Riviera Maya Cenotes · Mexico · Cenote · Cave & cavern · Freshwater
Cenote Chikin Ha
A crossing to the neighbouring Rainbow Cenote
Area photo: diego_cue · CC BY-SA 3.0
The first cenote in a system that links several others through more than 10 km of underwater passage, set in a park about 25 km from Playa del Carmen with facilities and a trail down to the water. The guided dive crosses a halocline into warmer salt water and works its way through to the neighbouring Rainbow Cenote.
Where it is and how deep
20.4996° N, 87.2614° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Entry is through a semi-open pool with clear water and an easy descent, which makes this one of the gentler starts on the coast. The passages beyond it are wide and high rather than tight, so the profile is a relaxed thread through big rooms instead of a squeeze between formations.
At about 10 m the group drops through the halocline, and the salt water below is noticeably warmer than the fresh water above it — a change you feel before you see the boundary blur. The route continues through to the nearby Rainbow Cenote, so the dive finishes under a different hole in the roof from the one it started under.
Guides keep an eye back toward the entrance throughout, because the light effects at the openings are the best part of the site on a sunny day. Chikin Ha is the first cenote of a system connecting several others through more than 10 km of passage, all of it beyond the cavern line.
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
Is Chikin Ha suitable for a first cavern dive?+
Yes. Entry is through a semi-open pool, the maximum is about 12 m and the passages are wide, so Open Water divers dive it with a cavern guide.
Sources
- Cenote Chikin-Ha — Pro Dive International
- Chikin Ha — Cenote Diving — Seth Dive Mexico
- Cenote Chikin Ha — Scubago
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