A mystical place full of a thick sulfur cloud and the bizarre Hells Bells. A truly unique dive that had scientists puzzled for over a decade over these newly reported formations.
Cenote Zapote - Scuba Tour Info
Certification required: Advanced
Camera entrance fees*: Starting at 300mxn
How deep is Zapote? The maximum depth is 63m/208ft but diving is only conducted up to 30m/100ft
How far is Zapote from Playa del Carmen? 57km to the North
How far is Zapote from Tulum? 120km to the North
Can you snorkel in Zapote?No
Tour duration: 6-8 hours
Best combined with: Cenote Maravilla
Price: $219USD combined with one dive in Maravilla, everything included *minimum two divers
*This cenote charges a fee for the use of an underwater camera. The fee depends on the size and type of camera
Cenote Zapote
Cenote Zapote is a truly unique dive with its famous Hell’s Bells! Massive formations shaped like bells reaching up to 4m/13ft in diameter. It took scientists a decade of study to discover exactly how they grow. Finally realizing they were built while submerged in the water by living organisms.
Called biothems these natural sculptures are formed by bacteria breathing and solidifying calcium and are still growing! Only reported in about 30 caves worldwide, they are very rare as they need special conditions in which to grow (scroll down for more) and Zapote has the most extensive display of such bells researchers have ever found.
Descend into the hourglass shaped cenote and as you pass through the neck the first thing you will see is a massive 4500 year old tree protruding from a thick sulfide cloud. Enter further into the lower chamber and will start to see the hundreds of incredible formations.
Zapote is named after the Sapote trees growing nearby, an evergreen tree native to southern Mexico cultivated for its soft edible fruits, medicinal oil of the seeds and wood.
Diving this cenote
This cenote is a one tank dive and is best combined with a dive in Cenote Maravilla. It is an advanced dive and requires that we have seen your ability over a few cenote dives before we will consider taking you here.
As with most cenote tours we will meet around 8am at the dive shop to sort out scuba gear and paperwork, before heading off for our dives. Lunch is also included.
We suggest you bring a towel and a dry set of clothes. Keep in mind as in all cenotes sunscreen, cosmetics and insect repellent are banned due to the conservation of the site.
Hells Bells
Cenote Zapote was discovered in the late 20th century, but it only gained significant attention in the 2010s due to its unique features.
These calcareous structures were yet unreported in scientific literature and were clearly not regular stalactites. Dating confirmed that the bells are young (< 4500 years) and were formed in a subaquatic environment. They need very specific conditions in which to grow, meaning they are only found in a few places worldwide.
They require lightless conditions in a stratified body of water which is characterized by the freshwater overlying the saltwater, with a stagnant transition zone (halocline) of several meters. This combined with the large amount of organic material that is washed into the cenote by rain creating the hydrogen sulfide layer, provides a unique environment for the tiny creatures called extremophiles.
In this extreme noxious environment they thrive on the hydrogen sulfide for energy. In this process they change the chemical composition of the water just above the halocline, raising the PH level and creating the very specific conditions in which the bells can form.
In fact the outer surface of the bells is alive, sulfur-powered organisms similar to those in the halocline cover the outside of all the bells, continually contributing to the calcium buildup. As these creatures need these harsh conditions to thrive, the growth of Hells Bells is strictly dependent on the elevation of the halocline. The bells in Zapote are found in a roughly 8m/25ft range, from around 27m/90ft to 35m/115ft deep, indicating the halocline level was once higher.
Zapotes bell biothems are unique in shape and found almost nowhere else on Earth. This is likely due to the cenote’s hourglass shape researchers theorized. The bells may have been shaped around rising carbon dioxide bubbles trapped against the almost horizontal ceiling and once the formations develop a in circular shape, they continue to grow that way.
Vincente Fito who first discovered the bells in 2011 also discovered a giant sloth skeleton (Xibalbaonyx oviceps) deeper in the cenote. They called the sloth Pote and he lived between 10647 and 10305 BC when the caverns were dry or with little water.
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Liz and Mariamma were excellent guides. We hit all the highlights of Playa del Carmen with them: bull … More sharks, Cozumel, Cenotes, and a night dive (we saw an octopus!). They were for accommodating to our schedule when we got sick and had to cancel a couple of dives, as well. We would dive with them again.
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Liz is hands down the best instructor and dive master I’ve ever met! I earned my AOW certification with … More her last week, and the experience was phenomenal. From the start, it was clear that Liz’s priority wasn’t just business—it was teaching me to become a skilled diver with perfect buoyancy.
Before choosing Jaguar, I researched nearly all the dive shops in Playa del Carmen (PDC), and Jaguar stood out as one of the few with consistent 5-star reviews. Liz was incredibly responsive, providing detailed explanations and creating a private itinerary that covered Cozumel, PDC, and cenotes over three days.
One of the most impressive parts of the course was the morning pool session at her dive shop. Liz patiently taught us frog kicks and buoyancy control, breaking down the theories on a whiteboard (and yes, her drawings are excellent!). She didn’t rush us into the ocean just to check off dives—her focus was on teaching real skills, and I can’t thank her enough for that. I now feel confident in controlling my buoyancy, which has made a huge difference in my diving!
On top of her professionalism, Liz’s vibrant personality and contagious laughter made the experience even more enjoyable. We asked countless questions, and she patiently answered them all, even walking us through how to set up our BCDs correctly multiple times.
Thank you, Liz, for such an incredible experience! I’ve already recommended your dive shop on Chinese social media (Redbook) and will definitely be back. 😊 -
Wow! What an incredible experience. It’s been three weeks and I’m still reeling from the buzz. Mariamma … More did an excellent job explaining everything to me and by the end of the course I felt extremely capable thanks to her! For me the hardest part was doing the pre-dive gear checkout. She was great about walking me through it once but then pushed me to perform my own checkouts. That kind of autonomy is really important for building confidence.
Nothing but good things to say. And we saw some the most mind-blowing stuff underwater… an unforgettable experience.
