As we descended into the deep, dark cenote we wondered what magical, underwater world we would find. What we saw was beyond anything we could have imagined. From swimming through a misty layer to exploring the narrow, cave-like channels, scuba diving in the cenotes of Tulum was some of the most unique diving we’ve ever done. It will remain in our memories for years to come.
Cenotes have been revered by the Maya people for centuries. Not only were they a source of life-sustaining fresh water in the middle of the jungle, but the Maya believed that cenotes led to the underworld. Our dive master said that this combination of life and death was part of what led the Mayans to believe that death is not bad and scary. Instead, they believe that death is just be another phase of life.
There are at least 60,000 deep-water wells or cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula. Some are connected by long, complicated network of underground rivers and caves. Sixty-five million years ago the peninsula was under the ocean and covered by a coral reef. When the peninsula rose out of the water, the reef transformed into karst. The thin layer of soil that accumulated on top of this karst does not absorb rainwater. Instead, the water drips through it, into the huge underground network of rivers and caves which then become flooded. As the jungle grew it became heavier. As a result, some of the caves’ ceilings collapsed, exposing the flooded caves that we call cenotes.
Many of the cenotes have the usual cave features and diving in one of is like being in a dream. Imagine you are exploring a cave. Your journey takes you deeper into the cave where its ceilings and floors have stalactites and stalagmites. Some are old and have formed columns. Others are just small, pointed projections coming from the ceiling. Now, imagine that you are doing all of this under water. That is cenote diving.
You can snorkel in some of the cenotes, but a much better way to see them is by scuba diving. We did two cenote dives and they were so different from each other, it’s difficult to say which dive we liked more.
El Pit
First up was El Pit. As its name would suggest, it is a very deep pit (119m / 390ft deep). During the first few meters of the dive, the water was crystal clear. After a couple of minutes, we went through a 4 meter thick halocline layer. This is where the fresh water on top mixes with the salt water below. Although it doesn’t feel much different, what we saw was very unusual. It looked as though we were swimming in Jello. Particles float in the mixed water, and it’s difficult to see clearly. At first we thought we wanted to rub our eyes to clear our vision because everything was blurry. Luckily our dive master had explained earlier how it would look, so we didn’t panic.
We don’t have a picture of this layer because it would just look like a blurred image. In the video below though, you can see the transition from the halocline layer to clear water.
As we continued our descent, we reached a cloud of hydrogen sulfide at 39 meters (128 ft). This was one of the most bizarre things we have ever seen. It was as if we were swimming in a thick mist. At times it looked as dense as cotton candy and yet, we swam through it. In the middle of the layer a few spindly, twisted roots added to the spooky feel of this misty world.
Because it is a deep pit, there is not a lot of light in the cenote so we carried flash lights.
Many cenotes are contained spaces like a well. This is the case in El Pit. We could see the bubbles from other divers below us concentrated in the centre of the cenote. It was actually quite pretty to see towers of bubbles rising up to the cenote opening.
Diving in El Pit was one of the most unique dives we had ever had. That is, until we dove in the next cenote.
Dos Ojos
The second dive we did is called Barbie Line in the Dos Ojos cenote. In this dive we entered the water in a large pool covered by an overhang. The dive isn’t very deep, but it follows one of the narrow underground rivers that extends out from the cenote. People were snorkeling on the top, but it is much more interesting to swim in the waterways below.
In this narrow channel there are tight swim-throughs, stalactites, stalagmites and columns. In one area the limestone ceiling had small pockets of trapped air underneath that looked like liquid mercury. You can see this in the video below.
Many of the features you would see in a cave we saw here except, we swam around them. It was exhilarating!
Here’s a short video of the two dives we did in Tulum. It begins in the halocline layer and you many think the camera is out of focus, until we move above the layer. This is exactly how it felt to dive through this layer. After that, you can get a sense of what it was like to swim through the bizarre misty layer. The second dive, Barbie Line, takes you through the cave like world of the underwater passages.
In Tulum we dove with Flying Fish Tulum Dive Shop. We were very impressed with their dive master, equipment and selection of dives. We highly recommend them if you’re going diving in Tulum. You can find them here. (Note we do not receive compensation for this recommendation.) Park fees may or may not be included in the dive shop’s fee, so if you’re shopping around make sure to ask.
You can also read about our dive to The Great Blue Hole, a large cenote in Belize. We also had amazing dives in Cozumel, Mexico. You can read about those dives here.
Tulum Archeological Site
A completely different experience in Tulum is to visit the archeological site. Tulum was one of the last Maya cities to be built, achieving its highest status between the 13th and 16th centuries. While most Maya sites were deep in the jungles, Tulum was built on cliffs above the Caribbean Sea. Palm trees and an ocean view make Tulum the prettiest Maya city.
