Diving in the Riviera Maya means enjoying an area where several types of diving are available within a very small radius.
A short distance from Playa del Carmen, you’ll find coastal reefs with a good variety of fish, cenotes famous for their visibility and geological formations, and a few wrecks suited to recreational diving.
This lets Advanced Open Water divers line up very different dives during the same trip!
Cenote diving for Advanced Open Water divers
If you have your Advanced Open Water, the cenotes of the Riviera Maya are among the dives you shouldn’t miss!
Some cenotes are already open to Open Water divers, like Cenote Chac Mool, with easy and amazing routes!
The Advanced level, however, gives you access to slightly longer and more varied dive profiles, making the experience even more interesting.
Cenote Angelita
Located south of Tulum, away from the tourist areas, it offers a unique immersion in a wild, rarely visited setting.
What makes it special is found at a depth of about 90 feet (27 m): a layer of hydrogen sulfide forming a dense halocline, often described as an underwater river or cloud.
Passing through this layer is a very striking visual and sensory experience.
Below this halocline, the scenery turns dark and unreal, with submerged trees and rock formations that give the dive an atmosphere very different from classic cenotes.
Discover Cenote Angelita!🤿Cenote The Pit
Cenote The Pit is one of the most impressive dives in the Riviera Maya. Part of the Sac Actun system, it looks like a huge vertical shaft!
Recreational dives go down to 100 feet (30 m) in a water column of exceptional clarity.
The Pit is best known for its spectacular light beams, visible mainly in summer, when the sun lines up perfectly with the cenote’s opening.
There’s also a marked halocline and a layer of hydrogen sulfide at around 80–100 feet (25–30 m), creating a striking contrast.
Discover Cenote The Pit!🤿Cenote Zapote
Cenote Zapote is a technical and unusual dive, located on the Ruta de los Cenotes, near Puerto Morelos. It stands out for its unique geological formations called Hell’s Bells.
These calcite structures, hanging in the depths, form in a very specific zone called the redoxcline, where different layers of water meet.
This rare phenomenon makes Cenote Zapote a site of great geological and visual interest.
With depths reaching 100 to 115 feet (30 to 35 m), the dive requires good buoyancy control, careful depth management and being at ease in a cavern environment.
Discover Cenote Zapote!🤿Cenote Maravilla
Cenote Maravilla is an advanced and spectacular dive, located on the Ruta de los Cenotes, near Puerto Morelos.
It stands out for its large size, its great depth and its very striking visual conditions.
The dive takes place in a vast vertical cavity, a bit like Cenote The Pit, with excellent visibility and impressive light effects when the sun is well aligned.
Discover Cenote Maravilla!🤿Ocean diving for Advanced Open Water divers
Beyond Open Water–level dives, the best ocean dives are clearly in Cozumel!
Diving in Cozumel
You’ll find drift dives, exceptional visibility and very well-preserved reefs, making it an ideal playground for certified divers.
Cozumel is also known for its deep, challenging sites, as well as for an iconic wreck, the C-53, one of the must-do dives in the region.
It’s a destination in its own right, perfect for those who want to focus on pure ocean diving, with current, underwater relief and great marine diversity.
Bull shark diving (conditions apply)
This dive is available from mid-November to mid-February and, when conditions are right, lets you safely observe one of the iconic predators of the Riviera Maya up close.
It’s a dive that requires composure, good self-control and solid buoyancy, but it leaves a lasting memory for everyone who experiences it in Playa del Carmen.
Discover bull shark diving!🤿Conclusion
The Riviera Maya offers an exceptional range of dives for Advanced Open Water divers.
In a single trip, you can explore technical and spectacular cenotes, challenging ocean dives, iconic wrecks and even unique encounters with bull sharks, depending on the season.
Whether you’re looking for light effects in a cenote, deep vertical dives or drift dives full of marine life, the region is perfect for experienced divers!
👉 Message us and we’ll advise you based on your experience and the day’s conditions!