{"id":4205,"date":"2026-09-23T20:19:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T20:19:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-diving-playa-del-carmen\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T16:26:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T16:26:34","slug":"buceo-cenote-zapote-hells-bells","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/es\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-diving-playa-del-carmen\/","title":{"rendered":"Zapote: la inmersi\u00f3n de las Hells Bells desde Playa del Carmen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- Zapote (Hells Bells) and Maravilla or Kin Ha: designed page body. H1 is the page title. Styles: xd-pages.css in Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS. --><\/p>\n<div class=\"xd-page\">\n<section class=\"xd-intro\">\n<p class=\"xd-eyebrow\">Cenote diving \u00b7 Advanced Open Water<\/p>\n<p class=\"xd-intro__lead\"><strong>Zapote is the dive that feels like another planet.<\/strong> On the Ruta de los Cenotes near Puerto Morelos, a deep, dark shaft hides the strangest formations in the Yucat\u00e1n: the Hells Bells, hollow bells up to two metres long that grow downward from the walls and hang silent over the void, with a wispy hydrogen sulphide layer beneath them. Scientists are still working out exactly how they form. We pair it with a second dive at Maravilla or Kin Ha, two quiet cenotes on the same road. Advanced Open Water is required, and the day runs with a maximum of four divers per guide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"xd-intro__cta\"><a class=\"xd-btn xd-btn--primary\" href=\"\/quick-booking\/\">Check availability<\/a> <a class=\"xd-btn xd-btn--ghost\" href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/529841779735\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp us<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"xd-hero\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" src=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-cavern-diver-1024x768.webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-cavern-diver-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-cavern-diver-1024x768.webp 1024w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-cavern-diver-1536x1152.webp 1536w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-cavern-diver.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1180px) 100vw, 1140px\" alt=\"Hells Bells formations in Cenote Zapote with a diver below\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption class=\"xd-hero__caption\">The Hells Bells of Cenote Zapote with a diver beneath them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"xd-trust\">\n<div class=\"xd-trust__logos\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/padi_logo.webp\" alt=\"PADI Dive Center\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"886\" height=\"464\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shields-sdi-tdi.webp\" alt=\"SDI and TDI certified dive center\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1226\" height=\"600\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>Small groups, local guides, honest site advice.<\/strong> Based in Playacar, Playa del Carmen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps?cid=17538914797093747387\" rel=\"noopener\">Read our Google reviews<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"xd-trust__badge\"><script defer async src=\"https:\/\/cdn.trustindex.io\/loader.js?57f1f3c82da0136c26065fee7ec\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"xd-stats\">\n<div class=\"xd-stat\"><span class=\"xd-stat__label\">Depth<\/span><span class=\"xd-stat__value\">30 m<\/span><span class=\"xd-stat__note\">guided maximum, bells from 28 m<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"xd-stat\"><span class=\"xd-stat__label\">Level<\/span><span class=\"xd-stat__value\">Advanced<\/span><span class=\"xd-stat__note\">Open Water required<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"xd-stat\"><span class=\"xd-stat__label\">Dives<\/span><span class=\"xd-stat__value\">2 cenotes<\/span><span class=\"xd-stat__note\">Zapote then Maravilla or Kin Ha<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"xd-stat\"><span class=\"xd-stat__label\">Price<\/span><span class=\"xd-stat__value\">3,800 MXN<\/span><span class=\"xd-stat__note\">per diver, both dives<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"xd-stat\"><span class=\"xd-stat__label\">From Playa<\/span><span class=\"xd-stat__value\">50 min<\/span><span class=\"xd-stat__note\">north, near Puerto Morelos<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"xd-layout\">\n<div class=\"xd-main\">\n<section>\n<p class=\"xd-eyebrow\">The experience<\/p>\n<h2>Why the Hells Bells are found almost nowhere else<\/h2>\n<p>Most cenote formations are the familiar ones: stalactites, columns, curtains. The bells of Zapote are different. They are hollow, they widen towards the bottom like the bells of a church, they grew under water rather than in air, and they cluster on the walls of the shaft in their hundreds, some the size of a diver. The best explanation so far involves bacteria living at the boundary between the oxygen rich water above and the sulphide layer below, building calcite downwards over thousands of years. Whatever the mechanism, there is nothing else like them on any dive you have done.