You will find underwater and dry caving news from Quintana Roo, Mexico on this page. This page maintains a growing chronicle of web page updates while reporting significant survey and exploration news.

QRSS donated a Spanish translation of the Blueprint for Survival book to the NSS-CDS. You will find a free English or Spanish PDF download at their publication website Here.

03 February 2024 -  We include updates for Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema K'oox baal, and Sistema Ni Ha. Sistema Ni Ha was connected to Sistema Ox Bel Ha. Cenote Ni Ha is reported to be buried under the new Tulum to Bacalar railway right of way.  We do not have any reports as to the extent of cave damage as a result from the railway construction. A nearby cenote allows access to the Ni Ha section of the Ox Bel Ha cave.

New explorations and cave mapping efforts in in the K-Lag Dzonot area of Sistema K'oox baal continue. A map of K-Lag Dzonot was entered in the NSS 2023 Cartography Salon.

CINDAQ reports a new length for Sistema Ox Bel Ha. We include their stated length in this update. There are other exploration groups working in this cave.

QRSS shared Google klm files with UNESCO personnel in 2023 to persuade the Mexican Federal government to reroute their tourist railway construction through sensitive cave areas in Quintana Roo. Construction this unpopular railroad has become a legacy project for the present President of Mexico. Sharing cave survey data was a difficult decision for us. We believe we helped to change the original path of the railroad as it passes over established caves in the Tulum municipality. Hopefully this might prevent unnecessary damage to a number of fragile underwater cave environments  We thank those individuals who acted as intermediaries to persuade the Federal Government to modify their construction plans. 

10 January 2023 - We had a very busy end of year 2022. Given the QRSS website migration to a new server, and some exciting exploration news, 2023 should prove to be a great year. Again we thank Claire Vogel and Alex Reato for their work on developing the QRSS map sales!

As for the caves themselves, some of us may be relieved by the promise to construct an elevated train over the local Tulum karst plain. Without going into detail, how well has this construction been designed, constructed, and supported by a meticulous and independent Environmental Impact Study? Is this train construction necessary? What happens to our local mammal populations as they move through the jungle?

There are still questions how this largely tourist rail line will impact explored and unexplored (ie. not properly researched or explored) dry and underwater cave systems south of Tulum, Muyil, Chumpon, and Felipe Carrillo Puerto. I feel we should press for more comprehensive environmental evaluations for the local karst we are just beginning to understand. There are too many unanswered questions. QRSS sends our deep thanks to all those who are monitoring the present train construction in this highly vulnerable region.

We report new explorations in two old areas of Sistema Sac Action. We also report new survey for Sistema Ox Bel Ha (OBH). I still have new data for OBH to archive and report. Sistema Pandora saw a good amount of exploration while exposing a new area to explore. We also report two new caves to include Cenote K'aax Nah and Sistema David.

I am still working through the bugs found in the present QRSS website.

20 September, 2022 - We received many survey data updates during the summer. We update Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema K'oox baal, Cenote Lilly, and Cenote Chan Beh.

New explorations in Sistema Ox Bel Ha (OBH) continue in the northern cave regions. Sistema Ramon was connected to the Naranjal area less than a hundred meters from the classic entrance of Cenote Ramon. I appreciate all the explorers sharing this survey data with QRSS. We will report further survey information for this northern area later this fall.

Explorations continue in the southern classic OBH area. A total of 19.5 km of cave survey has been added to the new Pantanos cave region. There is a complex maze cave development in this area. A bit more of new survey data remains to add to this new area.

New explorations in Sistema Dos Ojos include probes within the Blue Abyss area. A resurvey of this section confirms the older Madden, Main and Starnawski survey efforts. This resurvey discovered a further 340 meters of new passage at a significant depth. In another Dos Ojos classic zone, the Dos Palmas area received the attention of a dedicated team to resurvey, explore, and map this complex area. A detailed map was produced earlier this year by Rory O'Keefe, it is a beautiful cartographic representation of this cave. I appreciate these survey teams in sharing their work.

Explorations continue in the Ka-Lag Dzonot area of Sistema K'oox baal. There are many leads to follow.

23 August, 2022 -  First off, we appreciate all the work Claire Vogel and Alex Reato are doing to revive the QRSS map distribution network. These maps are an invaluable part of cave and aquifer education in Quintana Roo. We thank them for taking responsibility for this task. Please contact them for any questions about QRSS maps.

At this date we have a small yet important update. Recent cave survey data updates appear to  focus on re-exploring (or re-surveying) older caves. There is nothing wrong with resurveying older caves. There are many new tunnels to explore in the "classic" caves with the correct equipment and training. These modern resurveys are finding quite a lot of new passage. No complaints here, but will folks move on to find new caves?

We have updates for Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Ox Bel Ha, and Sistema K'oox baal.

26 June, 2022 -  Jeff Clark has officially retired from the QRSS map distribution service. We apologize for any disruptions of this important service. Claire Vogel (Underworld Tulum) and Alessandro Reato (Il filo di Arianna) have volunteered their expertise to assure this important cave education program continues. We thank them both for taking this responsibility, and for their desire to "give back" to the caves of Quintana Roo. I hope you will welcome them, please feel free to contact them. They will be contacting our official map distribution centers soon.

10 January, 2022 - Explorations slowed a bit during the second half of 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. As cave tourism returned to the Costa Turquesa diving facilities resumed their role in guiding and educating both new and experienced cave divers. At this time we update Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Ramon,  and Cenote. Santa Maria (San Pedro) explorations.

We add a rather interesting new cave, Cenote Godzilla. At this time the Cenote Godzilla cave is surveyed to -97.1 m confirming it as the second deepest reported underwater cave in Quintana Roo. Even more interesting, it appears to break out into passage not associated with the central classic sink collapse. Our congratulations to the team who made this dive possible!

23 July, 2021 - Explorations continue through the Covid pandemic. If you are an international traveler it would be prudent to visit Quintana Roo when you are fully vaccinated. This protects you and most importantly the local citizens. Please wear a mask in all public places; this is a law in some municipalities. You will also need to schedule a Covid test three days before you board an international airplane flight in Mexico, so plan accordingly. There are many local testing sites and they are easy to find. Do not rely on the testing site at the Cancun International Airport.

Explorations continue in the classic underwater caves. We report important advances in SIstema Sac Actun, Sistema Ox Bel Ha, and Sistema K'oox baal. Sistema Zapote is now connected to Sistema Camilo creating quite an extensive cave. Many explorers were involved in new explorations and the subsequent connection between the two caves. Sistema Nohoch Kai has also seen important growth; it was connected to Sistema Nohoch Sac Tatich. Sistema Chan Ha is now connected to Sistema Yax Tun.

We archive reports for new explorations in Sistemas Ah Kax Ha, Kachkalak, Lost and Found, Ramon, Chac Bromelia, Manak Balam, Yax Tun, Choko Pek, El Dorado, Sistema Corona, and Cueva Alamo Sump. We also report new two underwater caves; Cenote No Luck Canyons, and Cueva Pullboy Sump.

At this time we include an update for the Dry Cave and Sump pages.

01 January, 2021 - Tourism and crowds are growing in Quintana Roo despite the Covid-19 pandemic in Mexico. Please be safe and insure your hosts and their families in Mexico remain healthy. Wear a mask in public (it is the law in many municipal areas) and follow your hosts' instructions in restaurants and public places.  Help your hosts during this difficult time and please be friendly with their requests.

There has been a revived interest in further exploration and resurvey of a few older underwater caves. These efforts are generally focused on the Tulum area caves. We have a large update to report, it has been a challenge to keep up with the explorers' new survey information. We add three new underwater caves, these being Cenote Bendiction, Cenote Bacterias, and Cenote Muyil No Name. We have updates for Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema K'oox baal, Sistema Zapote, Sistema Nohoch Kai, Sistema Camilo, Sistema Joolis, Sistema Exploradora Sump, Cenote Santa Maria (this exploration report renames the old Cenote San Pedro survey), Cenote Tam Lu'um, and Sistema Ch'i'bal Xuux.

10 July, 2020 - It appears as though the Tulum to Cancun area in Quintana Roo is restarting their economy. Dive facilities, restaurants and hotels are reopening given  a resurgence of Covid-19 illness throughout Mexico. Please use your best options to counter the transmission of this virus when visiting bars, restaurants, cities, etc. The jungle and cenotes of Quintana Roo remain Covid-19-free.

It is with great regret that we report the death of Daniel Hutnan. Daniel died while conducting a CCR open water dive in Europe. He was an active explorer and cartographer for the Czech Speleological Society (CSS) and an integral part of the exploration of the Sistema K'oox Baal cave system. He was instrumental in drawing  a complete map of this extensive underwater cave system while documenting significant anthropological sites within the cave. Daniel and other CSS team members discovered many satellite wet and dry caves on the fringes of the K'oox Baal cave. The CSS always invited local QRoo cavers to explore and map the K'oox Baal cave during CSS team expeditions.

Daniel was also an active cave explorer in Europe including significant caves in Sardinia and the Czech Republic. Daniel was focused on his recent publications concerning CSS explorations in Mexico and a treatise on safe navigation in underwater caves. He will be missed by his family and friends.

In this update we report new length and depth updates for Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Zapote, Sistema Pandora, Cenote Chan Ayim, and Sistema Chi'ibal Xuux. Sistema Regina is now connected to Sistema Ox Bel Ha though a complex and unusual deep area between the Regina and Maya Blue cave sections of Ox Bel Ha.

