If you ever wondered what an underwater Tim Burton film would look like, than Cenote Dos Ojos (Two Eyes Cenote) would be one for the freak-lovers. Dos Ojos is one of the most extensive dive sites in the Yucatan peninsula, being one of the largest underwater cave systems in the world.
As your guide, choose a PADI-certified instructor at the Playa del Carmen-based Scuba Revolution dive shop. You may even get lucky and be guided by a PADI Course Director: the highest achievement a professional diver can receive, and only few make it (your safety in these “freaky” sites will be paramount).
The “Two Eyes” are named such because of the two sinkholes that are spread 230 feet apart from each other, and connected by a passageway that stretches over 1,300 feet. The visibility is amazing throughout the cave because of the water being filtered through limestone: you can often see from one end of the passageway to the next.
There are a couple different routes that one could take in the cavern (a semi enclosed environment). The Barbie line is a fun dive, where you can see many entrances above as well as a phreatic tube with a view out of the cavern. You reach the turn around point once you see the naked barbie being eaten by a rubber alligator tied to the tunnel. That is the halfway point of the Line.
Be sure to watch your head and fins as the overhead environment can become quite narrow at places, with the impressive, jutting stalagmites and stalactites. At certain parts of the cave, you may even see resting or flying bats on the overhead. As for gear, a wetsuit would keep you comfortable in mid-70s Fahrenheit temperatures.