<\/p>\n<p>The dive itself is deep and atmospheric. The shaft narrows as you descend, the light fades to a dim green, and then the bells appear on every side, pale against the dark rock, with the white cloud of the sulphide layer drifting beneath. Watch <a href=\"\/videos\/hells-bells-cenote-dive\/\">our film of the Hells Bells<\/a> before you come and you will still gasp on the day.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"xd-gallery\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-blue-water-1024x768.webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-blue-water-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-blue-water-1024x768.webp 1024w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-blue-water-1536x1152.webp 1536w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-blue-water.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1180px) 100vw, 1140px\" alt=\"Hells Bells formations hanging over the blue water of Cenote Zapote\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption>Bells hanging into the blue at Cenote Zapote, some of them the size of a diver.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hydrogen-sulphide-cloud-768x1024.webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hydrogen-sulphide-cloud-768x1024.webp 768w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hydrogen-sulphide-cloud-1152x1536.webp 1152w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cenote-zapote-hydrogen-sulphide-cloud.webp 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1180px) 100vw, 1140px\" alt=\"Bell formation above the white hydrogen sulphide cloud in Cenote Zapote\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1920\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption>The white hydrogen sulphide layer beneath the bells, the boundary where they are thought to grow.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<section>\n<h2>The two dives<\/h2>\n<h3>Dive 1: Zapote<\/h3>\n<p>After a full deep dive briefing we descend the open shaft as a group. The bells begin around 28 metres and continue below, and your guide sets the maximum depth for the group, typically around 30 metres, at or above the sulphide layer. You spend the deepest minutes drifting slowly along the wall with the bells at arm&#8217;s length, never touching, then ascend along the wall with a safety stop in the upper shaft. Bottom time is short because of the depth, so this is a deep dive with a conservative profile rather than a long tour.<\/p>\n<h3>Dive 2: Maravilla or Kin Ha<\/h3>\n<p>The second dive is chosen on the day. Maravilla, the marvel, is a cenote almost nobody dives: dramatic rock architecture, moody light and no queue, the cenote in <a href=\"\/videos\/cenote-maravilla-into-the-light\/\">our film Into the Light<\/a>. Kin Ha, a few minutes along the same road, is a quieter park cenote with a big chamber and a route your guide picks for the group&#8217;s depth and comfort. Either way the second dive is gentler than Zapote and a good place to let the first one sink in.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>Who Zapote is for<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Advanced Open Water divers who want rare geology rather than sunbeams<\/li>\n<li>Divers comfortable at 30 metres in low light with steady buoyancy<\/li>\n<li>Photographers and videographers: a wide lens, a strong light and a diver in the frame for scale<\/li>\n<li>Divers who have already done <a href=\"\/cenote-el-pit-diving-playa-del-carmen\/\">El Pit<\/a> or <a href=\"\/cenote-angelita-diving-playa-del-carmen\/\">Angelita<\/a> and want the third deep cenote<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Advanced Open Water is required. Open Water divers can reach it in three days with the <a href=\"\/advanced-open-water-course-playa-del-carmen\/\">Advanced Open Water course<\/a>. Newly certified Advanced divers usually enjoy Zapote more after a shallow cenote day first.