Riviera Maya Cenotes · Mexico · Cenote · Cave & cavern
Cenote Yax-Chen
Open cenote of Ox Bel Ha with a tannic thermocline
Area photo: diego_cue · CC BY-SA 3.0
Yax Chen, "green pond" in Maya, is an open cenote of the Ox Bel Ha system south of Tulum. It averages 5 to 7 m over a bottom of tiny shells, sediment and algae that the site's description calls very sensitive, and after rain the tannic acid washing in lays a coloured thermocline across the surface.
Where it is and how deep
20.1310° N, 87.4656° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
This is an open cenote rather than a covered one, and large boulders break the surface so there are places to stand while the group sorts itself out before descending. After rain the tannic acid washing in creates a coloured thermocline across the surface, and you drop through that smear into clearer water below.
The dive settles at an average of 5 to 7 m along the entrance to the Ox Bel Ha system. The bottom is made of tiny shells, sediment and algae and is very sensitive, so the route is flown rather than swum: hands off, fins high, and no descending to look at something you could look at from a metre above it.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Riviera Maya Cenotes: Cenote water temperature holds steady all year; Dos Ojos gets busier in the December–April peak season while most other cenotes stay quiet.
Know before you go
- The bottom of shells, sediment and algae is fragile and easily disturbed; contact both damages it and closes the visibility.
- Rain brings tannic acid into the cenote and lays a thermocline across the surface, which can make the first metres of the descent hazy.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Cenote Yax-Chen?+
It averages 5 to 7 m, so it is a shallow, long dive rather than a deep one, and gas lasts well at that depth.
What does Yax Chen mean?+
Yax Chen means green pond in Maya. It is an open cenote of the Ox Bel Ha system, averaging 5 to 7 m deep over a fragile bottom of tiny shells, sediment and algae.
Sources
- Cenote Yax-Chen - Scubago — Scubago
In The Logbook
- What are thermoclines and haloclines?Ocean science · 8 min read
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