Dos Ojos Cenote and Park is one of the most popular cenotes in Quintana Roo and one of the most visited. The entrance to this famous cenote is located approximately 48 km south of Playa del Carmen. A 4 km long dirt road leads from the highway to the cenote, cavern areas, and parking.
The name “Dos Ojos” means “two eyes”. It originated for the two circular-shaped cenotes that are located very close to each other.
Dos Ojos 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.
The history of the Dos Ojos exploration project can be read in our article Sistema Dos Ojos Exploration Project.
Dos Ojos Cenote area was used for filming underwater scenes for a few underwater cave movies:
- The Cave (2005);
- the IMAX film Journey into Amazing Caves (2001);
- And the award-winning BBC program Planet Earth series, Caves (2006).
Known for its many shallow dives, Dos Ojos offers divers plenty of time to enjoy the beautifully decorated system.
In the cenote called “First Eye,” two cavern lines in two very different caverns begin and end.
Our Dos Ojos Cenote diving video
Bat Cave line
The first – Bat Cave line leads divers mainly along the “bat cave” walls. It also gives divers plenty of room to swim around the huge columns and stalactites. Prepare for exciting surprises during this dive. Mid-dive, your guide will invite you to surface in the cave to admire the thousands of bats nesting on the ceiling.
Barbie line
The second line in Dos Ojos Cenote is the Barbie Line – a golden line 415 meters long with wide spaces and large bright galleries. This dive is a great way to become familiar with the sensation of water, where buoyancy changes rapidly. In the last quarter, divers will enter an almost closed area. You will feel far from the entrance, although you are close to the nearest exit point.
Each dive lasts 45 minutes, the average depth is 6 meters (20 ft), and the maximum is 9 meters (30 ft)
With shallow dives, crystal clear visibility, and great decor, Dos Ojos is spectacular for cavern diving.
Dos Ojos Cenote location map
The first explorers were Jim Coke and Johanna DeGroot. Other explorers were Jesse Armentrout, Steve Berman, Mauro Bordignon, Steve Bogearts, Mike Cameron, Rich Chapski, Nancy DeRosa, Tony DeRosa, Pablo Diaz, Will Dooley, Donn Ellerbrock, Kenneth Furman, MaryAnn Gamble, Steve Gamble, Bill Gavin, Steve Gerrard, Dr. Lee Gibson, Sergio Granucci, Mark Grant, Jill Heinerth, Paul Heinerth, Hilario Hiler, George Irvine, Steve Irving, Brian Kakuk, Steve Keene, Keith Kinard, Michael Lang, Gary Lemme, Jonathan Lesh, Dan Lins, Connie LoRe, Travis LoRe, Kevin Mack, Mike Madden, Sandro Madeo, Sam Meacham, Bill Mee, Jim Mellon, Michael Menduno, Lance Milbrand, David Miner, Jim Osborne, Robbie Osman, Andrew Pitkin, Chris Pyle, Bil Philips, “Buddy Quattlebaum, Rosemary Redgen, Bill Rennaker, Kevin Retton, Donna Richards, Simon Richards, Daniel Riordan, Leo Sastre, Sue Sharples, Chuck Stevens, Nicolai Toussiant, Claudia Tolentino, Pierre Watson, Martin Wright, Tom Young, Dr. John Zumrick, Gary Walten, Kay Walten, Patrick Widdmann, and others unknown.
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