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"xd-callout\">\n<h2>The rules that keep cenote diving safe<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A conservative deep profile agreed at the briefing and led by your guide<\/li>\n<li>One guide for a maximum of four divers<\/li>\n<li>No touching the bells or the walls, and no fin contact with the rock. The bells are fragile and irreplaceable<\/li>\n<li>No sunscreen or insect repellent before the dive, because the cenote water is the region&#8217;s drinking water<\/li>\n<li>Cameras are welcome. Each cenote charges a camera fee of 300 to 500 MXN that goes to the landowners who maintain the site<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"xd-glance\">\n<p class=\"xd-eyebrow\">Key details<\/p>\n<h2>Zapote at a glance<\/h2>\n<dl class=\"xd-details xd-details--wide\">\n<div>\n<dt>Location<\/dt>\n<dd>Ruta de los Cenotes near Puerto Morelos, about 50 minutes&#8217; drive north of Playa del Carmen<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<dt>Dives<\/dt>\n<dd>Dive 1 Zapote, the Hells Bells. Dive 2 Maravilla or Kin Ha, chosen on the day<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<dt>Maximum depth<\/dt>\n<dd>Around 30 metres at Zapote, set by your guide. The bells hang from around 28 metres down<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<dt>Dive time<\/dt>\n<dd>A shorter deep profile at Zapote, then a relaxed second dive<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<dt>Water<\/dt>\n<dd>Fresh water, dark and still, 24 to 26 \u00b0C, with a hydrogen sulphide layer below the bells<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<dt>Certification<\/dt>\n<dd>Advanced Open Water Diver or equivalent, with logged dives and good buoyancy control<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<dt>Group size<\/dt>\n<dd>Maximum four divers per guide<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<dt>Price<\/dt>\n<dd>3,800 MXN per diver for both dives with a certified cenote guide<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<dt>Camera fee<\/dt>\n<dd>300 to 500 MXN, paid at the cenote if you bring a camera or GoPro<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n<\/dl>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"xd-aside\">\n<div class=\"xd-card xd-card--dark\">\n<p class=\"xd-eyebrow\">Book this dive<\/p>\n<p class=\"xd-price\">3,800<small>MXN per diver<\/small><\/p>\n<p>Per diver for both dives with a certified cenote guide. Send your dates and certification level and we confirm availability the same day.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"xd-btn xd-btn--light\" href=\"\/quick-booking\/\">Check availability<\/a> <a class=\"xd-btn xd-btn--outline-light\" href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/529841779735\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp us<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"xd-card\">\n<p class=\"xd-eyebrow\">Simple logistics<\/p>\n<h3>How the day runs<\/h3>\n<ol class=\"xd-steps\">\n<li>Early morning pickup in Playa del Carmen and the drive north past Puerto Morelos onto the Ruta de los Cenotes<\/li>\n<li>Full deep dive briefing at the cenote: depth limit, the bells, the sulphide layer, ascent rate, hand signals and the no touch rule<\/li>\n<li>Dive 1 at Zapote, the deep dive first<\/li>\n<li>Surface interval and a short drive to Maravilla or Kin Ha<\/li>\n<li>Dive 2, shallower and relaxed<\/li>\n<li>Return to Playa del Carmen in the afternoon<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;color:#6b7280;margin:0\">Zapote is in the opposite direction from the Tulum cenotes, so plan it as a full morning and early afternoon. We confirm the meeting point, transport, equipment and the entrance fees when you book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"xd-card\">\n<p class=\"xd-eyebrow\">Before you book<\/p>\n<h3>Plan your dive<\/h3>\n<h4>Included<\/h4>\n<ul class=\"xd-check\">\n<li>Two guided cavern dives with a certified cenote guide<\/li>\n<li>Transport with pickup in Playacar and downtown Playa del Carmen<\/li>\n<li>Tanks, weights and equipment<\/li>\n<li>Maximum four divers per guide<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Not included<\/h4>\n<ul class=\"xd-cross\">\n<li>Cenote camera fee, 300 to 500 MXN paid on site<\/li>\n<li>Cenote entrance fee, confirmed when you book<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Requirements<\/h4>\n<ul class=\"xd-check\">\n<li>Advanced Open Water or equivalent<\/li>\n<li>Logged dives and recent experience<\/li>\n<li>Comfortable at 30 metres<\/li>\n<li>Certification card on the day<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"xd-qa\" id=\"questions\">\n<div class=\"xd-qa__head xd-head\">\n<p class=\"xd-eyebrow\">Good to know<\/p>\n<h2>Zapote diving questions<\/h2>\n<p class=\"xd-qa__lead\">What divers ask us before they book this cenote.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"xd-qa__grid\">\n<li class=\"xd-qa__item\">\n<h3>Do I need Advanced Open Water to dive Zapote?