Cave diving in the Riviera Maya

• Guides: not mandatory for certified full cave divers (CREER), but recommended for the first dives. Rules differ per owner/ejido and change quickly; the Dos Ojos park (ejido Jacinto Pat) has its own guide scheme. • Register the free CREER Cave Pass in advance (photo, cave card, nitrox card): faster access at cenotes and rental shops — creer-mx.com/cave-pass • Fees: roughly 200–600 MXN per diver per day; bring cash (pesos). Many cenotes are only open in daytime (about 8–17 h); start early. Eden/Ponderosa and Chikin Ha are closed on Saturdays. • January: dry season, water about 24 °C, best visibility, fewer crowds. Light beams in the caverns around late morning/midday. • The Tren Maya (section 5) runs over dozens of cenotes; some are damaged or closed — ask your dive centre about current status. • Closed to divers (Sept 2026, opencaves.info/CREER): Gran Cenote, Regina, Shoam, Caracol; Pet Cemetery restricted; Dreamgate cavern only. • Keys/arrangements: Xa'ay Ha and Doggi via ProTec Tulum; Outland via Nohoch Nah Chich; Jailhouse via a shop in Tulum (blue walls, 20.2082, -87.4669); Sac Be Ha via the owner in Tulum; Otoch Ha/Concha via Zero Gravity; Muyil caves are paid at the Diconsa opposite the ruins. At remote cenotes (Muyil, Nohoch road) leave someone with the car. • Swimming cenotes without cave diving (day off): Cristalino, Azul, Kantun Chi, Yax-Muul, Xcacel, Chaak Tun (snorkel tour), Aktun Chen (dry cave), Tankah, Yax-Kin, Kapen Ha, Santa Cruz, Choo-Ha/Tamcach-Ha/Multum-Ha (Cobá), Boca del Puma, Verde Lucero, La Noria, Las Mojarras, Popol Vuh. • Emergencies: SSS hyperbaric chamber Playa del Carmen +52 984 188 6486 (24/7, about 25 min). SSS Cozumel +52 987 878 6161, Costamed Cozumel +52 987 872 5050. DAN +1 919 684 9111 or +52 557 100 0540 (Spanish). • Cozumel (no cave diving): drift dives along the reefs (Palancar, Columbia, Santa Rosa), park fee 225 MXN per person per day, cash. Only cave: Cenote Aerolito de Paraíso, guided only (via Cozumel Abyss Divers), 4.5–21 m, halocline. Ferry from Playa del Carmen about 45 min; ask whether you may bring your own cylinders — otherwise rent on the island.