Riviera Maya Cenotes · Mexico · Cenote · Cave & cavern · Freshwater
Cenote Calavera
Jump through the roof or take the ladder beside it
Photo: Offthebeatonpath · CC BY-SA 4.0
A small cenote on the Cobá road out of Tulum with three holes in its roof, two small and one large, which is where both the skull nickname and the entry method come from. Divers either take a ladder through one of the small openings or jump through the big one, and the passages below wind deeper into the system past stalactites and flowstone.
Also known as Temple of Doom.
Where it is and how deep
20.2276° N, 87.4579° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The entry is the first decision. A ladder drops through one of the smaller openings for anyone who would rather climb, and the large main hole in the roof is wide enough to jump through and land directly in the pool below. Either way you arrive in a chamber lit from above by three separate shafts of daylight.
From the pool the passages wind deeper into the system, decorated with stalactites and flowstone, and the guided profile works down to about 15 m. The daylight from the roof stays visible for much of the route, which is what keeps this inside cavern limits rather than cave.
It is a small site by local standards and close enough to Tulum to be reached by bicycle, so it is often paired with a second cenote rather than dived alone. The water is cold enough that two long dives here are more comfortable in a wetsuit heavier than the sea outside would need.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Riviera Maya Cenotes: Divable year-round at a constant 25°C; the Nov–Apr dry season is clearest, while summer downpours can cloud shallow cenotes for a day or two.
Questions divers ask
Can you jump into Cenote Calavera?+
Yes. The large opening in the roof is used as a jump entry straight into the pool, and there is a ladder through one of the smaller holes for divers who prefer to climb in.
Sources
- Calavera — Cenote Diving in Tulum — Seth Dive Mexico
- Tulum — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- Dark opening in a limestone shelf under jungle, with a wooden post at the edge by Offthebeatonpath, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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