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. The Hells Bells hang from around 28 metres down and the dive runs to around 30 metres, so Advanced Open Water or an equivalent certification is required, along with logged dives and good buoyancy control.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"xd-qa__item\">\n<h3>What are the Hells Bells?<\/h3>\n<p>Hollow, bell shaped calcite formations up to two metres long that grow downward from the walls of Cenote Zapote, under water, above a hydrogen sulphide layer. They are found almost nowhere else in the world, and scientists are still working out exactly how they form.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"xd-qa__item\">\n<h3>How deep is Zapote?<\/h3>\n<p>The cenote is much deeper than we dive. The bells begin around 28 metres and your guide sets the maximum depth for the group, typically around 30 metres, at or above the sulphide layer.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"xd-qa__item\">\n<h3>Is there a hydrogen sulphide cloud?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, a wispy white layer beneath the bells, formed where organic matter decomposes in still, oxygen poor water. It is part of what makes the bells possible, and part of what makes the dive feel like another planet.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"xd-qa__item\">\n<h3>Which second dive do you choose, Maravilla or Kin Ha?<\/h3>\n<p>We choose on the day based on conditions, the group and what is open. Maravilla for the rock architecture and the light, Kin Ha for a big, quiet chamber with an easy profile. Both are minutes from Zapote.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"xd-qa__item\">\n<h3>How far is Zapote from Playa del Carmen?<\/h3>\n<p>About 50 minutes by road, north past Puerto Morelos onto the Ruta de los Cenotes. Expect to be back in Playa del Carmen in the afternoon.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"xd-cta\">\n<div class=\"xd-wrap\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"xd-eyebrow\">Next step<\/p>\n<h2>Ready to dive Zapote?<\/h2>\n<p>Send us your dates, certification level and logged dives and we will confirm availability, pickup and everything included.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"xd-cta__buttons\"><a class=\"xd-btn xd-btn--light\" href=\"\/quick-booking\/\">Check availability<\/a> <a class=\"xd-btn xd-btn--outline-light\" href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/529841779735\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp us<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"xd-more\">\n<p class=\"xd-eyebrow\">Keep exploring<\/p>\n<h2>More cenote dives from Playa del Carmen<\/h2>\n<p>Zapote is one of three deep routes on our list, with <a href=\"\/cenote-el-pit-diving-playa-del-carmen\/\">El Pit<\/a> and <a href=\"\/cenote-angelita-diving-playa-del-carmen\/\">Angelita<\/a>, and many Advanced divers do all three in one week. For a shallow day close to Playa del Carmen, <a href=\"\/cenote-chac-mool-kukulkan-diving-playa-del-carmen\/\">Chac Mool and Kukulkan<\/a> is the classic. See every route and price on the <a href=\"\/cenotes-del-carmen-and-the-riviera-maya\/\">cenote diving in Playa del Carmen page<\/a>, or browse the <a href=\"\/most-beautiful-cenotes-playa-del-carmen\/\">most beautiful cenotes near Playa del Carmen<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"xd-more__grid\"><a class=\"xd-more__card\" href=\"\/cenote-el-pit-diving-playa-del-carmen\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/diving-cenote-the-pit-1024x768.webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/diving-cenote-the-pit-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/diving-cenote-the-pit-1024x768.webp 1024w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/diving-cenote-the-pit-1536x1152.webp 1536w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/diving-cenote-the-pit.webp 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 360px\" alt=\"Massive flowstone formations underwater in a deep Riviera Maya cenote\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><span class=\"xd-more__body\"><span class=\"xd-more__tag\">Cenote dive<\/span><span class=\"xd-more__title\">El Pit and Nicte Ha<\/span><span class=\"xd-more__text\">The deep cathedral: colossal light beams down to the hydrogen sulphide cloud, then shallow Nicte Ha.<\/span><\/span><\/a><a class=\"xd-more__card\" href=\"\/cenote-angelita-diving-playa-del-carmen\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-IMG_7648-1024x768.webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-IMG_7648-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-IMG_7648-1024x768.webp 1024w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-IMG_7648-1536x1152.webp 1536w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-IMG_7648-scaled.