Riviera Maya (Quintana Roo) · about 3 km from Puerto Aventuras
Jardín del Edén / Ponderosa
- Max depth16 m (52 ft)
- CertificationCavern
- Water temperature≈ 24–25 °C (75–77 °F)estimated, no reports yet
- SpecialOpen water with a cavern guide (CREER 1)
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Under the JungleTrimix and Sofnolime 797 for CCR; confirm exact fill options beforehand
- Zero Gravity'Mixed gas fills' — ask which mixes exactly (trimix, O₂, sorb)
- Cave CCRTrimix and CCR support
What it looks like
Ponderosa (Jardin Del Eden) Cenote - Cave Diving Mexico SCUBA DIVING CENOTE JARDIN del EDEN (aka EDEN) - APRIL 2023 w/TANKHA.COM DIVE SHOP - CAVERN DIVING BUCEO EN CENOTE JARDIN DEL EDEN (10-02-16) TULUM, MEXICO HD Cenote Ponderosa (Jardin del Eden) Cave Dive
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Videos and posts
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Ponderosa (Jardin Del Eden) Cenote - Cave Diving Mexico SCUBA DIVING CENOTE JARDIN del EDEN (aka EDEN) - APRIL 2023 w/TANKHA.COM DIVE SHOP - CAVERN DIVING BUCEO EN CENOTE JARDIN DEL EDEN (10-02-16) TULUM, MEXICO HD Cenote Ponderosa (Jardin del Eden) Cave Dive
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Under the Jungle
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Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.
The dive
From Jardín del Edén (Spanish: ‘Garden of Eden’) you can dive several routes through Sistema Ponderosa, including the River Run, upstream to X'Tabay/Chikin Ha, the Chapel, a wide tunnel to Cenote Corral (which has no entrance of…
Part of Sistema Ponderosa. Also in this system: Chikin Ha (X'Tabay)
Profile and sections
From Jardín del Edén (Spanish: ‘Garden of Eden’) you can dive several routes through Sistema Ponderosa, including the River Run, upstream to X'Tabay/Chikin Ha, the Chapel, a wide tunnel to Cenote Corral (which has no entrance of its own) and to Cristalino and Azul (swimming cenotes; diving from there is not offered). There are swimmers and cliff jumpers on the surface, so watch out when ascending.
Sistema Ponderosa is about 15 km long and has 19 cenotes. Its name comes from ‘Pond’ plus DeRosa: Tony and Nancy DeRosa explored the system in 1990 with Steve Gerrard. The name also works in Spanish: ponderoso/ponderosa means ‘heavy, weighty’ and also ‘thoughtful, careful’.
Practical: fee about 500 MXN; note that it is closed on Saturdays. Biodegradable sunscreen only.
- Depth and profile
- Mostly -9 to -12 m (average line depth ~10 m), max ~-16 m in the Eden section; halocline from about -12 m. River Run loop ~1 km; ~4.7 km of line surveyed around Eden (2026 resurvey)
- Intro level
- Main lines from the open basin, no jumps.
- Configuration
- All configurations
- DPV: DPV possible
- Roomy lines in a ~15 km system; scooters are used (e.g. River Run), but more a nice-to-have than a need
Who can dive where
- At least Cavern
- Cavern zone / easier part: at least Intro to cave
- Cavern zone / easier part: at least Open water / no overhead
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 16 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
Under 10 min walk from the car park; wooden decking.
Around Jardín del Edén / Ponderosa
Fills3 fill stations · nearest 2 km
Under the Jungle
Carretera 307 km 264, Xpu-Há
Trimix and Sofnolime 797 for CCR; confirm exact fill options beforehand
Unknown — email (reply within 24 h)
Per their own site based at Cenote Tajma Ha (km 264, coordinates from the site). Rental of cave gear (2026/2027 price lists on the site), Shearwater, XDeep, Razor dealer. Supports independent divers. CCR: cave CCR card + unit card, shakeout dive first. info@underthejungle.com
Zero Gravity
Carretera 307 km 269,5, Puerto Aventuras
'Mixed gas fills' — ask which mixes exactly (trimix, O₂, sorb)
Daily 7:30–19:00
Nearest centre. Rental and servicing, also lodging. Arranges access to Otoch Ha (Nariz) and La Concha.
Cave CCR
Bahía Akumal 31, Puerto Aventuras
Trimix and CCR support
Mon–Fri 8–18, Sat–Sun 8–17
Rental of OC backmount/sidemount, CCR and scooters; official JJ-CCR service centre. Also Cozumel trips.
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Other sites6 within 17 km
News
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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.
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.
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