El Castillo
The most prominent building is El Castillo. It has a spectacular location, high above the Caribbean. Tulum was built on this spot as a port city to control trade between Tulum and cities in Central America. Their main good to trade was obsidian.
The view of El Castillo in its cliff side location is stunning. Looking the other way, we could see how it was also a strategic spot.
This coastal location is unique and Tulum is the only Mayan city of its kind. This successful trading location though made it susceptible to pirates and invaders. Not only did the cliffs protect the city, but so did the reef. The Mesoamerican Reef in front of the city was like a maze that boats couldn’t get through. The Mayans used El Castillo as a landmark to navigate their way through the reef.
On the other side of the city, a wall was built for protection. This is another unique aspect to Tulum. It is the only Mayan city to have a fortified wall.
Temple of the Descending God
On the side of the Castillo is Temple of the Descending God. He is the main Maya deity in Tulum. He is the god of rain, lightning and agriculture including corn and bees. There are masks of the god on the temple’s walls, but we weren’t allowed to get close enough to see them.
Temple of Frescoes
In front of El Castillo is Temple of Frescoes. At one time this temple would have been covered in colourful carvings. There isn’t much colour left in the masks anymore but you can still see some of the stucco reliefs including one of the Descending God. It’s called Descending God, because he is usually depicted upside down. In the first picture below you can see his feet at the top of the carving.
Wind Temple
Another interesting building is the Wind Temple. Apparently when a hurricane was coming, the wind would whistle as it raced through the temple’s window, alerting the city.
If you come in the spring you may be able to see hatching of marine turtles beside the temple.
You can also find a couple of houses and a palace called the House of the Halach Uinic. This was the name of the high priest and in English Halach Uinic means Real Man; not eunuch as we had first assumed.
Tulum’s end is similar to many Latin American towns. Seventy five years after the Spanish invaded, most of the population had died from diseases brought by the Europeans.
In order to visit the archeological site you must purchase tickets for both the site as well as the national park.
National Park Beaches
Below the archeological site is a long stretch of sandy beaches that are within the national park. You can visit them without visiting the archeological site.
The nearest beach named Playa Ruinas, was closed when we were there, but we were able to visit a couple of beaches a little further down. From Santa Rosa Beach we had a great view of El Castillo high above on the cliffs. Not far away is a 1940s lighthouse that is being restored. This long stretch of sand is very tranquil with the constant swooshing of the waves on the shore. There are a few restaurants with sunbeds but there is a lot of open space to just relax on your own. As you can see in the pictures, there is a lot of sargassum (algae).
We didn’t visit the more touristy beaches in hotel zone.
Tulum
The city of Tulum is remarkably low key. For the number of tourists that travel here, parts of its downtown still have the feel of a Mexican city. There are quite a few restaurants, bars and tourists stores but nothing seemed over done. In fact, some of them are a little bit quirky.
As we said above, Mayas have a different idea of death than we do. They view it as another stage of life rather than the end. Therefore, skeletons are common in their folk art and not just for the well-known Day of the Dead festivities. We saw many different skeletons in the Yucatan, but Tulum seemed to have the most.
Cenote Aldea Zama
A few blocks from downtown is a very non-touristy cenote that you can swim in for free. A number of locals were enjoying a refreshing dip when we visited.
To reach it we walked through a poor neighborhood with tin roofed wooden shacks. It butts right up against brand new, expensive apartments. Likely many local homes were torn down for the sake of progress. It was heartbreaking to see.
How to get to Tulum
Most people will fly onto Cancún, but Tulum Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport (TQO) is now open. If you’re already in the Yucatan, ADO Buses run up and down the Mayan Riviera connecting all of the popular spots. They are in good condition, have wifi and often show a movie in Spanish. The new Tren Maya (train) is another way to reach the city.
Most of the cenotes are quite far out of town and you need a car or taxi to reach them. There are colectivos, but they will leave you on the highway and then you’ll have to walk a few kilometers to the cenote. If you’re diving, transportation will be included in the dive fees.
How to get around Tulum
The easiest and most common way to get around the city and to the ruins is by bicycle. There are many bike rental shops in town and many places to park and lock your bike. Our hotel had free bicycles for their guests.
Where to stay in Tulum
Downtown is where the action is. There are tons of hotels at all price points in downtown. This is also where all of the restaurants and bars are located. There is a Zonas Hoteleras along the beach too, but we didn’t visit it. The city is a couple of kilometers from the ocean.
We stayed in Casa Toloc. It is a small hotel, but it is new and the rooms are very comfortable. It is close to the main restaurant area. You can find it on Booking.com and we highly recommend it.
To read more of our adventures in Mexico, click here.
Coming Next – Day trips from Mérida – Uxmal & Izamal
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