 Many vacationers who travel to Mexico enjoy the summer sun, the white beaches and the historical treasures of Quintana Roo on the Yucatan Peninsula. It is home to such well known resorts as Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen. It's no real travel secret.
However, adventure travelers are making their way to the region to escape the sun and play underground! Yes -- underground.
The Yucatan Peninsula is home to the world's longest underground river and cave system and is attracting international attention from cave divers, spelunkers, adventure travelers and scientists from around the globe. Though the cenote and underground river system has been explored since the days of the early Mayans, it was not until March of 2007 that a pair of dedicated divers, after four years of intense exploration, were able to connect the Yucatán region's second and third longest cave systems, known respectively as Sac Actun and Nohoch Nah Chich. The efforts of British diver Stephen Bogaerts, who made the discovery with German colleague Robbie Schmittner, paid off when the pair discovered the connecting river passageway in January this year and announced their new discovery.
 Bogaerts describes it as "a heady experience akin to planting a flag on Mt. Everest," and adds there is still much yet to explore. However, the discovery already puts the length of the curvy and winding underground river at 95 miles. It is the curvy winding path of the river that makes it so beautiful and interesting. There are pathways that are the size of jumbo jets with long and breathtakingly beautiful stalagmites and stalactites.There are also pathways known as "squeezes" which do exactly that.
These wonderous underground waterways are carved out by the slightly acidic rainwater that falls abundantly on the peninsula during the wet season and and then flows underground and eventually to the Caribbean. Divers love the constant water temperature of 76 degrees Fahrenheit. The water itself has many interesting attributes like the layering of freshwater which rests on the top of the saltwater.
 Another interesting feature is over 98 percent of the water is actually trapped in the rock creating sinkholes, called cenotes, which cover the entire peninsula. It is through these magical cenotes (the mayan word for sacred waters) that divers and explorers enter the netherworld of ancient secrets and clear, pristine waters.
There are differences in cenote diving, cave diving and cavern diving. Each requires different skill levels and certifications, But there are several highly experienced dive centers throughout the region that can guide tourists through the process.
Perhaps the easiest diving options for tourists to enjoy is cenote diving which allows open water certified divers to enjoy the pristine underground environment. Cavern dives are much more difficult and require divers to be cave certified. A cavern dive is defined as an area where there is visible light every 200 ft. and there is only a maxium of four divers per group.
With the announcement of the joining of these two cavern systems there is a new era of adventure awaiting in the Yucatan....underground!
Resources for Underwater Cenote/Cave Diving
Cenote Dive Center is owned and operated by two friends who met on a Mexican road trip over 9 years ago. The primary owner has over 9 years of diving experience and owns three dive centers in Mexico. The company's partner is NACD cave certified, an MSTD Instructor, Norwegian Naval Diver and an IANTD Cavern Instructor. Located in Tulum it is the perfect starting point for your underground diving adventures.
Yucatech Expeditions is a premier technical diving center, that was formed in 1991 with the mission to provide the best and safe service for Cavern and Cave divers visiting the island of Cozumel. During the last 17 years of operation we have trained more than 400 Cave, Mix Gas and Advanced divers from all over the world. For many years we where the FIRST fully SPECIALIZED center to offer Cavern and Cave diving trips and training in Cozumel. We are proud to have guided more than 3000 divers in this unique overhead environment in Cozumel and the Rivera Maya, with a clean safety record.
ProTec Advanced Training Facility iis located in beautiful Playa del Carmen, Mexico. They are a full service diver and instructor training facility who are open year round to the public offering everything from gear rentals to retail, ccr supplies, gear repair, gas boosting just to name a few. ProTec was Mexico’s first full service Cave, Rebreather, and Technical Training Facility. They continue to lead the market using cutting edge tools and techniques while combining them with solid team training practices and concepts.
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