Sistema Carwash
QRSS list entry reported by Phillips/Spangberg/Olsson, 09/2016. QRSS long and deep lists.
A 3,232 m underwater cave on the QRSS list (2016) entered at Cenote Aktun Ha, better known as Carwash, used for guided cavern tours and as a designated cave training site.
Sistema Carwash takes its name from Cenote Aktun Ha, nicknamed Carwash. CINDAQ credits Jim Coke, founder of the Quintana Roo Speleological Survey, with early exploration of Carwash alongside Naranjal-Mayan Blue, Dos Ojos and Sac Actun. In 2014 QRSS combined the Carwash spring and siphon caves into a single Sistema Carwash, and its list now gives 3,232 m of passage, three cenotes and a maximum depth of about 26 m.
CREER rates Aktun Ha as a Level 1 (Starter) cenote for guided cavern tours, and its upstream and downstream lines, including the Room of Tears line, are among the few places where CREER permits cave instructors to run zero-visibility and lost-line drills. As of January 2026 Aktun Ha was one of three cenotes accepting the CREER guide certificate for annual guide registration.
Survey and exploration history
| 2014-04 | QRSS joined the Carwash spring and siphon caves as Sistema Carwash. [2] |
| 2016-09 | QRSS list entry updated to 3,232 m. [1] |
Entrances and dive sites
QRSS lists 3 cenotes; Cenote Aktun Ha (Carwash) is the operated dive entrance.
For orientation, not navigation. Hollow dots are approximate.
Every fact on this page, with its source (7)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| QRSS lists Sistema Carwash at 3,232 m with 3 cenotes, reported by Phillips/Spangberg/Olsson in 09/2016.Newest figure found is from 2016. | May be out of date | [1] |
| QRSS gives Sistema Carwash a maximum depth of 26.5 m. | Verified | [1] [7] |
| In April 2014 QRSS joined the Carwash spring and siphon caves as Sistema Carwash. | Verified | [2] |
| CINDAQ credits Jim Coke, who founded QRSS in 1990, with early exploration of Carwash, Naranjal-Mayan Blue, Dos Ojos and Sac Actun.From a dedication in CINDAQ's 2025 annual report. | Verified | [5] |
| CREER rates Aktun Ha (Carwash) as Level 1 (Starter) with cavern and cave diving both listed as open.Page undated; viewed 2026-10-14. | Verified | [3] |
| CREER's training-site rules list Carwash upstream lines, the Room of Tears line and the first 60 m of the main downstream line among approved zero-visibility training locations.Rules dated 2020-12-14. | Verified | [4] |
| In January 2026 Aktun Ha (Carwash) was one of three cenotes accepting the CREER certificate for annual guide registration. | Verified | [6] |
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