Moments after we jumped into the Caribbean, Sergio pointed out a large ray that drifted by to our left. My spouse, daughter and I did two dives toward the southern end of the island while Anders snorkeled. The next day, we took the ferry to Cozumel and met Sergio Sandoval, who runs Aquatic Sports (). Back under the water, we swam slowly toward the east entrance through some smaller passages, stopping to see what looked like a marble sculpture of a woman holding a baby.Īfter lunch of tacos and shrimp at a roadside stand, we strolled through Mayan ruins at Tulum - a former religious and trading center that’s a major archaeological treasure because of its temples and cliff location overlooking the Caribbean. On this outing, we followed another line that led us through smaller, darker passages (we had lights) to the “bat cave” where we rose to the surface in a domelike cavern and emerged into fresh air.Ī hole in the roof let in light, as well as bats that flitted about our heads. On the second dive, there were more exquisite formations, some of which had broken off from the ceiling. On the return, we swam along a wall with countless stalactites and stalagmites before entering a circular tunnel that led back into the sparkling light of the main cavern. (This route got its name when a jokester placed a Barbie doll in the jaws of a toy gator in a far cavern). A sign - with a skull, crossbones and stern warning in English and Spanish - told us not to venture into side passages.īut there was plenty to see as we floated along the so-called “Barbie line,” which ran hundreds of meters from the east cenote to its western counterpart. Our trail took us along a thin and brightly colored guide rope. Because it is filtered through limestone, most of the impurities were gone. As we descended, I was stunned by the clarity of the water. Geared up, my scuba group entered the freshwater pool, formed when the roof of a limestone cavern collapsed eons ago. So while Carlos, Francisco, his two friends and I went over our plans, my brood - including 11-year-old son, Anders - snorkeled in the east cenote. But Maddie has less than a dozen dives under her belt, so her mother decided they’d wait a day and dive in the Caribbean. My wife, Kathleen, and 13-year-old daughter, Maddie, are both certified divers. First explored in 1987, it’s part of a 50-mile underwater cave system and one of hundreds of cenotes on the peninsula. After a briefing from guide Carlos Estrabeau, we headed south toward Tulum and turned east down a dirt road leading to Dos Ojos. My most-recent cenote adventure began after meeting Francisco and his amigos at the Phantom Divers, shop in Playa del Carmen. I first dove in a cenote here 20 years ago and was excited to return, this time as part of a family scuba trip to the Yucatán Peninsula. While not for everyone, I’d recommend these guided trips for gutsy and experienced divers who don’t think they’d be intimidated by swimming through chambers with overhead enclosures. Mexican businessman Francisco Moreno told me “diving in cenotes is an amazing netherworld journey into the entrails of Mother Earth,” after an outing with him and two of his friends in the Dos Ojos (Two Eyes) cenotes. Only open water certification is required. And you don’t need to descend far, for many of the dives are in waters less than 40 feet deep. Many of these cenotes (limestone sinkholes) are connected to huge caverns filled with spectacular stalagmites, iciclelike stalactites, flowstones and other speleothems created tens of thousands of years ago during the last ice age when the seas were significantly lower and the caves well above water.īetter yet, some of these cenotes (sacred wells in the Mayan language) are connected by slow-moving, underground rivers, so you can swim from one cenote to another via subterranean passages. They reminded me of the Northern Lights and were just the beginning of the visual treats. We plopped into the Chac Mool cenote and slipped below the surface into a spectacular light show, a curtain of wavering, laserlike sunbeams that sliced through the crystal clear water.
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