Welcome to Tulum

Tulum has so many interesting things to offer besides the archeological sites, ruins, pyramids, lagoons, bio-reserves, bay and cenotes. Yes, there is something else in Tulum that is open to divers only – the underwater world of cenotes & reefs.

Scuba Diving in Tulum Cenotes

What do you think when you hear the word “Cenote”? (“sen-o-tay”). If you are traveling to the Yucatan Peninsula surely you are looking forward to seeing them – the cenotes. They are ancient sinkholes formed thousands of years ago. Cenotes have been explored recently just a few years ago. Certainly, cenotes are not just holes flooded by water. Before cenotes were completely formed, caves came first, stalagmites and stalactites were created when raindrops filtered through the limestone. After a long-long time, the caves got flooded and gave way to large cave systems, interconnected like tunnels and perfect for diving. Ancient Mayans thought they were the entrance to the underworld (Xibalba). Once cenotes were discovered, some years ago, a lot of divers came to the Riviera Maya from all around the world to explore these underwater “gruyere cheese-like” caves. Here you have a little list of the most famous cenotes where you can do guided cavern dives:

Prices for Cenote Adventures

Casa Cenote

In the middle of the jungle, just 15minutes from Tulum. This cenote is famous because it is connected to the ocean and it is an open water L shape river where the roots of its mangroves serve as a nursery, therefore is packed with life. It is one of the best spots for beginner divers to try scuba diving.

Dos Ojos

The name means “two eyes” in Spanish. It is part of the longest underwater cave system in the world – Sac Actun. It’s beautifully decorated with underwater stalagmites and stalactites formed thousands of years ago, where the lights play with the colors – it has 2 dive lines: the Barbie line & the Bat cave.

Angelita

“Surrealistic” is the word that best defines the diving experience in this cenote. The Jungle plays with the lights in the cenote, feeling like you were inside a Tim Burton movie with the branches and dead trees amidst an underwater river with a thick gas layer at 100ft(30m)- an unforgettable experience for advanced divers.

Carwash

Its real name is Aktun-Ha, called by the locals carwash due to Taxi drivers that used to wash their cars there. Fortunately, it’s no longer the case. This beautiful cenote shelters a big underwater garden, full of lilies, and a lot of formations inside the cavern.

The Pit

The monster one,  one of the deepest, where you can go down to 100ft(30m)m, pass through the sulfuric cloud formed by the decomposing jungle that falls into it. Here you can admire the sunlight going all the way down to the bottom, the markings of level water from the last ice age, some bones, and many more things, one of the must-do cenotes if you are an Advanced Open Water Diver.

There are plenty of cenotes to dive in, each can be completely different from the other. Others like Calavera, Tak be ha, Tak be lum, Dreamgate. Some are for beginner divers, others require good skills & buoyancy and require our guides’ approval before you can dive on them. We leave nothing but bubbles, trying our best to protect the environment and the fragile life in and around the cenotes.

If you are an enthusiastic diver and you want to explore these underwater cave systems without restrictions, you can take a full cave course with us. This is one of the unique extreme adventures in Tulum with Koox Adventures.

Scuba Diving in Tulum Reef & the Ocean

There is a beautiful underwater world outside the village of Tulum. There is never a bad time to dive in Tulum, the temperature in the Mexican Caribbean is almost perfect year-round, and just gets a little bit colder in winter which means we have around 300 perfect days to dive.

Tulum reef houses a lot of marine wildlife such as lobsters, crabs, groupers, angelfish, eels, stingrays, sergeant majors, and hundreds of other tropical fish species.

Occasionally, lucky divers may encounter Loggerhead Turtles, Green Turtles, Hawksbill Turtles, and eagle rays, manatee, sailfish, and even whale sharks further from shore. If you are also curious to see bull sharks, Playa del Carmen, just a few kilometers away, is the right spot in the winter season.

Let us take you through the different reefs in Tulum, get aboard, and enjoy the trip. We will carry all the stuff you will need to perform this amazing adventure.

Freediving in Tulum

There is no better place than Tulum cenotes to start or perfect your freediving: Constant water temperature all year, crystal clear visibility and light show every morning, and no current at all. Connect with the nature surrounding you and with yourself in swimming pool-like conditions and get to be the best version of yourself by Freediving with us, ko`ox!

Kaan Luum Lagoon
A huge lagoon that is mostly waist level with a beautiful green-turquoise watercolor that right at the center descends to more than 260ft(80m) excellent spot for training and enjoyment as you can go through different layers of colors and visibility on the way down./li>

Casa Cenote
This place is perfect for beginners as the maximum depth can reach around 20ft(8m) full of life and surrounded by mangroves you can see the light going through the jungle all the way to the bottom.

Angelita
A must-visit cenote if you are freediving around Tulum. This cenote features some debris around 100ft(30m) that is decomposing and creating a very thick layer of hydrogen sulfide gas cloud, giving a unique and spooky look.

