote | Access status not verified | |
 |
Cenote Nohoch Nah ChichQuintana Roo | Sistema Sac Actun | Cave entrance | Access status not verified |
 |
Cenote Pet CemeteryDos Ojos road, north of Tulum | Sistema Sac Actun | Cenote | Access status not verified |
 |
Cenote The PitDos Ojos area, north of Tulum | Sistema Sac Actun | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions |
 |
Cenote Tajma HaSouth of Puerto Aventuras | Sistema Taj Mahal | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions |
| Cenote Chan HolAbout 15 km south-west of Tulum | Sistema Toh Ha | Cave entrance | Access status not verified | |
 |
Casa CenoteTankah Tres, north of Tulum | — | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions |
 |
Cenote AngelitaSouth of Tulum | — | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions |
| Cenote Calavera (Temple of Doom)Quintana Roo | — | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions | |
| Cenote Chikin HaAbout 25 km from Playa del Carmen | — | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions | |
| Cenote Eden (Ponderosa)South of Puerto Aventuras | — | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions | |
 |
Cenote El Zapote (Hells Bells)Quintana Roo | — | Sinkhole | Open to qualified divers, with conditions |
| Cenote Kin HaQuintana Roo | — | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions | |
| Cenote MaravillaQuintana Roo | — | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions | |
| Cenote Naharon (Cristal)Quintana Roo | — | Cave entrance | Open to qualified divers, with conditions | |
| Cenote Nicte HaQuintana Roo | — | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions | |
| Cenote OrquideaQuintana Roo | — | Sinkhole | Open to qualified divers, with conditions | |
| Cenote Siete BocasQuintana Roo | — | Cenote | Access status not verified | |
| Cenote Taak Bi HaQuintana Roo | — | Cenote | Open to qualified divers, with conditions |
9
Dive centres and guides
| Provider | Where | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| DIR-Mexico / Zero Gravity | Puerto Aventuras | 2026-10-14 |
| Mexidivers Dive Center | Tulum (beach hotel zone) | 2026-10-14 |
| Pro Dive International (Pro Dive Mexico) | Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras, Cancún and Cozumel (hotel-based centres) | 2026-10-14 |
| ProTec Dive Centers | Tulum | 2026-10-14 |
| Tank-Ha Dive Center | Playa del Carmen | 2026-10-14 |
| The Akumal Dive Shop | Akumal | 2026-10-14 |
| Under the Jungle | Xpu Ha (between Puerto Aventuras and Akumal) | 2026-10-14 |
| Underworld Tulum | Tulum | 2026-10-14 |
| Yucatek Divers | Playa del Carmen | 2026-10-14 |
A listing is not an endorsement.
Updates
| Published | Update | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-16 | INAH starts protection project for archaeological remains in Cenote YaakunINAH's underwater archaeology unit recorded human remains, believed to be a young woman, and three ceramic vessels between 42 and 53 m in Cenote... | Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) ↗ |
| 2026-03-30 | INAH moves human remains recovered in Sac Actun for laboratory studyMexico's national institute of anthropology and history (INAH) transferred a human skeleton, reported in 2022 and recovered in late 2025 from the... | Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) ↗ |
| 2026-03-02 | CINDAQ 2025 report: Ox Bel Ha resurvey nearly done; new Sistema Chumuk LuumCINDAQ's 2025 annual report says the seven-year resurvey of Ox Bel Ha is nearly complete, with more than 185 km of new passage found along the way... | Centro Investigador del Sistema Acuífero de Quintana Roo (CINDAQ) ↗ CINDAQ ↗ |
| 2025-11-25 | INAH archaeologist reviews prehistoric burials in Tulum's flooded cavesINAH reported a lecture by its Quintana Roo underwater archaeologist reviewing human remains found in flooded caves and cenotes around Tulum,... | Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) ↗ |
| 2025-10-06 | Mexico's environment secretary acknowledges Tren Maya damage to eight caves and cenotesAppearing before congressional environment committees, Semarnat head Alicia Bárcena acknowledged that Section 5 of the Tren Maya affected eight... | Expansión Política ↗ Riviera Maya News ↗ |
| 2025-04-21re-check due | CINDAQ: Ox Bel Ha confirmed at 524 km by end of 2024CINDAQ's 2024 annual report states that Ox Bel Ha's confirmed length reached 524 km by the end of 2024, after a resurvey begun in 2018 that... | Centro Investigador del Sistema Acuífero de Quintana Roo (CINDAQ) ↗ CINDAQ ↗ |
