Learn the fundamentals of cave diving in the Yucatán’s cenotes with a TDI Intro to Cave Diver course. Expect classroom theory, reel and light skills, and supervised cave penetrations guided by local instructors.
More ways to explore the area's outdoor wonders
A low sun cuts through the jungle canopy and light pillars spill into the water as students gather at the rim of a cenote. The entrance is a doorway to an underground world where visibility can be crystalline and walls are scored by millennia of freshwater flow. In the Yucatán, cave passages are literal archives of geology: a karst plateau riddled with tunnels and chambers carved from limestone and fed by the aquifer system that produced Ox Bel Ha and Sac Actun.
Difficulty
challenging
Duration
3 days (approx. 72 hours)
Fitness Level
Moderate fitness with good buoyancy control; not highly aerobic but requires stamina for repetitive skill drills.
Wildlife
History
The Yucatán’s cenotes were sacred to the Maya and served as freshwater sources and ritual sites; the region’s karst geology created one of the world’s most extensive submerged cave networks.
Conservation
Cenotes are fragile: avoid sunscreens that contain oxybenzone, follow site rules, and minimize contact to protect formations and water quality.
Reserve your spot on the Intro to Cave Diver TDI course today and enjoy a trusted, highly rated experience designed to help you make the most of your adventure.
Bring certification paperwork
Bring your cavern diver or equivalent certification and recent logbook entries to satisfy prerequisites.
Conserve air and plan gas
Practice conservative breathing and follow gas-matching procedures—single-line cave dives leave little margin for error.
Protect the formations
Avoid touching ceilings and walls; silting destroys visibility—use proper propulsion and maintain trim.
Post-dive surface interval
Don’t fly within 24 hours after diving; schedule travel to allow required surface intervals.
Dive computer
Tracks depth/time and ascent rates crucial for repetitive, technical dives.
Primary and backup lights
Reliable illumination is vital in overhead environments and during drills.
Exposure suit (3–5mm wetsuit)
Keeps you warm for prolonged in-water training in cenote temperatures around 24–26°C (75–79°F).
winter
Reel and 3–5m spool
Used for line practice and will be supplied, but bringing a personal reel familiar to you helps during skill work.