The Pit
One of the most famous cenotes and for a good reason, if you time your visit right you will get the sunlight going down all the way to 120ft(40) creating a light show unique on earth that will let you see the enormous space that hides under a small entrance at the top.

Snorkeling in Cenotes

They are perfect for diving, but how about snorkeling in Tulum cenotes? The crystal clear cenote waters are also great for a refreshing swim. Here are the best cenotes for snorkeling near Tulum:

Casa Cenote emerald green waters connected to the ocean creates a unique ecosystem in the world.

Dos Ojos & Dos Ojos park –  great fun exploring the flooded caves and the chamber full of bats of Dos Ojos

Gran Cenote is a perfect place for snorkeling, with clear waters home to turtles and plenty of fish

Carwash lets us have a beautiful swim in a big underwater garden.

Watersports in Tulum

Tulum has the most beautiful beaches in the world for sure. Mayan temples, ruins, a walled city, a paradise just 2 hours down Cancun.
There are plenty of activities to do in the Mayan Riviera, specifically in Tulum, diving, snorkeling in the ocean and cenotes are the most popular activities but Tulum is perfect to do more activities, conditions in Tulum beach offer an incredible scenario for watersports, too

Try Kitesurfing

Prices include:

• All equipment
• Transportation from our dive shop in Tulum
• Drink and snack
• Official certificate.

Chops inside the reef, situated at about 600-800 meters from the shore. Waves break on the reef in the right conditions, but in most places, it’s too shallow. The air temperature is often 20 – 28° C and the spots are perfect to learn to deal with the waves because there are no big rocks, a place where you can try some tricks and jumps once you have mastered the basics.
If you are ready for this trip, let us know and we will get our kites ready for your adventure!

Paddleboard

Slide across the crystalline waters of Casa cenote where you can see the amazing view of the marine wildlife from above the water. Enjoy a comfortable trip crossing the cenote, surrounded by mangroves and life. This cenote is really special because it is connected directly to the ocean, here you can see some ocean marine life in the cenote like Stingrays, manatees, and a lot of fish species. Casa cenote is just 15 minutes from Tulum, you need to enter the jungle to find this amazing place and it is famous because it is a training place for scuba divers from beginners to professionals.

Visit Ancient Mayan Ruins and Natural Wonders

Are you ready to climb an ancient Mayan pyramid? – If you are interested in archeology, ruins, and ancient cultures surely you want to go to Yucatan to visit the great Chichen Itza or maybe the Tulum ruins by the ocean. but there is a place where you can see the nature of Tulum and an amazing aerial view. Depending on your holiday plans you can stay in two different areas:

Coba Pyramid

Coba is a place full of roads made by a large network of white stones, mysteriously no one really knows how the Mayans transported goods along these roads. A lot of scientists believe the roads were made to roll wheels, but there is no evidence of that but you can cross these roads by bicycle.

The largest pyramid at Coba is called Ixmoja, part of the Nohoch Mul group of buildings. The pyramid is 42 meters (138 feet) tall and is the heart of the city. Unlike other Maya sites, you can still climb this one, if you dare! Just be careful getting down, it is more difficult to go down than climb it up!

If you get hot because going up and down pyramids and riding a bicycle there are 3 cenotes close by where you can refresh yourself. Cenote Choo Ha is the most famous one where you can see crystal blue water and stalagmites hanging from the ceiling.

The Sacred Mayan ruins of Muyil

Muyil (also known as Chunyaxché) is a hidden gem, not that popular, but worth seeing. Muyil was one of the earliest ancient Maya sites on the Yucatan Peninsula. It was a trading port on the east coast of Quintana Roo. Visitors can see the pyramid – El Castillo, 17 m in height, surrounded by the lush jungle. A hidden path through the trees will take you to the beautiful Sian Kaan Biosphere.

Sian Kaan Natural Biosphere Reserve

Be prepared to take a barely passable road with wild vegetation, postholes and it will put your skills behind the wheel along 40 min/50km before getting to this little piece of paradise, so if you are a fanatic of off-road, this is an opportunity to take a 4×4 truck and go to adventure but believe it, the reward is amazing.
But why is Punta Allen so famous?
Punta Allen is a little village with just 400 habitats in the middle of the jungle and it is part of the National biosphere of Sian Ka’an, Punta Allen is an oasis without pollution, traffic, crowds and annoying noises and we will tell you why.
Sian Ka’an is a natural wonder protected by the Mexican government. full of wildlife, jungle, mangrove, ocean, beaches, cenotes, and some islands, with some luck you can even see jaguars, pumas, raccoons or crocs to name a few.
Now at this point you have seen the beautiful extension of white sand and crystal blue water, we have arrived at paradise, surely you cannot wait to take your clothes off and take a dip into the sea. After swimming surely you will be starving and the best news is that the seafood is really fresh and recently caught. So what are you waiting to enjoy this piece of paradise? Contact us and let us share this incredible adventure with you.