Scuba Diving in Cenote El Pit

Nestled within the jungle of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is the cenote El Pit. An unforgettable adventure into an underwater world full of history, towering vertical walls, crystal-clear waters and a ceiling adorned with intricate rock formations. Embark on a journey into its mystical depths, an extraordinary opportunity only experienced by scuba divers.

*This cenote charges a fee for the use of an underwater camera. The fee depends on the size and type of camera

Cenote El Pit

From the surface Cenote El Pit looks nothing spectacular, just a piercing blue hole in the jungle floor. But beneath the surface it opens up into a massive, mind-blowing chamber.

Watch your vision distort as we pass through a thick halocline layer, descending onto thousand year old tree trunks emerging from the eerie mist of the hydrogen sulfide cloud 30m/90ft below.

As you circle around El Pit you start to get a true sense of its size, seeing divers in the distance or the floor far below. On a sunny day laser like sunbeams can penetrate all the way down, an ethereal sight to behold.

The cavern’s roof is adorned with stalactites of all sizes, which are stunning to see. Especially silhouetted against the light of the entrance. You can feel so small diving past some of the biggest formations.

Diving this cenote

This cenote is a one tank dive and is best combined with a dive in Cenote Dos Ojos, also part of the Sac Actun system. The depth and steep vertical descent of this cenote mean it’s not recommended as a first dive.

We suggest you bring a towel and a dry set of clothes. Keep in mind that in all cenotes sunscreen, cosmetics and insect repellent are banned due to the conservation of the site.

The History

The Pit was discovered in 1996 by cave explorers Dan Lins and Kay Walten, who were exploring from Cenote Dos Ojos 1,500 meters (4,900 ft) away. Other explorers over the years discovered its incredible depths, with the deepest section so far being 119m explored in 2000 by Dan Lins and Steve Bogaerts.

These phenomenal deep sections of the cave would have been formed around 20,000 years ago when the sea level was 120m lower leaving the limestone platform exposed to the elements during the ice ages. This is the deepest and oldest section of all the cave systems in the area. Below the sulfur cloud in the first section ancient human remains and animal bones were found, dating back between 8 and 12 thousand years ago.

This cenote until 2013 was very hard to visit for the public. The cenote steps were constructed during the winter of 2012 and the road and parking area later in 2013.