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Crystal-clear turquoise pool inside Cenote Dos Ojos, with limestone stalactites hanging from the cavern ceiling — Riviera Maya Cenotes

Riviera Maya Cenotes · Mexico · Cenote · Cave & cavern · Freshwater

Siete Bocas

Seven round sinkholes linked by one cavern line

Area photo: diego_cue · CC BY-SA 3.0

Siete Bocas, Spanish for seven mouths, is a patch of karst on the Ruta de los Cenotes west of Puerto Morelos with seven round sinkholes, each with stairs down to the water. The water does not reach the ceiling, making it a cavern dive that drops along a wall and returns under the other openings.

Also known as 7 Bocas, Cenote 7 Bocas.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Siete Bocas: typical dive to 30 m (to 100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

20.8761° N, 87.0436° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Divers climb down the stairs of one sinkhole and descend along one of its walls to about 30 m (98 ft). On the way back up the route switches to another cavern line that passes beneath all the other openings, with formations overhead and light falling in from each of the mouths in turn. Mojarra Mayas, catfish and baby mollies gather along the return line.

Marine life and season

  • Freshwater fish
Month-by-month season rating for Siete Bocas
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGood

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.

Questions divers ask

Is Siete Bocas a cavern or a cave dive?+

A cavern dive: the water level does not reach the ceiling, and the descent follows a wall to about 30 m before a cavern line leads back under the other sinkholes.

Sources

  1. Cenote 7 Bocas Diving: 7 Openings, Light Beams & Fossils — DeepDiveMexico
  2. Cenote Diving in 7 Bocas — Rigo The Cenote Guide
  3. Cenote Siete Bocas — OpenStreetMap

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