We also report a large collection of new caves. These include Sistema Nohoch Sac Tatich, Sistema Catedral, Cenote Sac Playa, Cenote Lluvia, Sistema Popper, Cenote Rushmi, Sistema Corona, Cenote Frangipani, Cenote Chi'ibal Aakach, Cenote Stefan's Hope, Cenote Kolibri, and Cenote Maya Blue Pool.

21 April, 2020 - Please be safe during the this difficult Covid-19 event.  Many Mexico businesses and tourist sites are closed in Quintana Roo, only essential businesses are open now. There are numerous police checkpoints on the roads to prevent nonessential travel in the Tulum - Cancun area. Please stay informed about local conditions in Mexico as these can change rapidly.

We have updates for Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema K'oox baal, Sistema Nohoch Pek, Cenote Chan Ayim, and Sistema Ni Ha. We also update Sistema Tatich, Sistema Gypsy Juice, Cenote Carita, Cenote Tatich One, and Cenote Antares. With the current lockdown, a few residents are taking time to explore more local caves. We also report three new caves; Sistema Veladora, Sistema Chi'i'bal Xuux, and Cenote Ganesh,

01 January, 2020 - We have underwater and dry cave updates to share with you. We have updates for Sistema Dos Pisos, Cenote Chan Ayim, Sistema Tortuga, Cenote Don Lucio, Cenote Ni Ha, Sistema Gypsy Juice, Sistema Tam Chac Ha, and Sistema Ursus (near Tulum). We also update Cenote Ursus near Xcalak.

We add three new underwater caves in this update. These include Cenote Medusa, Cenote La Guadalupana, and Cenote Chili Verde.

21 July 2019 - We have both underwater and dry cave updates to share with you. We update Sistema Sac Actun and Sistema K'oox baal. A satellite cave, Cenote Cangrejo, was connected to the K'oox baal cave recently. We also report information for Sistema Caterpillar. Caterpillar was connected to a few local caves while also growing significantly through new explorations. Both cave areas have seen some impressive efforts.

Sistema Pandora and Cenote Ursus continue to grow into new areas. We update Sistema Lost and Found which is a very old cave project. We update Xuux Two and Cenote Chac Bromelia. We also add Cenote Rie as a new cave.

We update our dry and sumped cave information at this time. Nearly 44 new independent dry caves were found over the past year. This figure does not include many new dry caves that are connected to underwater caves.

05 April 2019 - This report will include a rather large update. I hope to update our new dry cave information in a further update. To start with, we add 20 new underwater caves. These caves include Sistema Elementos, Sistema El Zapotal, Sistema Playa de Ranas, Sistema Burning Wasp, Cenote Dexter, Cenote Ni Ha, Cenote Ursus, Cenote Pel Ha, Cenote Kiichpan, Cenote Antares, Cenote Lilly, Cenote Xuux Norte, Sistema Muro, Cenote Sueno Aventuras, Sistema Pantera, Cenote Casa Antigua, Cenote Juno, Cenote Casa Antigua West, and Cenote Ya'ab Zoots.

We also update the following caves: Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Caterpillar, Sistema Zapote, Sistema Doggi, Sistema Vecan, Cenote Chan Ayim, Sistema Tortuga, Sistema Kachkalak, Sistema Xuux Two, Sistema Flor de Mayo, and Cenote Dagobah. There have been a number of important connections between larger and smaller caves recently. Sistema Ich Tunich is now a section of Sistema Zapote. Sistema Blue Pitbull is a section of Sistema Caterpillar. Cenote Anita Ha is now a part of the Sistema MOAC cave.

30 July 2018 - In this update we report developments in Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Nohoch Kai, Sistema Sac Pepem, and Sistema Luna Azul. We pleased to report four new caves, including Sistema Tumben Kuxtal. This cave incorporates Cenote Lizette's Labyrinth that was explored briefly in 2003 . We also report new underwater cave surveys for Cenote Casa de Las Tortugas, Sistema Crocodoom, and Cenote Cuidad Esmeralda.

We updated a part of the Dry Caves and Sumps page, specifically the length of Sistema Sac Actun. I hope to update the rest of this page soon.

07 May 2018 - I am sure everyone who reads this page is aware of the underwater cave connection between Sistema Sac Actun and Sistema Dos Ojos. The first connection between the two caves was made through a dry cave drip line survey between Pet Cemetery and Don's $100 Cenote (see the 15 December, 2012 update on this page) . The most recent connection made by the Gran Aguifer Maya team involves an underwater cave connection. A cave diver can pass from the Dos Ojos area to any Sac Actun cenote in the cave system.

Sistema Sac Actun moves ahead of the long-reigning Sistema Ox Bel Ha as the world's longest underwater cave. Sistema Sac Actun remains as Mexico's longest cave, and is also the second longest cave in the world. I congratulate all the GAM, Vanilla Sky, PET, MCEP, SAET, QDT, DRSS, dry cavers, science  project divers and contributing researchers in this endeavor to understand the cave. I hope to hear more about future Ox Bel Ha explorations. The work there is not done by any means. What was accomplished by the Ox Bel Ha Project explorers since the early 1990's is very impressive.

In this update we include the new caves of Sistema MOAC, Sistema O'ho Tucha, Sistema de los Metates, Sistema Red Pool, Cenote Dagobah, Cenote Mordor, Cenote Mak Chi', Sistema Chucho, Cueva Diablo Sump, Cenote Zoots Lik, Cenote Nah Ichi Ool, Cenote Enzo's Well, Cenote Special K, and Sistema Kneedeep. These are all new explorations. We also update Sistema Nohoch Kai, Sistema Sac Pepem (connected to Kiix Pepem now), Sistema Choko Pek, Sistema Flor de Mayo, Cenote Hatzutz Actun, and Sistema Tres Palos.

You will also see some significant changes on the dry cave and sumps page. There has been considerable effort put into these dry and sump explorations.

Once again I am going to make small changes in how I report cave figures on these pages. You can always download a full PDF report on most any web page.

29 March 2018 - First off, we welcome our new QRSS map distribution directors. We are sure you know Jeff Clark and Gosia Pytel from Tulum Scuba. Both are experienced in dry, underwater and land explorations in Quintana Roo. They have participated in many exploration projects. We thank them for their help.

In this update, we report updates on Sistema Sac Actun (an earlier January 2018 data set), Sistema Nohoch Kai, and Sistema Pandora. Sistema Pandora was connected to Cenote Melmak in December 2017. We also update information on Sistema Xuux Two. We add Cenote Avispas and Cenote Orquidea to the archive. As an oddity within the hydrology of the area, Cenote Orquidea is reported as a classic sink with an initial reported depth of -44.8 m (-147 ft). It is just a bit over 4 km from the Caribbean Sea. Further exploration and survey is planned by the explorers.

We have further updates to add to these pages. These include both underwater and dry cave updates in progress.

I am very sad to report that we have lost another long-time Quintana Roo cave explorer and mentor. Daniel Lins participated in many underwater cave projects in Quintana Roo and Yucatan state. He was an early Director for the QRSS and a cave diving instructor for many years in Akumal. His projects in Quintana Roo included explorations in many caves including Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Zapote (Vaca Ha area) and Sistema Sac Actun (Sistema Abejas area, Sistema Naval area, Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich area, and Sistema Dos Ojos area). Dan was drawn to the Abejas cave due to its mystery and proximity to the Naval section of Sac Actun. The fracture-controlled passage in Abejas is unique to the area; Dan found most of the southern trunk passages past the original 1987 Zumrick and DeLoach explorations in Abejas. The connection to Naval would elude him, although he was very close in finding the key feeder conduit. Dan had many adventures in this cave, all of them were good

Dan was also a dedicated explorer in the Dos Ojos cave area. He led a strong effort in exploring the LSD  and Don's $100 Cenote areas. He had a good look at Cenote Miguel with its hoodoos. Dan and Kay Walten would come to pioneer the route from the western Tikim Chi cenote area to what is now called The Pit. They explored both pits in this cenote to find the deeper master passage. There were no roads to the Pit in 1994. After looking at both pits (at depth) on their first discovery dive, they went back the way they came, underground and underwater. In short time Dan formed a small team to conduct rebreather explorations in the Pit with Buddy Quattlebaum and Steve Bogaerts. They found the first evidence of paleo-cave in Quintana Roo. This was a real eye opener for everyone, including hydrologists.. Dan was on his motorcycle in Florida when he was hit by two cars. He will be missed by his family, his friends, and many cavers.

02 January 2018 - We highlight updates for underwater cave explorations in Sistema Doggi (missing the Media Luna connection still), Sistema Xuux Two, and Sistema Ah Kax Ha (Otra Avicola).. We have a few more underwater cave updates to report soon. We also include a major update at this time for the dry cave and sumps pages.

We lost a long-time explorer and valuable mentor to local cave divers in November 2017. Bil Phillips and Speleotech maintained a strong presence within the myriad of today's Quintana Roo cave diving facilities. As a seasoned educator when discussing cave diving philosophies and procedures, Bil voiced a strong and committed voice for proper cave diving education and cave conservation. Perhaps this is why Bil was a such a steady supporter of the QRSS philosophy and organization. Bil was a QRSS Director for over 15 years. He always found time to deliver maps, discuss his caving and survey philosophy, and then find the time to support upcoming cave divers, survey projects, and diverse science projects. Bil's long exploration record speaks to his commitment to these fragile caves. My guess is that most anyone reading this web page would know Bil personally. The Quintana Roo caves will miss a true educator, explorer, and cartographer who gave something back to the caves he loved.

01 August 2017 - We focus on the underwater caves during this round of updates. We will post a dry cave and sump update soon. To start off, Sistema Ich Tun Three was connected to Sistema Sac Actun during July 2017. We also update information on Sistema K'oox baal, Sistema Sac Kai (Paachil Nah), Sistema Taj Mahal, Sistema Ah Kax Ha (Chicken Ranch #2), Sistema Zukunoob Noh, Sistema Gran Zapote, and Sistema Mol Balaam East. We add Cenote Tucan Sink, Cenote Xuux Two, and Cenote Pequena Puerta as new underwater cave explorations to our archive.

31 May 2017 - We update the QRSS Sponsor web page. We welcome Acuatic Tulum  as  a new QRSS map distribution center. We appreciate their support in QRSS projects and for our philosophy. We update the Dry cave and Sump pages at this time. We are excited to see further development in dry and sump exploration in this coastal area.

As a note, we are witnessing an inappropriate rash of cave and cavern diving fatalities over past years. Accident reports suggest that novice open water divers and novice cave divers are being encouraged to enter cavern and cave environments that are clearly beyond the clients' recognized training level. Apparently past fatalities involve cave certified "guides" who create unfortunate and terminal scenarios for their clients. It is no surprise that the guides survive. The clients do not survive. We ask local cave diving facilities to review their guiding standard operating procedures. Relying on Face book or Twitter to shame those after the accident does not solve what is clearly a break from safe cave diving philosophy and transparent rules. We would prefer local dive facilities create proactive solutions to end this unfortunate trend.

01 May 2017 - We are focused on underwater caves during this round of updates. We will have a dry cave and sump update soon. We update Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Koox b'aal, Sistema Taj Mahal, Sistema Ah Kax Ha, Sistema Vecan, Sistema Ich Tun Three, Sistema Zukunoob Noh, Sistema String of Pearls, and Sistema Mol Balaam East.  We add four new underwater caves; Cenote Melmak, Sistema Actun Tumben, Entrada Vulcan, Cenote Jose Cocom, and Cenote Otoch Kitam.

01 January 2017 - We send our best wishes to all readers in hopes for an exciting and prosperous New Year. We update the Dry Caves and Sumps page with recent reports This includes updates to Sistema del Vivero in the dry cave list. We also include an update to Sistema Garra de Jaguar, or Jaguar Claw in English. The Garra de Jaguar cave is found in the sumps web page. Of course you can always download a full PDF report for any cave list in that is highlighted its respective web page.

We have conducted a bit of maintenance on our web pages. We also welcome a new QRSS Map Distribution Center. We wish the Pacha Cave Diving Center the best of luck. 

Feliz Navidad y próspero Año Nuevo!

06 December 2016 - We include updates for Sistema Sac Actun. Both PET and MCEP groups report new surveys in the Aktun Hu area of Sac Actun. We also update continuing exploration efforts in Sistema K'oox b'aal. In addition, Sistema Zapote has seen a resurgence of cave exploration by a number of groups. A 16-year ban on access to the main cenote was lifted for the Zapote Survey Group by the new caretakers of the property. Please be advised that the classic entrance to the Zapote cave remains closed to the public.

We offer updates for Sistema Ah Kax Ha (Chicken Ranch 2), Sistema Vecan, Sistema Ich Tun Three, and Sistema Swan Lake. Sistema Swan Lake is connected to Sistema Borges dry and sump caves. We report this collection of caves as Sistema Swan Lake. We also report updates on the Sistema Zukanoob Noh cave.

You will also find updates on the Dry Caves and Sumps web page.

02 October 2016 - We include a few updates for Sistema Ox Bel Ha. We can report that Sistema K'oox baal is now connected to Sistema Tres Cruces . We also update Sistemas Ramon, Carwash, Ich Tun Three, and Gran Zapote. We also update several single entrance caves including Cenote Dos Ayim, Cenote Apocalypse, and Cenote Calacchen, We also add three new underwater cave surveys; Cenote Hushpuppy, Cenote Xuux, and Cenote Mateo. We also update the sumps web page.

30 July 2016 - We have one new underwater cave to report, Cenote Zukunoob Noh. In other explorations both MCEP and CINDAQ groups report a large update for Sistema Ox Bel Ha (OBH). Included in their survey notes is the discovery of a deep "in-cave" solution pit (currently Deep Dreams Pit at -51.2m). This is the seventh significant pit to be found in the largely horizontal Quintana Roo underwater cave complex. Deep Dreams is one of two pits found in Sistema OBH. The first OBH pit is currently surveyed to a depth of -57.3m.

It appears that the discovery of deep pits integrated within our largely horizontally developed caves becomes less of an oddity these days. According to archived survey notes, we offer an observation that the two underwater pits closest to the coast appear to be more fracture-oriented pits. This is not surprising due to the geology of the area. The other, more inland pits appear to be associated with wider dissolution and perhaps collapse (?) events. Only one of these in-cave pits contain significant horizontal cave development at great depth. We continue to support a hypothesis for extensive and deeper Paleo-cave passage development in our study area.

As a note, we are not discounting any of the classic sink cenotes (pits open to the land surface) in the area. Although not common to the area prone to underwater horizontal cave development, the near-dozen surveyed classic sinks are significant features to this karst landscape in their own right.

As for other news, Sistema K'oox Baal is now connected to the more remote Ka-Lag Dzonot cave. We also update Sistema Ich Tun Three, Cenote Polaris, Entrada Punta Allen Snapper, and Cenote Charco.

03 June 2016 - We have many updates to report at this time. We add eight new underwater caves; Sistema Chac Bromelia, Cenote ZBK, Cenote Heteron Ha, Cenote Anita Ha, Cenote del Tigre, Cenote Pat Ha, and Cenotes C2 and C5. Concerning existing caves we update Sistemas Ox Bel Ha, Sac Actun, and K'oox Baal. What was reported by the Czech Speleological Society as Sistema Paachil Nah is now reported as Sistema Sac Kai. We also update the Sistema Muul Three, Sistema Dzonot Took, and Sistema Kachkalak underwater caves.

Alex Reato and the Czech Speleological Society have made many advances in the Sistema K'oox Baal area. Sistema K'oox Baal is now the third longest underwater cave in Mexico with the connection of Sistema Muul Tun Spring. The Vanilla Sky Project has also been busy in connecting satellite caves surrounding the Sistema Sac Actun area. We have also updated the Dry Cave and Sumps page on this site.

19 April 2016 - We have five new underwater caves to report. These include Sistema Caleta Tankah,  Sistema Linea Dorada, Sistema Good Guy, Sistema Under the Tree, and Laguna Timote. You will find updates for Sistema K'oox Baal, Sistema Camilo,  Sistema Pandora, Sistema Kachkalak, Ich Tun Three, and Sistema Laguna Abejas (Tres Palmas).  Sistema Ich Tun Three is now connected to Sistema Ich Tun. Sistema K'oox Baal has been connected to Sistema Wa Ba'ax Yan.

We have also updated the Dry Cave and Sump pages. There are some exciting dry cave projects that continue to expand in going cave passage.

03 March 2016 - We have a few new underwater caves to report. These include explorations in Sistema Pandora, Cenote Caleta Tankah, Cenote Under the Tree, Sistema Chan Nai Tucha, Cenote Animal, and Cenote Maya Magic. We also update information for Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema K'oox Baal, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Paachil Nah, Sistema Mul Tun Spring, Cenote Hatzutz Actun, Sistema Ich Tun Three, Cenote Gemelos, and Cenote Ax Puk.

A new in-cave pit in Sistema Ox Bel Ha was found recently, it has been surveyed to -57.3 m (-188 feet). The depth of the explored pit is reported to be in excess of -61 m (-200 feet). This discovery marks the fourth known underwater in-cave pit in the Tulum - Xel Ha region.

A few caves have been absorbed by the larger Sistema Paachil Nah cave. These include the Bet Et Oox Ha sump, Cenote Tu, and both Cenote Nauatilostotl caves. It is a complicated cave, however all dry and underwater sections total just under 9km in length. Peter Sprouse and his teams also have updates to report. You will find a complete update for Paachil Nah and the Sprouse teams' explorations on our Dry Cave and Sumps page.

22 January, 2016 - We will have another set of cave updates for you in early March 2016. We also welcome Natalie and Vincent of Under the Jungle owners of the latest QRSS map distribution center.

06 January, 2016 - We have updated the sumps and dry cave pages. We add the Guerreros Orishas Sump area to the Rancho Guerreros Sump. The Guerreros Main Sump and Chiwoj sections are now sections of this larger cave. You will find a full account of Guerreros cave on the Dry Cave and Sumps page. We also add information for Sistema Ox Bel Ha and Sistema K'oox baal. Sistema Lion (Leon) was connected by an underwater cave passage to Sistema K'oox baal.

12 November, 2015 - We are pleased to update the Dry Cave page again. SIstema Chango Mistico has grown to become a significant dry cave in the area. Our congratulations to the explorers and cave surveyors in documenting this cave.

01 November, 2015 - We have five new underwater caves to report. These include Cenote Carita, Cenote Paachil Nah, Entrada Snapper, Entrada San Juan Norte, and Entrada Jan Juan Sur. We report additional information for Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema K'oox Baal, Entrada Caapechen (Manatee), Entrada Boca Paila, Sistema Kachkalak, Sistema Mul Tun Spring, Cenote Nauatilostotl Two, Cenote Tu, Sistema Tam Chac Ha, Cenote Nauatilostotl, Sistema Lion, Cenote Chan Keken Ha, Sistema Tres Cruces, and Entrada Oxpechen. We also report new information on the sumps and dry caves web page.

We continue to report all reported underwater and dry cave lengths and their depths. We are limiting our deep underwater cave lists to caves equal to or deeper than 24.4 m in depth. We may raise the bar to 25 m next year (2016).

You will also note recent reports on caves named as an Entrada. To summarize, QRSS recognizes single-entrance underwater inland caves as a Cenote. Underwater and dry multi-entrance caves are often labeled as a Sistema. Currently, we address offshore underwater cave entrances in Quintana Roo as Entradas. These may or may not be freshwater discharge vents sensitive to tidal events. One could equate an Entrada to an Ojo de Agua, Blue Hole, boil, whirlpool, or another home of the Chacs and Charybdis.

08 August, 2015 - We have four new underwater caves to report. These include Cenote Mul Tun (separate spring and siphon sides), Cenote Balam, and Cenote Chan Keken Ha. We update information for Sistema Zapote, Sistema Vecan, Sistema Kachkalak, and Sistema Tam Chac Ha.

We also welcome Nicolas of CenoteXperience, owner of the latest QRSS map distribution center.

30 May, 2015 - We have one new underwater cave to report, Cenote Yax Chich. We have updates for Sistemas Ox Bel Ha, Sac Actun, Toh Ha, Vecan, Uxuxubi, and Tam Chac Ha. We also include updates for Cenotes Kan Ha and Tam Lu'um. You will find new updates on the Dry Cave and Sumps page as well.

We also welcome Lanny and Claire of UnderWorld Tulum, owners of the latest QRSS map distribution center.

04 April, 2015 - We have three underwater cave connections to report. Sistema Nohoch Kai is connected to the smaller Ox Pe Pool cave in this update. In the Pino Suarez area, Sistema Alomo is now connected to the Colmena underwater cave. The Nohoch Kai-Ox Pe Pool and Alomo-Colmena survey efforts build on a decade of past explorations. Collaboration between exploration groups always produces exciting results. A third underwater connection was made in Sistema El Puente. Cenote Chac's Labyrinth Two is connected to El Puente's growing underwater cave system.

We also add information for two new underwater caves. These new caves include Cenote Jeel Kaa Paha Nohoch and Cenote Tam Lu'um. We update information for Sistema Toh Ha, Cenote Kan Ha, Sistema Sak Sak, Sistema Vecan, and Sistema Ursus. I also make a length correction for the Misterio Maya cave. You will find a complete update for the Misterio Maya cave on the Dry Caves and Sumps page.

14 February, 2015 - We have two new underwater caves to report; these include Cenote Kan Ha and Cenote Div. Sistema Dos Guerreros is now connected to Sistema Misterio Maya. We include updates for Sistema Sac Actun,  Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Nohoch Kai, Sistema Sak' Sak', Cenote Vecan, Sistema Tres Palos, and Sistema Chan Kai Wiij. You will find updates to our Dry Caves and Sump page. Peter Sprouse sent an update for over 15.5 km of new dry passage survey. This update reflects the efforts of numerous team explorations in 25 new and previously explored dry caves.

05 January, 2015 - We have six new underwater caves to report. These include Sistema Sak' Sak', Sistema Chan Kai Wiij, Sistema Dos Guerreros, Cenote Tres Palos, Cenote Karma Ha, and Cenote Jaguar 2. We update Sistema Sap Pepem, Sistema Las Niñas, Sistema Misterio Maya, and Cueva Diablo (Nelo) Sump.

23 October, 2014 - We have four new underwater caves to report. These include Sistema Las Niñas, Cenote Tres Liones, Cenote Ch'een (silent), and Cenote Fallen Tree. We also include updates for Sistema Nohoch Pek, Sistema Ponderosa, Cenote Vecan, Sistema Mol Balaam East, Cenote Ralle, and Cenote Chan Ch'omak. We have also updated the Dry Cave and Sumps page.

08 August, 2014 - We have three new underwater caves to report. These include Cenote Blue Bit Bull, Cenote The Nest, and Cenote Chan Cho'mak. We have an update for Cueva Quebrada on Cozumel Island. Sistema Dos Coronas is now connected to the Cueva Quebrada cave. You will find a short update on the Cozumel page. We also have updates for Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Nohoch Pek, Sistema Muuch, and Sistema Dzonot Tucha (Caracol).

01 June, 2014 -  We have three new underwater caves to report; Cenote Bambi Ha, Cenote Chauac (Chowak) Motz (Moots) Spring, and Cenote Chauac Motz Siphon. Sistema UchBen has been connected to Sistema Sac Actun. We have updates on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Nohoch Pek, Sistema Caterpillar, Sistema Muuch, Cenote Lilo Ha, and Cenote Cuzel Gasera. We also update the Dry Cave and Sumps page.

26 April, 2014 -  This is a rather large update for the past five weeks. We have updates for Sistema K'oox Baal, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Murena-Aak Kimin, Sistema Caterpillar, Sistema UchBen, and Sistema Zebra. In new developments for existing caves, Cenote Chac Ha was connected to Sistema Zebra. Cenote Gorilla is now connected to Sistema UchBen. We are also pleased to report that the both Spring and Siphon sides of the Carwash Cenote are united by a deep dripline survey creating Sistema Carwash.

We also have reports for 22 new underwater caves. These include Sistema El Puente, Sistema Four Twenty, Sistema Wa Ba'ax Yan, Sistema Dzonot Tucha (Caracol), Cenote Santuario de Los Mayas, Cenote Soots Hool, Sistema Nohoch Nai Zooz, Cenote Paachil Nah, Cenote Nauatilostotl, and Cenote Nauatilostotl Two. We also have new reports on Cenote Horst, Cenote Mogli, Cenote Ben, Sistema Puerta del Paraiso, Cenote Chac's Labyrinth Two, Cenote Swallow House, Cenote Tu, Cenote Nah Baak, Cenote Luuk Hool, Beh Et Oox Ha Sump, Cenote Blinddarm, and Sistema Linea.

We add reports for two new dry caves, Cueva Styx and Cueva Nah Soots.

19 March, 2014 - We add information for 15 new underwater caves. These include Cenote Mosquito Factory, Sistema Red Dragon, Cenote Drunken Snake, Sistema Tres Rios, Sistema Pajaro, Cenote Aguila, Cenote Jerry, Sistema Aktun Pek, Cenote El Puente, Cenote Sirenis Jungle, Cenote Ixchel Two, Ka't Sump One, Cenote Scorpion Root, Cenote Hannibal, and Cenote Xeldon. We report 11 updates for Sistema Dos Ojos (Sac Actun), Sistema Nohoch Pek, Sistema Caterpillar, Sistema Doggi, Sistema Cupul Ha, Sistema Ek Be, Sistema Choko Pek, Sistema UchBen, Cenote Ts'unu'un, Cenote Iron Monkey, and Cenote Avicola.

Three underwater caves have been connected to more extensive cave systems. Cenote Xulo is connected to Sistema Caterpillar, Cenote Ka't is connected to Sistema Cupul Ha, and Cenote Mancha is connected Sistema Choko Pek.

11 February, 2014 - We add information for five new underwater caves on our web pages. These include Sistema UchBen, Cenote Ts'unu'un, Sistema Kaape Culche Sump, Sistema Imelda, Cenote Cheel, and Kaape Culche Piedra Sump. We also report recent updates for Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Cupul Ha, Sistema Dos Coronas (Cozumel Island), Sistema Domingos, Fatima Sump, and Cenote Xuux Kanan.

We add new cave explorations and updates to the Dry Cave and Sumps page. A December 2013 expedition reports both data and maps from eight new dry caves. Both Cueva Cheen and Cech Chen caves contain significant sump developments.

We have removed the Sistema Uxden Na Illob entry (Feb. 2005) from the Unconfirmed Cave Length page. The landowner confirms this karst window to be the UchBen cave that is listed above.

01 January, 2014 -We wish all our friends and readers a safe and prosperous 2014! We add reports of nine new underwater caves. These include Sistema Cupul Ha, Cenote Don Lucio, Sistema Mol Balaam West (Luk Dzonot), Sistema Mol Balaam East, Fatima Sump, Cenote K'at, Sistema Altar Tigre South Sump, Cenote Xuux Kanan, and Cenote Gelasio. We include reports for new explorations in Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Camilo, Sistema Aak Kimin - Murena, and Sistema Box Pek Sac Yo'ok.

Sistema Murena - Aak Kimin is now connected to Laguna Lagarto. This cave is growing to become a significant coastal underwater cave. We find that much of this fracture-controlled cave is situated within 500 meters of the coast, its surveyed passages parallel the Caribbean coast in a remarkable manner. This begs a future hydrological study in exploring how underwater caves in this area of Quintana Roo exchange aquifer and salt waters between separate coastal tourist resorts on the Costa Turquesa. Any takers?

