Nicte Ha Cenote is another stunning cenote in the pleiad of the Dos Ojos cave system cenotes. The entrance to this famous cenote is approximately 48 km south of Playa del Carmen. A 1 km dirt road leads from the highway to the cenote and parking.
The name “Nicte Ha” means “water flower.” It originated from the nice lily flowers growing inside the cenote's open water. Behind the name, a love story marred by tragedy explains the existence of a beautiful white flower in the cenote.
Nicte Ha Cenote is part of the Dos Ojos cave system of the same name. Connected system Sistema Sac Actun-Nohoch-Dos Ojos today is the world’s second-largest underwater cave system, 376,7 km (234 miles) of underwater lines, with a maximum depth of 119.18 mts (391 ft). Dos Ojos section is an anchialine cave system connecting to naturally intruding marine water and tidal influence in the cenotes. This cave system’s coastal discharge point(s) has not yet been humanly explored through to the ocean. Large volumes of groundwater were demonstrated by dye tracing to flow towards Caleta Xel-Ha, a nearby coastal bedrock lagoon.
Our article “Sistema Dos Ojos Exploration Project” explains the history of the Nicte Ha Cenote exploration in more detail.
Known for its shallow dives, Nicte Ha Cenote offers cave divers plenty of time to enjoy the beautifully decorated system.
A cavern line is available for recreational divers to enjoy beautiful speleothems around the cenote entrance in the cavern zone.
The owners remodeled the cenote entrance in 2013. They removed the old deck and palapa, enlarged the cenote’s open water area, and installed safe, easy-to-enter stone steps. Afterward, it was offered for swimmers and snorkelers to enjoy.
Our Nicte Ha Cenote cave diving video
Nicte Ha Cenote cave lines map
Upstream and Downstream lines
Cave divers can explore two permanent cave lines from the Nicte Ha Cenote cavern line. Accordingly, an upstream line toward Dos Palmas on the North and a downstream line toward Motz Say Ha and Monolito cenotes on the South. Besides that, there is one more short sidemount passage near the upstream main line.
The Nicte Ha Cenote cave lines suit beginners who are Intro to Cave (GUE Cave 1) divers who want to grow their experience before continuing to the Full Cave (GUE Cave 2) pass. Undoubtedly, you should install the main reel from the open water area to comply with Intro to Cave (GUE Cave 1) rules.
Nicte Ha Cenote location map
The first explorers were Chuck Stevens and Robbie Osman. Additional explorers include Steve Gerrard, Hilario Hiler, Dan Lins, Buddy Quattlebaum, Gary, and Key Walten. It was recently explored and resurveyed by Zack Bloom, Alex Fraser, Rory O’Keefe, Alessandro Reato, Severan Regehr, and Nicholas White.
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