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 360px\" alt=\"Diver silhouetted in light beams inside a cenote\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><span class=\"xd-more__body\"><span class=\"xd-more__tag\">Cenote dive<\/span><span class=\"xd-more__title\">Cenote Angelita<\/span><span class=\"xd-more__text\">The underwater river: a 30 metre descent to the sulphide cloud and its island of fallen trees.<\/span><\/span><\/a><a class=\"xd-more__card\" href=\"\/cenote-dos-ojos-diving-playa-del-carmen\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cenote-diving-xibalba-divers-mx-1024x768.webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cenote-diving-xibalba-divers-mx-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cenote-diving-xibalba-divers-mx-1024x768.webp 1024w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cenote-diving-xibalba-divers-mx-1536x1152.webp 1536w, https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cenote-diving-xibalba-divers-mx.webp 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 360px\" alt=\"Diver silhouetted at the sunlit entrance of a cenote cavern in the Riviera Maya\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><span class=\"xd-more__body\"><span class=\"xd-more__tag\">Cenote dive<\/span><span class=\"xd-more__title\">Dos Ojos<\/span><span class=\"xd-more__text\">The famous one: two sunlit cavern dives on the Barbie Line and the Bat Cave.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"FAQPage\", \"@id\": \"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/cenote-zapote-hells-bells-diving-playa-del-carmen\/#faq\", \"mainEntity\": [{\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Do I need Advanced Open Water to dive Zapote?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Yes. The Hells Bells hang from around 28 metres down and the dive runs to around 30 metres, so Advanced Open Water or an equivalent certification is required, along with logged dives and good buoyancy control.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What are the Hells Bells?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Hollow, bell shaped calcite formations up to two metres long that grow downward from the walls of Cenote Zapote, under water, above a hydrogen sulphide layer. They are found almost nowhere else in the world, and scientists are still working out exactly how they form.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How deep is Zapote?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"The cenote is much deeper than we dive. The bells begin around 28 metres and your guide sets the maximum depth for the group, typically around 30 metres, at or above the sulphide layer.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Is there a hydrogen sulphide cloud?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Yes, a wispy white layer beneath the bells, formed where organic matter decomposes in still, oxygen poor water. It is part of what makes the bells possible, and part of what makes the dive feel like another planet.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Which second dive do you choose, Maravilla or Kin Ha?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"We choose on the day based on conditions, the group and what is open. Maravilla for the rock architecture and the light, Kin Ha for a big, quiet chamber with an easy profile. Both are minutes from Zapote.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How far is Zapote from Playa del Carmen?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"About 50 minutes by road, north past Puerto Morelos onto the Ruta de los Cenotes. Expect to be back in Playa del Carmen in the afternoon.\"}}]}<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cenote diving \u00b7 Advanced Open Water Zapote is the dive that feels like another planet. On the Ruta de los Cenotes near Puerto Morelos, a deep, dark shaft hides the strangest formations in the Yucat\u00e1n: the Hells Bells, hollow bells up to two metres long that grow downward from the walls and hang silent over [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4189,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4205","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_hostinger_reach_plugin_has_subscription_block":false,"_hostinger_reach_plugin_is_elementor":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4205"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4444,"href":"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4205\/revisions\/4444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xibalbadiversmx.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}