Our list of unconfirmed cave connections grows shorter. We find the 2003 report of a cave connection between Sistema Taj Majal and Sistema Minotauro to be in error. A detailed survey of Sistema Minotauro is now complete. A high grade cartographic presentation of this underwater cave will be available in this year.

We add new explorations and updates to the Dry Cave and Sumps page. New explorations in Sistema Pool Tunich, both dry and underwater, create a 38 km cave!  Pool Tunich is becoming a significant cave within the region. Its dry and sump sections suggest an interesting relationship between the dry and wet cave environments. Congratulations to the groups who have explored and mapped this cave!

16 November, 2013 - We have reports of four new underwater caves; we are able to report three caves at this time. Our new caves include Cenote Ch'ooy, Cenote Zapote (Cenote Hells Bells), and Cenote Pal. We have further updates for Sistema Sac Actun and Sistema Nohoch Pek caves. We have adjusted the total length for Sistema Sac Actun on the Dry Caves and Sumps page.

30 September, 2013 - We have reports on five new underwater caves, we are able to report three caves. These caves include Sistema Tum Ben Ha, Sistema Trono Sump, and Cenote Ak Tres. We also update Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Doggi, Sistema Box Pek Sac Yo'ok, and Sistema Taninah East. We make two changes to our past reports. Cenote Aktun Train is longer recognized by that name. Aktun Train has been renamed to Cenote S. Butterfly. Cenote Muk K'in, once the longest single entrance underwater cave in the area, has been connected to a new underwater cave for this area. Sistema Nohoch Pek is a significant underwater cave.

Finally, you will discover some early fall cleaning in the Long and Deep Underwater Cave Lists. Should you visit this site often, you will note our addition of PDF downloads for more complete reports of Dry and Sumped caves. We are simplifying our web page cave reports. At this update, we report underwater caves over one kilometer in length (1000 meters) on our web site pages. The deep underwater web page reports caves from depths of -24.4 m (-80 ft) to deeper depths. The dry cave web page reports dry caves that are over 500 meters in length.

This has been a labor that will simplify our future web page updates. I provide PDF downloads for all reports (Long, Deep, Dry, Sumps) on their respective web pages. Expect more changes on our web page. Big, small, long, short, deep, or shallow, we feel each cave should be recognized.

I will be updating  the German and Spanish web pages shortly.

09 August, 2013 - We have reports on five new underwater caves. We also have developments in older caves to share. The new underwater caves include Sistema Box Pek Sac Yook, Cenote Pitahaya, Cenote Doblado, Cenote Vecan, and Cenote Kiin Kaba. Updates for existing caves include Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Sand Crack, Cenote Muk K'in, Sistema Minotauro, Ka-Lag Dzonot, Sistema Sac Pepem, and Sistema Umberto. There have been some very interesting cave exploration efforts in the past months!

23 June, 2013 - We report a number of developments for new and existing underwater caves in this update. To begin with, we update the Dry Cave and Sump list. We are updating the Cozumel underwater cave page as well. Apparently we neglected to queue up a past report on two new Cozumel underwater caves. The new caves include Sistemas Dos Coronas and Sin Nombre. We offer our apologies to the survey and exploration team for this unfortunate oversight.

We update the following underwater caves; Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema Murena-Aak Kimin, Sistema Caterpillar, Ka Lag Dzonot, Sistema Sac Pepem, and Sistema Umberto. Sistema Murena is now connected to the older Aak Kimin cave. We also report a few new underwater caves. These include Sistema Chi Keen, Cenote Xulo, Sistema Dos Coronas, Sistema Sin Nombre, and Cenote Iron Monkey.

You will see future changes to our web site within the next months. We will certainly continue to provide timely updates for all reported Quintana Roo caves and cave systems.

13 May, 2013 - This is a partial update, there is more data on our desk to attend to. We update Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Minotauro, Ka-Lag Dzonot, Cenote Gypsy Juice, and Cenote Pa. We add Sistema Sac Pepem, Cenote Aktun Train, Cenote Swallow Bridge, and Sac Pepem Sump. You will also find a partial update to the Dry Cave and Sumps page.

28 March, 2013 - We update Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sac Actun, Toh Ha, Minotauro, Regina, and Ah Kax Ha. We also update Ka-Lag Dzonot. We add five new underwater caves. These include Sistema Vanilla, Cueva Ursus, Sistema Dead Frog, Cenote Gypsy Juice, and Cenote Actun Zooz.

17 February, 2013 - We update Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Camilo, Sistema Minotauro, Sistema Caterpillar, Sistema Regina, and Sistema Kuuchil Winik Laab cave. We also update the status of Cenote Chac Aaktun Ja, This cave was connected to Sistema Regina, adding a third entrance to Sistema Regina. We add two new underwater caves to our archive, Ka-Lag Dzonot and Sistema Box Ich.

15 January, 2013 - We are pleased to report that the Quiet Diver Team (QDT) and the Dominican Republic Speleological Society (DRSS) have connected Cenote Herradura, Cenote K'oxul, Cenote Maya, Sistema Ak Tulum, Sistema Sand Crack, and Cenote Little Fish into one underwater cave system. The entire cave system is named as Sistema Sand Crack There is quite a bit more cave survey that is added to the overall length of these connected caves.  You should be hearing more about the Sand Crack underwater cave later this year.

We add a new underwater cave, Cenote Cuzel Gasera. We also update the information on Cenote Muk K'in, Sistema Minotauro, and Sistema Umberto. We have a new update on Sistema Taj Mahal, but we have been delayed in reporting this update. We will report this update soon.

Peter Sprouse and his teams have added quite a lot of new survey to Sistema Rio Secreto. Right now Rio Secreto stands at a bit over 30 km in length. If you are an underwater caver and have never visited a dry cave, Rio Secreto is a great way to experience the typical dry cave environment in Quintana Roo. Dry cavers visiting the area will certainly appreciate Rio Secreto.

15 December, 2012 - We have many updates to report, perhaps the more important is a dry cave connection between Sistema Dos Ojos and Sistema Sac Actun. As reported in the December 2012 NSS (National Speleological Society) News, Don Arburn, Gill Ediger, Aida Ferreira, Devra Heyer, Carrie Hutchins, Pat Kambesis, Chris Lloyd, Rene Rogers Ohms, Bev Shade, Peter Sprouse, Terri Sprouse, German Yanez, and Jacinto Vela surveyed this connection during August 2012. The connection was made between Sistema Dos Ojo's Don's $100 Cenote entrance and Sistema Sac Actun's (Nohoch Nah Chich) Pet Cemetery entrance. It follows a similar path taken by Kay Walten, Gary Walten, and Dan Lins over a decade ago. You will find the total dry and wet cave length for Sac Actun on the Dry Caves page. We congratulate these explorers and Peter Sprouse as the cartographer.

We are also pleased to report a recent underwater connection between Sistema del Mundo Escondido and Sistema Sac Actun by Alex Reato. The Czech Speleological Society have concluded a successful expedition to Sistema K'oox baal.  We also update Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Doggi, Sistema Caterpillar, and Cenote Tribal Village. The Quiet Diver Team (QRT) has been very active in the Doggi, Caterpillar and Tribal Village caves. They also report three new caves; Sistema Casa del Jaguar, Sistema Murena, and Sistema Sand Crack. We are not able to report a full accounting for Sistema Sand Crack during this update. Sistema Sand Crack is a significant cave for the Tulum area.

Finally, we add another new cave, Cenote Chac Chi, to our archive. We thank all of the above explorers and other exploration teams for sharing their exploration reports with QRSS.

30 October, 2012 - We update Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Minotauro, Sistema Ah Kax Ha, Cenote Subul, Cenote Tux cud'tang Che, Sistema Taninah East, and Cenote Domingos. We add two new underwater caves, Cenote Chac Aaktun Ja and Cenote Selva Azul. We also offer a partial update on the Dry Cave and Sumps page.

17 September, 2012 - Concerning underwater caves, we update Sistema Dos Ojos, Cenote Muk K'in, Cenote Subul, Sistema Akab Ha, Cenote Tux cud'tang Che, Sistema Tam Chac Ha, and Cenote San Pedro. We add two new underwater caves in this update to include Sistema Taninah East and Taninah Slide Sump. We will update the Sumps and Dry Cave page within the next few days.

15 August, 2012 - We update Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Ponderosa, Sistema Camilo, Cenote Muk K'in, Sistema Crustacea, Sistema Luna Azul, and Cenote Pepem Actun. We can add the following underwater caves; Sistema Manak Balam, Sistema String of Pearls, Cenote Subul, and Sistema La Tumba.

11 July, 2012 - The Dry Cave and Sumps page is now updated.

06 July, 2012 - Concerning underwater caves, we can add a new cave as named, Cenote NoName. We also update information on Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Camilo, Sistema Luna Azul, and Sistema Ramon. Sistema Ramon is quite deep now, relative to the average depths of local caves.

QRSS presented a talk at the International Session during the 2012 National Speleological Society (NSS) Convention in Lewisburg, West Virginia. We appreciate all the support we have received from the active Quintana Roo exploration and mapping teams. Your help by sharing survey data and photographs was indispensable in accounting for the work and discoveries that your teams have made during the past year.

We would also like to mention that two Quintana Roo underwater cave maps were entered this year in the NSS Convention Cartography Salon. Both are excellent cave maps that are drawn by very promising underwater cave cartographers. We would like to thank Alberto Nava and Wesley Underwood for showing their maps of Hoyo Negro (Aktun Hu section of Sistema Sac Actun) and Sistema Akab Ha caves. We hope to see more maps from these cartographers in the future.