| 2025-01-28re-check due | QRSS January 2025 update: Ox Bel Ha, Sac Actun and K'oox Baal keep growingThe Quintana Roo Speleological Survey reported continued growth in Ox Bel Ha, Sac Actun and K'oox Baal, a near-connection between Xunaan Ha and... | Quintana Roo Speleological Survey ↗ Quintana Roo Speleological Survey ↗ |
| 2024-04-30re-check due | Profepa report cites cement spills in caves under Tren Maya Section 5 SouthPor Esto reported that an inspection report by Mexico's federal environmental attorney (Profepa), filed in a court case, found cement spills in... | Por Esto ↗ |
| 2024-04-29re-check due | Taam ja' Blue Hole in Chetumal Bay measured beyond 420 mA brief research report in Frontiers in Marine Science described instrument casts in December 2023 that reached about 416 m and 424 m below sea... | Frontiers in Marine Science ↗ |
| 2024-02-07re-check due | Reuters documents concrete and steel pilings inside caves on Tren Maya routeA Reuters report from Playa del Carmen described concrete-and-steel pilings for the Tren Maya railway installed inside fragile limestone caves,... | NBC News (Reuters) ↗ |
| 2024-02-03re-check due | Sistema Ni Ha connected to Ox Bel Ha; Cenote Ni Ha reported buried by railway worksThe Quintana Roo Speleological Survey reported that Sistema Ni Ha has been connected to Sistema Ox Bel Ha. In the same update it said Cenote Ni Ha... | Quintana Roo Speleological Survey ↗ |
Sources:
[1] Quintana Roo Speleological Survey ↗[2] Quintana Roo Speleological Survey ↗[3] Quintana Roo Speleological Survey ↗[4] CREER ↗[5] CREER Line and Safety Committee ↗[6] CREER Line and Safety Committee ↗[7] Secretaría de Turismo, Mexico ↗[8] CREER ↗[9] Under the Jungle ↗[10] Pro Dive International ↗[11] CREER Line and Safety Committee ↗
· checked None
Every fact on this page, with its source (10)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The QRSS archive held data and reports for 1,736.7 km of underwater cave passage in more than 412 underwater caves and cave systems.QRSS home page last updated 2025-01-29. | Verified | [1] |
| Sistema Ox Bel Ha and Sistema Sac Actun are ranked first and second on the QRSS list of long underwater caves in Quintana Roo.List updated 2025-01-19. | Verified | [2] |
| The caves are anchialine, with a fresh water layer flowing over salt water; the mixing zone at the density boundary is the halocline, which deepens with distance from the coast.QRSS geology page dates from 2001; CREER guidance from 2025 restates the halocline description. | Verified | [3] [5] |
| CREER (Comité Regional de Espeleobuceo, Ecología y Regulación) was formed in 2016 by cave instructors and works on cenote diving rules, line maintenance, guide registration and rescue coordination in Quintana Roo. | Verified | [4] |
| CREER states that its committee members are unpaid volunteers and that it is not a government body.CREER update dated 2025-01-31. | Verified | [6] |
| According to CREER, single-tank cavern diving is allowed only at designated cavern sites under a qualified local guide, and visiting divers or instructors may not guide unqualified divers on cavern tours.CREER guidance dated 2025-06-20. | Verified | [5] |
| CREER's visiting cave diver registration asks for a photo of the diver's highest cave diving certification and is described as not mandatory, though it is said to ease access to cenotes and gas fills.Page undated; viewed 2026-10-14. In April 2024 CREER said the name 'Cave Pass' would change because it wrongly implied a right of access. | Verified | [8] |
| In January 2026 CREER said cenote guides still needed multiple letters to access cenotes and that only Aktun Ha (Carwash), Chikin Ha and Kin Ha accepted the CREER guide certificate for annual guide registration. | Verified | [11] |
| NOM-012-TUR-2016 requires dive tourism providers to hold current registration in the National Tourism Register and to use dive guides accredited by the Secretaría de Turismo.Published in the Diario Oficial on 2016-09-02. The standard covers dive tourism generally and does not set cave-specific rules. | Verified | [7] |
| Dive operators describe cenote water as roughly 24-26 °C.Under the Jungle gives 25-26 °C; Pro Dive International gives about 24 °C. Typical values, not current conditions. | Sources conflict | [9] [10] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction