Cenote El Zapote (Hells Bells)
Level 4 - Expert: CREER cenote level (guided cavern diving) [1] [2] (CREER describes Level 4 as beyond Level 3, dark and for experienced divers only; maximum 3 divers per guide.). These categories are the named scheme's own; they describe the training a site calls for.
A deep, stratified sinkhole about 52 m deep, known for bell-shaped calcite formations ('Hells Bells') hanging in and above a turbid layer; CREER rates it Level 4 (Expert).
Cenote El Zapote is a deep sinkhole whose walls carry large bell-shaped calcite formations, nicknamed Hells Bells, that partly extend into a white, cloudy layer in the water. A 2022 study in Geobiology links that turbid layer to a pelagic redoxcline, a boundary where oxygen-poor, sulphide-rich water meets the water above, and argues that microbes there promote calcite precipitation that may help the bells grow.
QRSS lists 'Cenote Zapote (Cenote Hells Bells)' among the deep underwater caves of Quintana Roo at 51.8 m, with 301 m of surveyed length. CREER rates it Level 4 (Expert), its most demanding regular category for guided cavern tours, limited to experienced divers at no more than three per guide. Under the Jungle describes the sinkhole sites on the Ruta de los Cenotes outside Puerto Morelos as advanced.
The Hells Bells are fragile and scientifically important; divers are expected to keep clear of them.
The environment
Deep, dark sinkhole with stratified water, a turbid redoxcline layer and hanging calcite bells.
Conditions
Stratified water with a cloudy turbid layer at depth; light is limited. Typical conditions only.
Typical ranges from published sources, not current conditions.
Every fact on this page, with its source (6)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| QRSS lists Cenote Zapote (Cenote Hells Bells) at a depth of 51.8 m and a surveyed length of 301 m (Bertoni/Harris, 11/2013).Survey figure from 2013. | May be out of date | [3] |
| Large bell-shaped calcite formations called Hells Bells were found underwater in the stratified cenote El Zapote, together with a white turbid layer that overlaps the pelagic redoxcline; the study proposes microbially induced calcite precipitation as a contributor to their growth.Abstract read via the PubMed record (doi:10.1111/gbi.12492). | Verified | [4] |
| CREER rates Zapote as Level 4 (Expert), with cavern diving listed as open.Identification of CREER's 'Zapote' with the Hells Bells cenote is based on the shared name; QRSS also lists a separate Sistema Zapote-Camilo. | Verified | [1] [2] |
| CREER Level 4 requires the Level 3 requirements plus a previous Level 3 cenote dive and advanced open-water certification, with at most 3 divers per guide. | Verified | [2] |
| Under the Jungle describes the sinkholes of the Ruta de los Cenotes just outside Puerto Morelos as advanced sites that are sinkholes rather than caverns.The sources used do not state El Zapote's exact location, so no area is given. | Reported | [6] |
| Under the Jungle adds a 50 USD surcharge for Zapote and groups it with sites requiring previous cavern experience and advanced open-water certification.January 2026 price list. | Reported | [5] |
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