Cenotes

I lived in Mexico up until I was 12 and the thing that I remember enjoying the most was going swimming in the Cenotes close by, Merida, Yucantan, the city where I lived. In case some of you have never seen or been to a cenote, I will try to explain what they are.

They are huge open water pools that are surface connections to subterranean water bodies measuring tens of yards in diameter. Their groundwater flow rate varies between 3 to 3,000 ft, per year. They began to get explored in the beginning of the 20th century.
Most cenotes are connected to each other, rivers and oceans. Some people believe cenotes were formed by rock dissolution and some believe that they were formed when the cretaceous-tertiary extinction event occurred about 230 million years ago and that they were eventually filled with rain water.

Swimming in cenotes and entering the cold, sparkling, clear water is one of the most incredible experiences however, always make sure that  they have been explored and that you are never alone since they do have their dangers.

The are two types of cenotes, the closed in cenotes and the open cenotes.