Zapote Cenote (Hell's Bells)

Cenote Zapote sits inland from the Caribbean coast of Quintana Roo, on the Yucatan Peninsula, in an area riddled with freshwater sinkholes that connect to the peninsula's vast underground river systems. It is known among cave and cavern divers for its distinctive bell-shaped speleothem formations, often called Hell's Bells, which hang from a hydrogen sulfide layer within the cenote. The site typically involves a mix of open water swimming and a halocline zone before reaching the formations at depth. It is rated an intermediate dive, though the overhead or near-overhead sections and the hydrogen sulfide cloud that reduces visibility mean it still calls for real caution around the formation zone.