03 June, 2012 - For underwater caves, we update information on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Dos Pisos, Sistema Doggi, Sistema Ramon, Cenote Pepem Actun, and Sistema Flor de Mayo. We can add Sistema Caterpillar, Cenote Don Oso, Cenote Ling Ha, Cenote Box Hol, and Cenote Mud Honey as new underwater caves.

As for the Dry and Sump cave page, I plan to restructure the page information within the next week or so. For this present "dry cave" and sump update, I will only correct Cueva Dino's name to Sistema Rio Escondido at the exploration team's request. This will also be the final update for Deep Underwater Caves in Feet  page. I am also planning to move towards a download version of all underwater, dry, and sumped caves information. I also plan to move towards a significant long and deep cave list without ignoring the smaller caves. Those smaller caves tend to grow into quite larger caves. I don't wish to discourage explorers reporting their information.

Any constructive comments are certainly welcome. QRSS will continue to maintain our Project goals. 

28 April, 2012 - Concerning underwater caves, we offer updates for Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema K'oox baal, Cenote Muk K'in, Sistema Luna Azul, Sistema Kix Pepem, Cenote Pepem Actun, Sistema Pepem Actun Sur, and Sistema Wall Sump. We add three new underwater caves, Sistema Ramon, Sistema Huracan Norte, and Cenote Huracan Sur. We have also made updates to the Dry Cave and Sumps page.

22 March, 2012 - We offer underwater cave updates on Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema K'oox baal, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Minotauro, Sistema Muk K'in, Cenote Pepem Actun, and Cenote Hatzutz Actun. We add information on a new underwater cave, Cenote Domingos.

Peter Sprouse and a large team of explorers added  over 11 kilometers of surveyed passage in 35 different "dry" caves during a recent expedition. Between underwater and dry team surveys, we add over 23 kilometers of information in this update. We thank all the explorers who have contributed to the QRSS archives. 

15 February, 2012 - QRSS survey data archives passed the 1000-kilometer mark for total surveyed underwater cave passage in our study area. A February update for the Cenote Muk K'in cave pushed the archive into new territory. We actually passed a combined 1000-kilometer total for both surveyed underwater and dry cave during April 2011. Peter Sprouse and his mapping team members are responsible for reaching this milestone (kilometer-stone?). They continue to document an extensive and quite exciting collection of dry caves near Playa del Carmen.

If we have not mentioned this earlier, Simon Richards extracted a complete list of explorers from our survey data archives. At this date, we are able to count over 353 wet and dry cave surveyors who have contributed survey data to the QRSS. We send our thanks and congratulations to each of these explorers for helping QRSS to document this karst region.

This month we update information on the underwater caves of Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Toh Ha, Cenote Doggi, Sistema Zapote, Sistema Regina, Sistema Tortuga, and Cenote Muk K'in. We add information for Sistema Kiix Pepem, Cenote Pepem Aktun, and Sistema Colmena underwater caves.

31 December, 2011 - A recent Czech Speleological Society (CSS) expedition to Quintana Roo succeeded in connecting Sistema Tux Kupaxa, Sistema Sac K'tu Cha, and Cueva Balam T'sal sump to Sistema K'oox baal. Sistema K'oox baal is now the 7th longest cave in Mexico. It is the 4th longest underwater cave, or 5th longest cave (to include connected "dry" caves) in Quintana Roo. We congratulate the CSS team on finding these elusive connections.

In this update, we report new information on Sistema Ox Bel Ha and Cenote Muk K'in. We add three new underwater caves; Cenote Tan Ich, Sistema Numya, and Cenote Pepem Actun. We have also updated the Dry Caves and Sumps page.

12 December, 2011 - We have added a large update to the Dry Caves page. We have updated information for Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema Camilo, Cenote Doggi, Sistema Umberto, and Sistema El Flaco. We have also added a new underwater cave, Cenote Muk K'in.

09 October, 2011 - We have added three new underwater caves; Cenote El Flaco, Cenote Umberto, and Cenote San Martin Balam Ha. We have updated information for Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Minotauro, Cenote Doggi, Sistema Ah Kax Ha, and Sistema Luna Azul. Cenote SLSH (Akab Ha) was resurveyed during September 2011 and renamed as Sistema Akab Ha. A detailed map of Sistema Akab Ha is being drafted at this time.

10 September, 2011 - We have added Sistema Doggi to the QRSS underwater cave database. You will also find an update for Sistema Ox Bel Ha. New explorations in the Ox Bel Ha cave have connected Cenote Bromelia to this large cave system. We also report a bit of renewed activity in the Sistema Xunaan Ha cave.

Sistema Minotauro is growing rapidly. Both resurvey and cartography teams are making rapid progress with a new map for this cave. We also update information for Cenote Escondido.

Sistema Ah Kax Ha, once named as the Cenote Chicken Ranch Two (Otra Avicola), is now connected to the Cenote 27 Steps cave. This is a significant connection as it begins to fill out a bit of local hydrology and cave development details for the area.

06 August, 2011 - We have added four new underwater caves; Sistema Ah Kax Ha (once known as Cenote Chicken Ranch Two), Sistema Eldorado, Sistema Nuut Ha, and Cenote Sleeping Beauty. At this date we offer new information for Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema Dos Pisos, Sistema Ek Be, and Sistema Minotauro.

28 June, 2011 - We have added three new underwater caves; Cenote Mayan Door, Sistema Sac Yal K'ab, and Cenote Pa. Cenote Xcan is now connected to Sistema Ich Tunich. We have updates for Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Camilo, Sistema Luna Azul, Sistema Tatich, Sistema Minotauro, Sistema Muuch, Sistema Flor de Mayo, and Rancho Santuario de Los Guerreros Raining Tails Sump. There are updates on the Dry Cave page as well.

Alessandro Reato has completed a high-grade map of the Hol-Kin Section (over 10 kilometers of passage) of Sistema Xunaan Ha. A resurvey and high-grade map project of Sistema Minotauro is also well underway. Karin Pointner, Etienne Rousseau, and Alessando Reato are the lead mappers in this valuable effort. 

23 May, 2011 - It has been a very busy two months since our last update. We have added five new underwater caves, Sistema Muuch, Sistema Flor de Mayo, Cenote Luna Azul, Sistema Bromelia, and Sistema Tux cud'tang Che,. Congratulations are in order for many explorers. Bil Phillips and Steve Bogaerts connected Sistema Naranjal to Sistema Ox Bel Ha. Krzysztof Starnawski did some very interesting work in the Blue Abyss of Sistema Sac Actun. Sistema Dos Ojos has seen a lot of exploration attention. We congratulate Krzysztof Starnawski in his latest explorations and mapping in the Pit Region. We also congratulate Alessandro Reato in his connections of Sistema Balan Aktun and Cenote Eb to Sistema Dos Ojos. The Czech Speleological Survey was very busy in Sistema K'oox baal and Sistema Tux Kupaxa. Exploration continues in Sistema Xunaan Ha; a new map has been drawn of the Hol Kin area in Xunaan Ha by Alessandro Reato. Sistema Ek Be was rediscovered in the past weeks. Mauro Bordignon and Patrick Widmann resurveyed the original 1994 section, and have made some significant strides with new exploration and growth of the cave within the region.

Peter Sprouse has shared the results of the 2011 Spring Expedition to Quintana Roo. Surveyed dry caves are becoming more numerous as people take interest in this resource. It should be noted that some are quite long for the area. We thank all the cavers that have contributed to this survey and exploration effort.

27 March, 2011 - We added four new underwater caves: Sistema Motz Chechen, Cenote Balam Ha, Sistema Sac Ktu Cha, and Sistema Dzonot Muyil. We have also updated information for Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema Naranjal, Sistema Balun Actun, Sistema Kuuchil Wiinik Laab and Sistema Regina caves. We will have further updates for three large underwater caves in the very near future.

05 February, 2011 - Added two new underwater caves, Sistema Actun Can and Cenote Actun Can Dos. Saving the best update for last, we have updated information for Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema Balun Actun, and Cenote Chan Chemuyil Norte.

Robert Schmittner reports a 30 January 2011 connection between Sistema Sac Actun and Sistema Aktun Hu. This occurred in a series of small and restricted passages south of the Aktun Hu Outland section (first explored by Mike Madden in 1992). The Aktun Hu connection traverses south from Outland, then east skirting the Chi Chan Can cenote to what is known as the Knife Line survey of the Nohoch Nah Chich region in Sac Actun. In consideration of enthusiasts for pure underwater cave survey, Sac Actun has a 215246m length (-71.6m depth). Since a cave is a cave whether it's filled with water or air, the total length of Sistema Sac Actun including all wet and dry passages is 217363m (-77.6m depth).

A total length of 217363m for Sac Actun is a bit longer than today's 217133m length of Wind Cave reported by Rod Horrocks of Wind Cave National Park (USA). Having a surplus 230m over Wind Cave is hardly a significant advantage for Sac Actun. I expect the Wind Cave explorers to make up this length difference in the near future. I also expect there will be equal efforts to finalize a connection between Sistema Sac Actun and the 67.8km Sistema Dos Ojos.

We extend our congratulations to Robert Schmittner's connection team, the explorers of Sistema Sac Actun, and the explorers of Sistema Aktun Hu.

