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A sidemount diver gliding between the ancient layers of limestone. This is a “sandwich squeeze” restriction in the Minotuaro cave system
 

The Riviera Maya is home to the mythical cenotes—ancient windows into the underworld carved over millions of years. These freshwater sinkholes trace their origin back to the asteroid impact that ended the age of dinosaurs, shaping the porous limestone landscape and forming the world’s largest underwater cave system.

I took my first breath underwater in a cenote here over a decade ago. That moment sparked a journey that’s taken me across the world: I became a professional underwater photographer, progressed my diving career from instructor through technical cave diving, and have now returned to continually capture the magic of these miraculous environments.
 

A diver, backlit in Cenote Angelita. In one section of this vast sinkhole, there is an old, dessicated tree, perfect for framing up spooky images and providing a sense of scale

What Makes Cenote Diving Unique?

Cenotes are formed when the limestone ceiling of an underground river collapses, revealing a portal into a submerged cave system. These interconnected tunnels make up the Yucatán aquifer, a vast network of passageways that spans hundreds of miles beneath the Central American jungle.

Cavern diving allows recreational divers to explore the light-filled entrance areas of cenotes, where light beams slice through the surface and illuminate ancient rock formations. Actual cave diving goes far beyond, requiring specialized training to enter the complete darkness of the cave systems, where divers navigate complex tunnels with no natural light.

The water in cenotes is crystal clear, filtered naturally through limestone for unmatched visibility. You’ll encounter surreal features like haloclines—shimmering interfaces where fresh and saltwater meet—and dramatic natural light shows. For photographers, cenotes are playgrounds of textures, shadows, and light.
 

The cave systems of the Yucatán offer unique underwater photography opportunities. Strong light and shadows highlight the textures and lines of cave formations, creating striking visual contrast

Photography Tips for Cenote Shooters

Lighting Strategies

Cenotes are all about light—and timing that light is everything. Midday sun can create cathedral-like beams that pierce the surface and dance through the water. In caves, where natural light disappears, video lights are essential. Positioning them carefully through off-camera lighting techniques reveals the textures in formations without blowing out the shadows, keeping the scene dramatic but natural.

Dealing with Darkness

Low-light scenarios demand precise exposure balancing. Use a slow shutter speed to let any ambient light, whether from the surface or your artificial light, bleed in. Make sure it is fast enough to preserve details in stalactites or walls or divers (or even crocs!). Good buoyancy is paramount. A single errant fin kick can ruin not just an image, but an entire dive. Patience, planning, and good dive skills are keys to successful cenote photography.

I typically shoot with a shutter speed range of 1/15s to 1/60s, depending on the lighting conditions. In the darker parts of the cenote, especially farther from natural light sources, I aim to use the slowest possible shutter without losing sharpness. This is where excellent buoyancy control becomes essential—any small movement can ruin the shot or stir up silt that wrecks the scene.

When it comes to aperture, I shoot as wide as f/4.5 in the darkest areas to gather as much light as possible. I’ll stop down to f/8 when I want sharp focus on divers and crisp, well-defined natural light beams cutting through the water. My ISO stays around 1600—that’s the most I can push it before noise becomes a real issue. That’s also why strong, controlled lighting is crucial, especially in cavern zones.

As for camera requirements, a full-frame sensor definitely gives you more flexibility and better low-light performance, but you can absolutely create stunning images with a smaller sensor too. It’s about the lighting, the technique, and the creativity—not just the gear.
 

Divers descend into the abyss of Cenote Maravilla. The stunning light beams illuminate the hydrogen sulfide cloud, resting ominously 100 feet below the sufface. This stunning natural phenomenon creates otherworldly photographic conditions

Composition

Divers in images provide scale and a human element that can connect the viewer to the underworld enviromnent. It can be fun to play with symmetry in tunnels, framing your diver buddies through limestone arches, and take advantage of haloclines and reflections for surreal, dream-like effects. Often, the best cenote picture is the result of waiting—for the right posture, proper composition, and perfect stillness.

Safety First

Diving cenotes, especially cave environments, is not something to take lightly. Cave diving requires special training, discipline, and total respect for the environment. Be sure to work with experienced, knowledgeable guides, follow all protocols, and never push beyond your physical and training limits.
 

Divers explore Cenote Angelita. This sinkhole features a mystical hydrogen sulfide cloud down at 100 feet. It surrounds the “island” of debris from what was once the roof of this hidden underwater chamber
 

A diver descends into the labyrinth of flooded passageways beneath the jungles of the Yucatán. The backlight is accomplished by a second diver on the team placing a high-powered video light behind the subject diver, facing the camera. It creates the beautiful light beam effect and adds significantly more depth to the image. In caves, its all about the lighting!

Planning Your Cenote Adventure

The cenotes are diveable all year round, and each time of the year offers something slightly different. During the summer months, you’ll encounter smaller crowds at the cenotes and cheaper lodging, though of course the temperatures will be higher and certain cenotes can experience algae blooms, impacting visibility. On the plus side, it is also whale shark migration season offshore, so you can tack on some marine megafauna encounters to your cenote adventure!

Fall brings its own beauty: Some cenotes turn a deep, blood red color thanks to heavy rainfalls, which cause tannins to leach from the mangroves into the caverns and caves. Winter is my favorite time for diving the cenotes. While the crowds can get bigger, the water is clearest, and the offshore reefs are bustling with life—and bull sharks!

Playa del Carman lies just an hour south of Cancún International Airport and is a fantastic kickoff point and central location for all your diving adventures. Most cenotes are tucked away in the jungle and require drive times from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. By choosing trusted dive operators, you can enjoy small group experiences with great practices, as they can also arrange or provide transportation to the best dive locations.
 

Panchito, a name given to just about every local Morelet’s crocodile, can be found in crystal-clear cenotes, often at night, when they are more active and on the hunt. They provide a truly incredible photographic experience
 

If you’d like to have your own Mexican cenote adventure, enhance your diving skills, and capture incredible subsurface images, please find Shawn Murphy on Instagram or contact him via his website, www.shawnmurphymedia.com.