Cavern Diving from Playa del Carmen

Cavern diving lets you explore overhead areas of cenotes while remaining within established limits, with the exit and natural light available. With an Open Water Diver certification, recent experience and good buoyancy control, you can access many recreational routes.

In our area we have over twenty recreational-level cenotes where you can dive without needing a technical certification. Each cavern dazzles with its own character, and believe us when we say every cenote is different.

There's the option to do double or triple dives in a single day combining nearby cenotes. Ask us and we'll help you choose the cenotes that best fit your experience and expectations.

The most outstanding cenotes near Playa del Carmen

Less than 45 minutes from Playa del Carmen lies the world's largest network of underwater caves. Every cenote is a completely different world — no two are alike. These are the ones we dive with at Scuba Alux:

Dos Ojos

One of the most famous cenotes in the Riviera Maya, alongside Angelita and El Pit. Its name comes from its two circular entrances connected underground. With more than 80 km of explored passages, it offers two ideal routes for recreational divers: the Barbie system and the Bat Cave system. Maximum depth is 9 metres and visibility can exceed 50 metres. Minimum level: Open Water Diver.

El Pit

At more than 120 metres deep, it is one of the deepest cenotes in the world. Recreational diving is currently limited to 21 metres to protect the hydrogen sulfide cloud — a necessary conservation measure following the deterioration it suffered last year. At that depth, you can already appreciate the cenote's unique atmosphere: a sight unlike anywhere else on the planet. Minimum level: Advanced Open Water Diver.

Angelita

One of the most famous cenotes in the world. At a depth of 30 metres, a dense hydrogen sulfide cloud creates the illusion of an underground river, with submerged trees emerging from the mist. The contrast between the crystal-clear freshwater above and the dense darkness below is one of the most surreal sights in diving. Minimum level: Advanced Open Water Diver.

Casa Cenote

The only cenote connected directly to the Caribbean Sea. In a single dive, you can see mangroves, tropical saltwater fish, stalactites and limestone formations. It is also one of the few places in the world where manatees are regularly spotted. Minimum level: Open Water Diver.

Dream Gate

A favourite among local guides for its extraordinary wealth of geological formations — stalactites, stalagmites and calcite columns — and its low number of visitors. With an average depth of only 7 metres, it is a transition between cavern and cave: beyond the entrance, natural light becomes scarce and the formations take centre stage. An intimate, richly decorated experience. Minimum level: Open Water Diver.

Chac Mool

Three cenotes in one: Chac Mool, Kukulkán and Little Brother. It allows two completely different dives at the same site. The first dive has natural light for almost the entire route; the second has beams of light entering at several points. Visibility exceeds 50 metres, comparable to Dos Ojos. Minimum level: Open Water Diver.

Cenotes with cavern circuits

Below are the most common combinations, but at Scuba Alux anything is possible: just ask. Many of these combinations work well as triple-tank days.

Chac Mool and Dos Ojos both allow double-tank dives at the same cenote, as each has two independent cavern circuits. All other cenotes can be combined with one another.