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.
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.
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.
