Ep 15 - Snorkelling secluded cenotes in the Yucatán, Mexico
Channel: One less traveled by
Date: 24/01/2024

The ancient Mayans believed that cenote caves were paths to the underworld, and their gods.  Who can question that mindset when they can be so absolutely spectacular.  The filtered underwater sunbeams, captured in some of the footage here, are sublimely beautiful and mystical.

A cenote is a natural sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater. The term originated on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where this video was filmed.  Cenotes were commonly used as water sources by the ancient Maya, and for the occasional sacrificial offering, including humans.

Here we explore 3 of the more remote cenotes, of which only 1 - Chikin Ha - offers regular public access. 

This was the second time, in as many months, that I encountered crocodile warning signs right near the site that I had chosen remotely as an exploration target.  Morelet's crocodiles do live in the Yucatán, and can potentially be dangerous to humans, near water, so precautions were taken before accepting exposure to this potential risk.  Here, drone reconnaissance was carried out after walking the mangroves around most of this cenote, looking for any crocodile sign.  There was no indication of crocodiles at that time, but I was definitely still looking over my shoulder in that beautiful, but somewhat eerie, water.  If my assessment was wrong, and you do spot crocodile sign, or a hint of an actual specimen, in the footage starting at 33:05, please post in the comments.

Here are some key moments:

1:37 – Entering the first cenote
4:06 – Cool claw root coming, top right
9:09 – Some of the amazing sunlight
10:08 – Turtle with friend
18:00 – Blowing silver air ring bubbles in Chikin Ha
20:26 – Cute fish
25:43 – Above water in a cenote
27:23 – Exploring the mysterious depths of a cenote, above water
29:01 – Walking to the final cenote, close to the ocean
29:18 – Stumbling into a small ruined Mayan temple, evidently with a lizard guardian
33:05 – Crocodiles?
33:47 – Drone footage of the cenote
38:07 – Going in
43:10 – Barracuda, strange jellyfish covering the bottom, and cool mangroves from below
44:59 – Vibrant jellyfish close-up
56:01 – Drone footage of the small ruined Mayan temple
56:25 – Snorkelling in the ocean by the small ruined Mayan temple

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