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Cave Diving in the Riviera Maya

                       "The World's Best Cave Diving Location"

 The world's best cave diving is in the Riviera Maya of Mexico's Yucatan Caribbean coast from Puerto Morelos traveling south beyond the village of Tulum.  Within this 100 kilometer distance includes over 180+ explored, surveyed cave systems.  With consistent, year-round crystal clear water, relative shallow depths, warm 77 degree Fahrenheit/26 degree celcius temperatures and usually an outstanding array of decorations and speleothems, what better conditions can you ask for?  You cannot find a more exceptional concentration of underwater cave systems within such a close proximity providing the cave diver with the best environment to safely dive and enjoy.

The ingredients are simple:
.   Very soft, porous sedimentary limestone.
.   Flat topography close to the sea level.
.   An abundance of shallow water drainage.
.   An incredible geological history.
.   Close proximity of numerous different cave systems.
.   Consistent filtered crystal clear water not affected by weather conditions.
.   An overall easy/moderate accessibility.

Cave diving along the Yucatan coast was discovered during the mid 1980's.  I was fortunate enough to be part of the first explorers of the cenotes (meaning "natural well").  My first visit was in 1982 for open water reef diving at Playa Del Carmen and my first cave diving was in May 1986 as I was part of a cave diving team (Parker Turner & Mike Madden) shooting the very first 8mm underwater cave video called "The Room of Tears".  The exploration of the cenotes exploded as more cave systems were found, surveyed and mapped.  It is now estimated that over 2,000,000 feet/  655,738 meters or  379 miles/ 656 kilometers have been explored and surveyed involving hundreds of various cenotes amongst 140 plus cave systems.

The total number of these liquid blue windows to a very shallow aquifer below is unknown and cannot be determined as a low canopy of dense tropical jungle hides these stairwells to the most awesome wonderland.  So good.most cave divers say this cave diving cannot be beat.  With very few roads or trails established, accessibility is limited and sometimes very difficult.  This insures an endless future of finding more cenotes and new cave systems to explore.  A cave diver's fantasy!

You do not need a degree in geology to understand the formation of these natural wonders.  Moving water forms caves.  Rainwater drains from the jungle interior and logically meanders slowly towards to the Caribbean Sea.  The Yucatan peninsula, being very flat, represents an ancient sea atoll containing millions of years of the ocean's sediments which, through time, have formed a multi-layered block of geological history involving coral reefs, sea life remains and the particles of sand and organic debris.

This fusion clearly shows a historical evolution of the planet's earth's life.  Much of it is surprisingly similar to what you see today!  Limestone creates the perfect recipe for the formation of these solution caves.  No other known place on earth can duplicate the perfect formula for such a high concentration of underwater caves within a very flat area with very little soil and an abundant supply of water.  It is the best Swiss cheese a cave diver could ask for.

What makes these underwater caves so "special" is the eternal quantity of spectacular decorations.  Nature's powerful talent is forming a panoramic garden of unforgettable beauty.  An endless variety of formations including the complete cave's spectrum of names such as stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, bacon strips, rim pools, halagtites, columns, etc.  Fairly recently, in geological time, these caves were given the opportunity to become dry allowing nature's creative talent go do its work.

The genius of nature's artistic brush reshaping the calcium carbonate of the soft limestone is amazing.  Inside the caves are delicate, intricate designs that bring forth feelings of intense wonder and awe.  With the disappearance of the last Ice Age and the return of the sea level we are familiar with today, the cave become flooded again. The water preserves and cleanses these precious galleries as if kept in a vault for safe keeping.

The three longest underwater cave systems in the world are in the Riviera Maya area.  In fact, nine of the top ten longest cave systems are within this extraordinary region.  They are:

1. Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Tulum, Mexico                                                 172320 meters/565,355 feet
2. Sistema Sac Aktun, Tulum, Mexico                                                 156287 meters/512,753 feet
3. Sistema Dos Ojos, Ejido Jacinto Pat, Mexico                                      61712 meters/202,467 feet
4. Leon Sinks Cave System, Leon & Wakulla Counties, Florida                51082 meters/168570  feet
5. Sistema Caracol, Ejido Jacinto Pat, Mexico                                        25763 meters/85,017   feet              
6. Sistema Naranjal, Tulum, Mexico                                                     24324 meters/79,804   feet
7. Sistema Aktun Hu, Ejido Jacinto Pat, Mexico                                     23929 meters/78,508   feet
8. Sistema Toh Ha, Tulum, Mexico                                                       23908 meters/78,438   feet
9. Sistema Koox Baal, Chemuyil, Mexico                                              20087 meters/65,902   feet
10. Sistema PonDerosa, Xpu Ha, Mexico                                                15019 meters/49,274   feet

(as of December, 2008)

Many people continually ask me the question what is my favorite underwater cave to dive.  To be fair, I do not have a favorite.  Each cave system has its own personality and qualities.  There is a story to each one.  In fact, I have not had the opportunity to dive every cave system and every explored cave passage.  It is literally impossible to do.  You could dive every day for the next 10 years (3,650 days) not be able to explore all of the known underwater cave passages.

Cave diving in the Riviera Maya is the best.   The consistent, clear water, the shallow depths, the warm water and the incredible beautiful decorations makes it safe and desirable.  However, anyone interested in safely scuba diving the cave systems of the Riviera Maya must be cave trained and certified along with being very competent with their diving skills.  The time and effort is challenging but the reward is a guaranteed self satisfaction of enjoyment and marvel.

Steve Gerrard lives in the Puerto Aventuras marina resort.  He has been safely teaching cave diving for twenty five years.  His favorite activity is underwater cave photography using the NIKON 100 digital camera with a Light & Motion Titan Housing using Ikelite strobes.  He is the author of the famous guidebook titled - THE CENOTES OF THE RIVIERIA MAYA and soon to be published  CENOTE DIVING - SAFE & FUN.   You can contact Steve at:

stevegerrard@cavediver.com  or  www.steve-gerrard.com