Tamaulipas
Cenote El Zacatón
Info · exploration
Expeditions and research only: Zacatón is on a private ranch; according to POSTA (2025) diving is reserved for scientific research and very experienced divers, and according to México Desconocido it can't be dived. Only with the owner's permission.
- Max depth319 m (1047 ft)
- CertificationFull cave
- SpecialExperienced divers
Diving and fills
Dive here with
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Now at Cenote El Zacatón
What it looks like
Two World-Class Cave Divers. One Never Surfaced. | Zacatón CASE 7028 - Zacatón (1994) 4,000 dives, one unknown depth #shorts #diving #cavediving #mexico Cave Diving Depth Record Gone Wrong | The Zacaton Sinkhole Incident Zacatón: The Dive That Never Ended #trendingshorts #shortvideo
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.
Two World-Class Cave Divers. One Never Surfaced. | Zacatón CASE 7028 - Zacatón (1994) 4,000 dives, one unknown depth #shorts #diving #cavediving #mexico Cave Diving Depth Record Gone Wrong | The Zacaton Sinkhole Incident Zacatón: The Dive That Never Ended #trendingshorts #shortvideo
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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
A round pit full of warm, sulphurous water at 29–31 °C, with floating islands of grass and travertine ('zacate') drifting across it.
Part of Sistema Zacatón. Also in this system: Cenote La Pilita
1 earlier accident or incident has been reported at this cave. Read what happened ↓
Profile and sections
A round pit full of warm, sulphurous water at 29–31 °C, with floating islands of grass and travertine ('zacate') drifting across it. Below the surface the water holds almost no oxygen, and sulphur clouds can take away the visibility. The water is still, without Mante's current.
Jim Bowden's team discovered Zacatón in 1989 while exploring the Nacimiento Santa Clara. From 1993 Bowden and Sheck Exley dived ever deeper here on trimix, and Ann Kristovich set the women's record of 554 ft here. In 2007 the NASA-funded robot DEPTHX reached the bottom at 319 m. Zacatón belongs to the Sistema Zacatón, with more than fifteen sinkholes, caves and springs.
- Depth and profile
- 319 m of water (DEPTHX, 2007), 339 m measured from the rim · ~116 m across at the water surface, wider below. Jim Bowden's depth record is 925 ft (~282 m).
- Configuration
- The record dives were open circuit on trimix; rebreathers are not described here.
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR
- Goes down to 319 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
- Experienced divers only
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
On Rancho La Azufrosa, ~12 km west of Aldama and ~2 hours' drive from Tampico. Divers usually enter through the ranch's El Nacimiento spring and the Tortuga Muerta passage (230 m long, 17 m deep), which comes out into Zacatón at 8 m. A ~20 m wall lies between the water and the rim.
Around Cenote El Zacatón
FillsNo fill station known nearby
News
All (1)
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.
- On 6 April 1994 Sheck Exley died here trying to reach the bottom; his computer showed 879 ft (~268 m), 906 ft (276 m) according to Wikipedia. The cause was never established (HPNS, oxygen or running short of gas). Jim Bowden turned at 925 ft for lack of gas.
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 Tamaulipas (Mexico): conditions, closures and news →No provider in Tamaulipas yet
The caves here are listed as information only: we don't know a dive centre, guide or club yet that takes visitors, so you can't plan a trip here yet. Do you know one, or are you one? Let us know.