Riviera Maya (Quintana Roo) · about 4 km from Tulum
Gran Cenote
Closed to divers
Closed to divers (since 2017 according to a Tulum dive centre); only snorkelling is allowed. Don't plan it as the entry or exit of a traverse.
- Max depth10 m (33 ft)
- CertificationCavern
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- ProTec TulumAir, EAN32, O₂ up to 200 bar, trimix on request (booster); Sofnolime 797 always in stock
- Third Dimension DivingEAN32, HP O₂, deco gases and any trimix (booster); Sofnolime 797 and Intersorb; prefilled trimix bailout for rent
- Ko’ox Diving (Tulum)Air, nitrox, O₂ and helium mixes (He about US$2/cf)
Now at Gran Cenote
What it looks like
Gran Cenote - Cave Diving Diving Gran Cenote Mexico 2013 Full Cave Certification Graduation Dive at Sac Actun Gran Cenote May 2016 Cenote Sac Aktun (Gran Cenote)
All 4 videos and posts
Videos and posts
From other divers, via YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. They only load when you click; after that, Google's or Meta's privacy rules apply.
Gran Cenote - Cave Diving Diving Gran Cenote Mexico 2013 Full Cave Certification Graduation Dive at Sac Actun Gran Cenote May 2016 Cenote Sac Aktun (Gran Cenote)
Search for more onYouTube ↗Instagram ↗Facebook ↗
Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.
The dive
Gran Cenote is very busy with snorkellers. The cave runs towards Cuzan Nah, Ho-Tul and Calimba. Gran Cenote is part of Sistema Sac Actun (Maya: ‘white cave’): 379.6 km surveyed, down to -119.2 m (QRSS, Jan 2025).
Part of Sistema Sac Actun. Also in this system: Dos Ojos, The Pit (El Pit), Taak Bi Ha, Nicte-Ha, Pet Cemetery (Cenotes Sac Actún), Dreamgate, Nohoch Nah Chich, Casa Cenote (Manatí), Calimba (Kalimba), Dos Palmas, Otoch Ha (Nariz), La Concha, Ho-Tul / Cuzan Nah, Outland, Pedrín Fenómeno, Chun-Ya
1 earlier accident or incident has been reported at this cave. Read what happened ↓
Profile and sections
Gran Cenote is very busy with snorkellers. The cave runs towards Cuzan Nah, Ho-Tul and Calimba.
Gran Cenote is part of Sistema Sac Actun (Maya: ‘white cave’): 379.6 km surveyed, down to -119.2 m (QRSS, Jan 2025).
Practical: about 5 km west of Tulum on the Cobá road. Fee about 500 MXN, 8:00–16:45.
- Depth and profile
- Down to about -10 m
- Intro level
- Cavern and main lines towards Sac Actun.
- Configuration
- All configurations
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable
- Closed to divers, snorkelling only (Ko'ox, Agua Clara, opencaves); no dives or scooters from here
Who can dive where
- At least Cavern
- Cavern zone / easier part: at least Intro to cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 10 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.
How to get there
Around Gran Cenote
Fills3 fill stations · nearest 3 km
ProTec Tulum
Av. Satélite / Calle Tun-Kul, Tulum
Air, EAN32, O₂ up to 200 bar, trimix on request (booster); Sofnolime 797 always in stock
Daily 8–19
Rental of CCR, scooters, sidemount and double cylinders; CCR room for 14 units. ProTec Playa merged into Tulum in 2026. Keys for Xa'ay Ha (Chi Keen) and Doggi/Style (Muyil) are collected here.
Third Dimension Diving
Calle Chemuyil Mz 14 Lt 01, Mayapax, Tulum
EAN32, HP O₂, deco gases and any trimix (booster); Sofnolime 797 and Intersorb; prefilled trimix bailout for rent
Unknown — call
Rental of backmount, sidemount, CCR cylinders, Suex scooters and stages. In Tulum (Mayapax neighbourhood, west of the 307).
Ko’ox Diving (Tulum)
Tulum
Air, nitrox, O₂ and helium mixes (He about US$2/cf)
Daily 7:30–21:00
Fills CCR, stage and double cylinders; cave gear for rent. Card payment accepted. The site also lists a Puerto Aventuras branch (Hwy 307 km 269.5, 7:30–21:00), but it is not on Google Maps — ask whether it exists and fills.
Other sites6 within 4 km
News
All (6)
Nearby
Articles about cave diving that name a place within 25 km of this site, but no cave by name. They're not necessarily about this site.
- A Diver Found a Skeleton at Least 8,000 Years Old Hidden 26 Feet Underwater in a Flooded Cave in Mexico ↗
- Cave-divers find trapped spearfisher alive after 15 days ↗
- Cave diving is fraught with danger, but the reward is sights like nothing else on Earth ↗
- INAH files legal complaint for diver damage to underwater archaeological site in Tulum cave ↗
- A Diver Found 8,000-Year-Old Human Remains Deep Inside an Underwater Cave ↗
Accidents and incidents
What happened at this cave before, with the sources. No names are given; read it as a lesson for your own planning.
- Fatalities: 1998 untrained diver without a line; 2016 cave diver got lost after his buddy removed markers. Never remove or move other teams' markers.
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines. Search for more news ↗ Searched automatically, last on 11 Nov 2026.
More of the latest in Riviera Maya (Quintana Roo, Mexico): conditions, closures and news →Going to the Riviera Maya with your team?
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