Underwater caves, sourced and mapped
71 cave systems119 entrances and sites28 countries
Cavern diving stays within sight of daylight near an entrance. Cave diving goes beyond it, where there is no direct way to the surface, and needs specialist training. Every system here carries its survey figures, its access rules and the sources behind them.
Destinations & Dive SitesCave Systems & MapsTraining & QualificationsDive Centers & GuidesEquipment & TechnologySafety & Incident ResearchScience, History & ConservationResources & Updates
Satellite: NASA Blue Marble
71 cave systems and 119 entrances on one map. Hollow dots are approximate: restricted and private places are never pinned exactly. Every site, with filters →
20 cave systems
North America
Sistema Ox Bel Ha
Mexico · Quintana Roo
Sistema Sac Actun
Mexico · Quintana Roo
Sistema K'oox Baal
Mexico · Quintana Roo
Wakulla-Leon Sinks cave system
United States · Florida
Sistema Xunaan Ha
Mexico · Quintana Roo
Sistema Toh Ha
Mexico · Quintana Roo
Sistema Dos Pisos
Mexico · Quintana Roo
Cueva Quebrada
Mexico · Quintana Roo
Peacock Springs cave system
United States · Florida
Sistema Taj Mahal
Mexico · Quintana Roo
Sistema Chac-Mol
Mexico · Quintana Roo
Manatee Springs cave system
United States · Florida
Madison Blue Spring cave system
United States · Florida
Sistema Carwash
Mexico · Quintana Roo
Jacob's Well cave
United States · Texas
Cow Springs cave
United States · Florida
Devil's Spring System (Ginnie Springs)
United States · Florida
Eagle's Nest Sink cave
United States · Florida
Jackson Blue Spring cave
United States · Florida
Little River Springs cave
United States · Florida
8 cave systems
Central America & Caribbean
Dan's Cave System
The Bahamas · Abaco
Lucayan Caverns
The Bahamas · Grand Bahama
Dean's Blue Hole
The Bahamas · Long Island
Great Blue Hole
Belize · Lighthouse Reef Atoll
Manantial de la Aleta
Dominican Republic · La Altagracia
Padre Nuestro Complex
Dominican Republic · La Altagracia
Sawmill Sink
The Bahamas · Abaco
Stargate Blue Hole
The Bahamas · South Andros
5 cave systems
South America
Abismo Anhumas
Brazil · Mato Grosso do Sul
Gruta do Lago Azul
Brazil · Mato Grosso do Sul
Gruta do Mimoso
Brazil · Mato Grosso do Sul
Lagoa Misteriosa
Brazil · Mato Grosso do Sul
Poço Azul
Brazil · Bahia
23 cave systems
Europe
Blauhöhle system (Blautopf)
Germany · Baden-Württemberg
Grotte del Bue Marino
Italy · Sardinia (Nuoro)
Sistema Gleda–Camp des Pou
Spain · Mallorca (Balearic Islands)
Pozo Azul
Spain · Burgos (Castilla y León)
Maaras resurgence (Aggitis Cave)
Greece · Drama (Eastern Macedonia and Thrace)
Tuna-Hästberg Mine (Äventyrsgruvan)
Sweden · Dalarna
Molnár János Cave
Hungary · Budapest
Émergence du Ressel
France · Lot (Occitanie)
Wookey Hole
United Kingdom · Somerset
Pluragrotta–Steinugleflåget system
Norway · Nordland
Divje jezero
Slovenia · Idrija
Font del Truffe
France · Lot (Occitanie)
Fontaine de Vaucluse
France · Vaucluse (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)
Gouls de Tourne
France · Ardèche (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)
Hranice Abyss
Czechia · Olomouc Region
Kingsdale system (Keld Head)
United Kingdom · Yorkshire Dales
Långban Mine
Sweden · Värmland
Ojamo Mine
Finland · Uusimaa
Olhos de Água do Alviela
Portugal · Central Portugal (Planalto de Santo António)
Pozzo del Merro
Italy · Lazio
Réseau de l'Ouysse (Cabouy – Pou Meyssen)
France · Lot (Occitanie)
Source de Saint-Sauveur
France · Lot (Occitanie)
Tapolca cave system
Hungary
8 cave systems
Africa
Blue Hole (Dahab)
Egypt · South Sinai
Boesmansgat
South Africa · Northern Cape
Chinhoyi Caves
Zimbabwe · Mashonaland West
Dragon's Breath Cave
Namibia · Otjozondjupa
Harasib Cave
Namibia · Otjozondjupa
Komati Springs
South Africa · Mpumalanga
Lake Guinas
Namibia · Oshikoto
Lake Otjikoto
Namibia · Oshikoto
2 cave systems
Asia
Pawod Underwater Cave System
Philippines · Cebu (Central Visayas)
Hinatuan Enchanted River Underwater Cave System
Philippines · Surigao del Sur (Caraga)
5 cave systems
Oceania
Green Waterhole - Tank Cave system
Australia · South Australia
Cocklebiddy Cave
Australia · Western Australia
Engelbrecht Cave
Australia · South Australia
Pearse Resurgence
New Zealand · Tasman
Piccaninnie Ponds Karst Wetlands
Australia · South Australia
27 guides
Reference guides
A short history of underwater cave exploration: dated milestones
Dated, sourced milestones in underwater cave exploration: Florida's pioneers and Sheck Exley, the 1987 and 1998...
Archaeology and palaeontology in underwater caves
Why flooded caves preserve Ice Age evidence, and what has been found: Naia and the extinct fauna of Hoyo Negro,...
What accident analyses have found
From Sheck Exley's 1979 Blueprint for Survival to DAN's three-decade fatality review and today's NSS-CDS case...
Cave diver training stages and terminology
Most agencies move divers from cavern to an introductory or limited cave level and then to full cave, before...
Conservation, landowners and responsible access
How access to underwater caves depends on landowners and managers, with documented examples: Wakulla and Peacock...
Equipment Configurations for Cave Diving: Backmount, Sidemount and Streamlining
Why cave divers care so much about how their equipment is arranged: redundancy, access to gas, team compatibility,...
Latest updates
| Published | Update | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-04 | WKPP and SUNFISH robot map about 7.5 km of the Wakulla cave systemThe Woodville Karst Plain Project reported that, between mid-May and mid-June 2026, its divers supported the SUNFISH autonomous underwater vehicle... | Exploration | Woodville Karst Plain Project ↗ |
| 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... | Conservation | Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) ↗ |
| 2026-05-16 | Maldives suspends safari vessel licence after five divers die in Vaavu Atoll caveAP reported that five Italian divers died while apparently exploring a cave at about 50 m in Vaavu Atoll, well beyond the Maldives' 30 m... | Permit | ABC7 (Associated Press) ↗ |
| 2026-03-31 | Exploration teams publish experience with dual-rebreather setupsDiving and Hyperbaric Medicine published an account by members of the Wetmules and COBRA Divers teams of how each independently adopted a second... | Research | Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine ↗ |
| 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... | Research | Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) ↗ |
A first research pass, not a complete census. What is covered, and the known gaps · Search the whole section