Advice for diving Gran Cenote in Mexico

The first two things to remember when planning a freshwater dive in a limestone cavern (or cenote as they are known in Mexico) are that the water will be colder and your buoyancy lower.

Water temperatures hover around 25C, which means most divers will be happy with a 3mm half-suit. More cold-blooded divers will want a full suit, gloves and bootees, and maybe even a hood or hooded vest if you can get one. Happily you will emerge to warm and humid air temperatures so at least you will warm up quickly.

When figuring out what weights you need, remember that an object that is neutrally buoyant in salt water will sink in fresh water. A good rule of thumb is to roughly halve the weights you would normally carry in sea water with similar kit.

You’ll need to modify your position in the water to a more horizontal aspect in the cavern system. That said, most of the time you will have plenty of room: it’s not a claustrophic experience.

Water is usually pretty clear and visibility is excellent, however you will mostly be diving in the near-dark. If you have a torch it’s good to bring it along, however most dive shops doing cenote trips will issue torches to divers.

Cenote diving won’t showcase much if any marine life, however the eerie Dos Ojos world of limestone caves, stalactites, stalagmites and collapsed sinkholes will make this one of your most memorable dives.

Dive depths are around the 10-12 metres mark at Dos Ojos. There are two main dives, the Barbie Cave (don’t ask) and the Bat Cave (you can guess).

The dive site is about an hour’s drive from the town of Tulum. There is literally nothing but a car park and a toilet block there, so bring lunch and plenty of water with you. It is a steep but steady walk down to the entry point so bring sturdy shoes or sandals, and be ready to carry all your gear up those steps again after your dive!

Above all, bring PLENTY of mosquito repellent. The place is full of huge mosquitos at all times of the day. If possible apply your repellent before you get out of your car: you have been warned!

Dive Site Map