01 January, 2011 - Added two new underwater caves, Cenote Triangulo Norte and Cenote Triangulo Sur. Updated information on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema Actun Hu, Sistema K'oox baal, Sistema Tux Kupaxa, Sistema Balun Actun, and Sistema Bat.

18 November, 2010 - Added two new underwater caves, Cenote Chi Chan Can and Sistema Sac Luum. Cenote Renzo is now connected to Sistema Xunaan Ha, while Cenote Balan Ak has just been connected to Sistema Balun Actun. We have also updated information on Sistema Dos Ojos, and Sistema Aktun Hu.

20 October, 2010 - Added two new underwater caves (Sistema Under the Bridge and Sistema Lorenzo) and one dry cave (Sistema DHW Sur 3). DHW Sur 3 is connected to Sistema Dos Ojos at two sumps. These sumps were previously documented in the Dos Ojos underwater cave survey. Updated Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Cenote Balun Actun, Cenote Renzo, and Sistema Punta X'cacel. Ojo del Diablo no longer exists as it was absorbed by Punta X'cacel.

Sistema Sac Actun is now 409 meters longer than Sistema Ox Bel Ha by total survey. Does this make Sistema Sac Actun the longest cave in Mexico? Personally I am amazed by the explorations in both these 182-kilometer giants.

05 September, 2010 - Added three new underwater caves (Cenote Lilo Ha, Cenote Solomon, and Cenote Santuario) and one short dry cave (Cueva Chen Am). Updated Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Cenote Balun Actun, Cenote Renzo, Cenote Balan Ak, Sistema Templo, Cenote Punta X'cacel, and Cenote Punta X'cacel Norte.

By the numbers, Sistema Ox Bel Ha remains the world's longest underwater cave. However, 2.1+ kilometers of surveyed dry cave is connected by two sumps to Sistema Sac Actun. Given the sum of dry and underwater cave lengths, Sistema Sac Actun becomes the longest cave in Mexico by about 84 meters. We don't see an 84 meter advantage to be a commanding position though. Let's wait for further developments during the next month or two.

23 July, 2010 - Added two new underwater caves in the X'cacel area, Ojo del Diablo and Ojo Azul. We have deleted information on the X'cacel Pequeña cave as it is now connected to Sistema Xunaan Ha. You will find further updates for Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Cenote Avicola, and Cenote X'cacel Principal. Please note the previously named X'cacel Principal cave has been renamed as Cenote Punta X'cacel. We have also updated the dry caves page, adding Cueva Avicola while updating the Sump section of this page.

22 June, 2010 - Added one new underwater cave, Cenote X'cacel Principal. We have added updates for Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema Aktun Hu, Sistema Camilo, Sistema Taj Mahal, Sistema X'cacel Pequeña, Cenote Balun Actun, Cenote Renzo, Sistema Kuuchil Wiinik Laab,  and Cenote Balche.

23 May, 2010 - Added three new underwater caves including Sistema X'cacel Pequeña, Sistema Three Holes, and Sistema Swan Lake Siphon. We have also updated information for Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema Dos Pisos, Sistema Regina, Sistema Minotauro, Cenote Balun Actun, Sistema Swan Lake Spring, and Cenote Renzo. You will find overall dry and underwater cave totals for Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Xunaan Ha, and Sistema Swan Lake on the Dry Caves and Sumps page.

16 April, 2010 - Added one new underwater cave, Cenote Renzo. We have also updated information on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Xunaan Ha, Cenote Balan Ak, Cenote Balun Actun, and Cenote Chan Chemuyil Norte. The Dry Cave and Sumps page is also updated.

14 March, 2010 - Added six new underwater caves, Sistema Ox Pe Pool. Sistema Swan Lake, Sistema Misterio Maya, Cenote Cemado Chico, Ha'ak Kah Sump 2, and Balam Ts'al Sump. Deleted Cenote Eliasar as it is connected to Sistema Ox Pe Pool. Updated Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema K'oox baal, Sistema Naranjal, Sistema Regina, Dzonot Took, Cenote Balan Ak, Sistema Templo, and Sistema Balun Actun underwater caves. Added three dry caves in the K'oox baal area, while updating the Tixik K'una, Cueva Borges, and Rancho Santuario de Los Guerreros dry caves.

11 February, 2010 - Added two new underwater caves, these sumps are associated with Sistema Rancho C. d. L. Guerreros. We have updated information on Sistema Xunaan Ha, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Crustacea, Sistema Dos Pisos, Sistema Regina, Sistema Templo, Cenote SLSH (Akab Ha), and Cenote Balun Aktun underwater caves. Added two new dry caves, Cueva DHW and Cueva Rancho C. d. L. Guerreros. We have also updated information on Sistema Tixik K'una, Cueva Borges 1, and Cueva Palomita dry caves. 

10 January, 2010 - Added five new underwater caves, Cenote Ba'ax Ka Tuclic, Cenote Gunney, Sistema Ixchel, Sistema K'u Pix, and Sistema Kuuchil Wiinik Laab. Updated Cenote Carwash Siphon, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Kachkalak, Sistema Ponderosa, Cenote Sac Xiquin Che, and Sistema Xunaan Ha.

We corrected an error that was made in the last update. Sistema Ponderosa is not connected to Sistema Ixchel, we have adjusted the lists to reflect this change. This was entirely our error.

08 December, 2009 - Added four new underwater caves, Cenote Chi Chan Hol, Cenote Crater, Cenote Divino, and Cenote Rio Amarillo. Updated Sistema Aktun Hu, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Ixchel, Sistema Ponderosa, Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Xunaan Ha, and Cenote Uxuxubi. Two smaller underwater caves, Cenote Palomita Spring and Sistema Xunaan Ha Two, are now connected to Sistema Xunaan Ha. In other underwater cave systems, Sistema Ixchel is connected to Sistema Ponderosa, while Cenote Alkab Ha is connected to Sistema Sac Actun. 

11 September, 2009 - Added two new underwater caves, Sistema Xunaan Ha Two and Sistema Ixchel. Updated three underwater caves; Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Xunaan Ha, and Cenote Chan Chemuyil Norte. Two smaller caves are now connected to larger underwater caves. Cenote Pierre's Sump is connected to Sistema Sac Actun, while Cenote Palomita Siphon is connected to Sistema Xunaan Ha. We have also added one new dry cave, Sistema Pierre's East, and have updated the sump connections information.

We extend our deepest thanks to Franco Attolini for translating the FAQS web page into Spanish. This new page (Preguntas y Respuestas) is included within the Español section of our web pages. Thank you Franco for spending long hours in this effort! 

11 August, 2009 - Added a new unnamed dry cave. Concerning underwater caves, we added two new underwater caves, Sistema Uxuxubi and Cenote Sac Xiquin Che. We have also updated data on Sistema Camilo and Sistema Xunaan Ha. Xunaan Ha underwater cave has absorbed both Sistema Chan Chemuyil Sur and X'cacel caves. With the addition of the Tixik K'una dry cave sump connections, this cave is showing remarkable growth.

09 July, 2009 - Updated data on Sistema Yok Ha' Hanil. This cave was named as Sistema Pool Tunich, Rio Cristal, or Rio Secreto in past years. Sistema Yok Ha' Hanil ("Crystal Water River Cave") is the longest dry cave in Quintana Roo. Current exploration suggests there will be many future updates to this dry cave system. Added a new dry cave, Sistema Yok Ha' Muknal ("Rio Escondido"). This cave may connect to Sistema Yok Ha' Hanil cave.

25 June, 2009 - Updated Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Aktun Hu, Sistema Mundo Escondido, Cenote Alkab Ha, Sistema Chan Chemuyil Sur, Cenote Chan Chemuyil Norte, and Cenote Palomita Siphon.  Added two new underwater caves, Sistema Kachkalak and Cueva Diablo Sump. Updated Sistema Tixik K'una, Sistema del Tercer Ojo,  and sump data on the Dry Cave page.

23 May, 2009 - Added two new underwater caves, Sistema Chan Chemuyil Sur and Cenote Chan Chemuyil Norte. Updated Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Dos Pisos, Sistema Mundo Escondido, Sistema Choco Pek, Cenote Alkab Ha, and Cenote Palomita Siphon. We have deleted information for Sistema Dream Gate, Sistema Pierre's Hole, and Cenote Koxul ka'an. These caves are now connected to Sistema Sac Actun. We have also updated the Dry Cave and Sump Page. We have added data for two new dry caves, Sistema del Tercer Ojo and Cueva Borges. We also updated the length of Sistema Tixik K'una.

27 April, 2009 - Added seven new underwater caves; Cenote Koxul ka'an, Cenote Choko Pek, Cenote Exodus, Sistema Esperanza, Cenote Mancha, Sistema Venado, and Cenote Alkab Ha. Updated Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Camilo, Sistema Dream Gate, and Sistema Pierre's Hole. Also updated the Dry Cave page and the Cave Names page.

27 March, 2009 - Updated Sistema Tux Kupaxa, Sistema Dream Gate, and Sistema Mundo Escondido. The Czech Speleological Survey resurveyed Sistema Tux Kupaxa earlier this year.  Connections were made to Sistema Sac Xiquin and Cenote Coop One caves, adding to their new explorations in the Tux Kupaxa cave. New explorations in Sistema Dream Gate have also been quite successful. Updated the Dry Cave page to reflect the total length of Sistema Tux Kupaxa with the addition of the Lion/Leon caves.

