Chikin Ha Cenote
  Yucatan, Mexico

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Depth: 41 feet
Run Time: 53 minutes
Water Temps: 77 degrees F (fresh water), 78 degrees (salt water below the halocline)
, November.

Chikin Ha are the Mayan words for western water.

Chikin Ha is one of the more developed cavern sites I have visited. There is a very nice large covered palapa (gazebo) where divers can set up gear and sit down for a bit to eat. At the time of our visit, there were no facilities available, other than those provided behind plenty of trees and bushes.

There are three cenotes at the Chikin Ha site; only one of them is for guided cavern divers. The other two are for certified cave divers only.

Chiken Ha cavern dive is not remarkable for its formations, although there were several varieties in the various chambers we visited. It is for the most part a shallow dive, and if you reach the farthest point of the dive before it the dive is turned, you surface in a cenote with a large roof overhang, through which some huge gnarly tree roots have drilled in their quest for water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A map posted at the site details the various parts of the dive. Even after attempting to commit it to memory, I felt totally disoriented once in the caverns. Good thing Peter the guide knew where he was going ;^)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides divers, other tourists wanting to enjoy the cenotes, for which this part of the world is now famous, visit this site.

The entry to the cavern is under the ledge to the left.

 

 

 

 

 

The formations were not outstanding on this dive, but did vary quite a bit from chamber to chamber. There is no fish life to speak of in the caverns, so looking at formations becomes the pastime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More formations, this time of spongey variety. All in all, not an outstanding cavern to dive, but some nice features and a few pretty views.

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