The Yucatan peninsula remains one of the most popular travel destinations in Mexico with visitors from around the world. Most tourists can be found on the white sand beaches and in the crystal clear waters on the Caribbean side, it is popular for cave diving as well especially now that Nohoch Nah Chich, the world’s longest underwater cave system has been discovered near Tulum, Mexico. Sistema Sac Actun has been connected to Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich, creating a system 154,783 meters long, the longest underwater cave in the world! That beats the previous record of 146,761 meters for Ox Bel Ha. The two longest caves in Mexico are now almost entirely underwater. For the tourist, the discovery of such underground systems has opened the door to some of the most incredible dive opportunities in the world. Thanks to the connection made early this year, divers can visit several popular cenotes while advanced divers can explore the dark depths of this unique system.
The world’s best cave diving is in the Riviera Maya of Mexico’s Yucatan Caribbean coast from Puerto Morelos traveling south beyond the village of Tulum. The final connection between Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich and Sistema Sac Actun occurred between the Muul Ha region in Sac Actun, and the Cenote Manati region in Nohoch Nah Chich. There is an attended parking area right at the road’s edge, and a large sign that says Grande Cenote. As Sac Actun was 14,300 meters (47,000 feet) longer than Nohoch Nah Chich at the time of connection, the explorers have named the entire cave Sistema Sac Actun. Sistema Sac Actun is a classic fault and fracture depicted anchailine cave formed predominantly in the Carrillo Puerto Formation of the Yucatan Platform 1.6 to 24 million years ago. Most cave divers consider Sac Aktun to be among the world’s most decorated and beautiful caves, second only to Nohoch Nah Chich. A gold line runs around the perimeter of the main cavern. Entering the system through one of the area’s numerous cenotes, divers will find over 500,000 feet of caves to explore. Grande Cenote is the most well known entrance to the Sistema Sac Actun. This circuit is extremely fragile and requires perfect buoyancy. There are several restrictions involved in this circuit and the depths in Sac Aktun seldom exceed 40 feet, and depths are fairly constant. The water temperature was 77 degrees.After paying your entrance fee, you can suit up using convenient tables located right at the edge of the parking lot. You then walk a short distance to the edge of the cenote and descend a set of stairs. From here you walk to a large dock at the edge of the water, then jump in. To get to the upstream side of the cave, swim in along the right-hand side of the cavern and, when you get to the point where the line makes a sharp left, tie off and continue onward. A short distance ahead you will see the start of the permanent cave line. Jumping off the main line when it makes a sharp left to Cenote Ho-Tul will take you to the Paso Lagarto line. This leads to numerous offshoots and the most extensive upstream portion of the cave. A professional guide can even set up a dive for you where you enter the water at Cenote Calimba and swim a lengthy traverse to Gran Cenote.Within this 100 kilometer distance includes over 150+ explored, surveyed cave systems. With consistent, year-round crystal clear water, relative shallow depths, warm 77 degree Fahrenheit temperatures and usually an outstanding array of decorations and speleothems, what better conditions can you ask for? You cannot find a more exceptional concentration of underwater cave systems within such a close proximity providing the cave diver with the best environment to safely dive and enjoy.