21 March, 2009 - Updated Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Regina, Sistema Dream Gate, Sistema Mundo Escondido, Sistema Nohoch Kai, Sistema Pierre's Hole, Cenote Palomita Siphon, and Cenote Palomita Spring. Added a new underwater cave, Cenote Quintan. Updated the Dry Cave page to reflect the total length of Sistema Sac Actun with the addition of Yax Muul dry cave.

Sistema Baab Zotz (Zooz) - "swimming bats" - was recently connected to the larger Sistema Toh Ha cave. Sistema Cupertino East was also connected to the larger Sistema Nohoch Kai cave.

17 February, 2009 - Updated Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Don Cupertino East, and Cenote Chan Regina. Updated the Dry Cave and Sumps page, the Links page, and the Support and Advisors page.

09 January, 2009 - Updated Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Dos Ojos, and Sistema Aktun Hu. We have added three new underwater caves; Cenote Don Eliasar, Sistema Don Cupertino East and Sistema Don Cupertino West. Updated the Unconfirmed caves page.

09 December, 2008 - Updated Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Joolis, and Sistema Cangrejo underwater caves. Sistema Ich Kin was connected to Sistema Cangrejo earlier this year; Ich Kin is now removed as a separate cave. We have also updated information concerning Sistema Tixik K'una dry cave.

09 November, 2008 - Updated Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Naranjal, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema K'oox Baal, Sistema Camilo, Sistema Regina, and Sistema Templo underwater caves. We also provide updates for Sistema Tixik K'una, Sistema Temazcal, and Sistema Las Brujas dry caves.

08 October, 2008 - This update is limited to dry cave data updates. My apologies to Aaron Addison who provided data for the following caves after the team's May 2008 explorations. Cueva Temazcal and Cueva Las Brujas are new additions to the QRSS database. Both Temazcal and Las Brujas caves are not connected, but they are considered as "Chac Tun" in deference to the landowner's wishes. Cueva Corral is also a new update. Sistema Alux(es) Sur was also resurveyed in part by this team. They report 1238 meters of resurvey to include a high-grade detailed map of their work. Our thanks to Aaron and the team!

An update for Sistema Tixik K'una is also included. This cave is connected to Cenote Templo (a sump actually), and  four other sumps derived from downstream underwater explorations in Sistema Xunaan Ha. There is confusion over the actual length and depth of Sistema Xunaan Ha. We hope that a proposed long-term resurvey project in Sistema Xunaan Ha will provide a better understanding for this cave.         

03 October, 2008 - Updated Sistema Sac Actun and Cenote Chi chan K'uk'um. Added two new underwater caves. Cenote Eb is associated with a multi-entrance dry cave. Cenote Xel-Ha South has a tight 231 meter passage that surfaces at a sump within Sistema Aktun Sataal dry cave. Concerning dry caves, Gustavo Vela reports that his team's explorations in Sistema Pool Tunich have produced over 12038 meters of survey. This is quite a remarkable accomplishment, we congratulate the team in establishing the longest dry cave in Quintana Roo. Updates for Sistema Aktun Sataal and Sistema Eb dry caves and their sumps also appear in this update.

08 July, 2008 - Updated Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Aktun Hu, Entrada Boca Paila, Sistema Ak Tulum (now connected to a second cenote entrance), and Cenote Chi chan K'uk'um. We have added three new underwater caves to our survey archives. These include Sistema Albarado, Cenote Balche, and Cenote Pauletta. We have also updated both the Dry Cave and Sumps page, and Cave Names page.

03 June, 2008 - Over the past 14 months, a resurvey in Sistema Dos Ojos (in the shallow areas near The Pit) has produced over 6.9 kilometers (22735 feet) of resurveyed and new cave passage. Over three kilometers (10,000 feet) of new passage was added during the resurvey. Through this resurvey and new exploration, the relative positions of Sistema Dos Ojos and Nohoch Nah Chich (Sistema Sac Actun) have become better defined. We applaud this team's dedication to this long-term effort.

We have also updated Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Miguel, and Sistema Nohoch Kai. A new underwater cave, Cenote Chi chan K'uk'um (Cenote "Little Feather"), is also added to our database. We have updated the dry cave and sumps page, and the Cave Names page.

12 May, 2008 - We have many updates for this month. Updated Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Naranjal, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Tux Kupaxa, Sistema Dos Pisos, Sistema Miguel, Sistema Yax Tun, Sistema Alomo, Cenote Chan Ha (now Sistema Chan Ha), and Cenote San Pedro. Added a new underwater cave, Cenote Chac Dzonot. Also updated the dry cave and sumps page.

21 April, 2008 - Updated Sistema Actun Hu, Sistema Dos Pisos, Cenote Herradura, and Cenote Ak Tulum. Added a new underwater cave, Cenote Nohoch Kai. Concerning dry caves, we have updated information on Sistema Tixik K'una on the dry cave and sumps page.

20 March, 2008 - A small update for this month is included. Added two new underwater caves, Sistema Actun Balam and Cenote Chac Ah.

05 February, 2008 - Corrected the depth information on Sistema Actun Hu. We retract the past stated depth of -62.8 meters (-206 feet), correcting the surveyed depth to -60 meters (-197 feet). Actun Hu remains the fourth deepest underwater cave in Quintana Roo.

31 January, 2008 - Updated information on Sistema Toh Ha and Sistema Actun Hu. Actun Hu was connected to Sistema Outland. The explorers surveyed passage as deep as -62.8 meters (-206 feet). Actun Hu is now the fourth deepest underwater cave in Quintana Roo, congratulations to the team on a great effort!

12 January, 2008 - Updated information on Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Naranjal, Entrada Boca Paila, and Cenote Sole (Sunscape). Added Entrada Boca Paila Dos, Cenote Palomita Spring, and Cenote Palomita Siphon underwater caves. Added Cueva Palomita to the Dry Cave page as it connects the Palomita spring and siphon tunnels through dry cave passage.

18 November, 2007 - Updated information on Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Naranjal, and Sistema Xunaan Ha underwater caves. Also updated Sistema Tixik K'una; it is now the longest reported dry cave in Quintana Roo at over 2.1 km.

21 October, 2007 - There are updates for for two underwater caves presently. Sistema Actun Hu is now connected to Sistema Cueva Seca. Exploration in Cenote Herradura continues after a two-year hiatus. Concerning dry cave explorations, the length of Sistema Tishik K'una is also updated. We have also added another QRSS Map Distribution Center, Aquanauts Dive Center (in Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo). The web-link to Aquanauts, including other  Map Distribution Centers and Sponsors, is found here.   

26 August, 2007 - There are not any cave updates to report just of yet. However you will notice a new selection of web pages on this site, now in Spanish!  We extend our greatest thanks to Franco Attolini for volunteering long hours in making this effort. We hope to expand this selection of pages later on in the year. Thank you Franco! 

21 August, 2007 - Updated Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Aktun Hu (Iguana cave system), and Cenote K'oxul. Added information on a new underwater cave, Cenote Gorilla. Updated a few items on the Links, Cave Names and Dry Cave pages. You should see a new set of introductory pages in Spanish soon. Many thanks to Franco Attolini for the upcoming web page translations! 

03 July, 2007 - Sistema Ox Bel Ha was connected to Sistema Yax Chen East recently. With the added length, Ox Bel Ha is again the longest cave in Mexico and the longest underwater cave in the world (164.4 km). MCEP (Mexico Cave Exploration Project) and CINDAQ (Centro Investigator del Sistema Aquifero de Quintana Roo) are working hard in this area proximal to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere. By investigating diverse aquifer characteristics in the Ox Bel Ha and Sian Ka'an Biosphere areas, their work should prove to be invaluable for future studies. Our congratulations to the team!

You will also find an update on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Regina, Cenote Little Fish, and Cenote K'oxul underwater caves. New additions include Cenotes Tribal Village and San Pedro. Concerning dry cave explorations, there are two new additions; Sistema Santa Cruz (Sacred Blue cave) and Cueva M2.

25 May, 2007 - Added data on two new underwater caves; Entrada Boca Paila and Cenote Dos Ayim. Updates on Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Yax'chen East, Cenote Apocalypse, and Yax'chen Diversion underwater caves are also included in this update. Further progress is being made in Sistema Actun Hu and Sistema Cueva Seca (both are underwater caves). There is also a small update on Sistema Dos Ojos. In dry cave explorations, another 600 meters of surveyed and mapped passage has been added to Sistema Tishik K'una. 

16 April, 2007 - A connection was made from Sistema Toh Ha to Sistema Sac Be Ha. A Czech Speleological Survey team also made significant progress in exploring and mapping Sistema K'oox baal. We have reports on two new underwater caves, Sistema Aktun Hu and Cenote Cueva Seca. Concerning dry caves, Sistema Yax Muul has passed two kilometers in length. We also have survey reports on two new dry caves, Sistema Chemuyil and Cueva Powerline.

24 March, 2007 - We include a few updates this month. A connection from Sistema Toh-Ha was made to Chumkopo Antigua underwater cave (Cenote Chu An). One day later, a connection through Cenote Chan-hol cave to the southern area of the Chumkopo Antigua area was made to Sistema Toh-Ha. Chan-hol was the longest, single-entrance underwater cave in Quintana Roo. These efforts confirm the entire cave system, Sistema Toh-Ha, as the 5th longest underwater cave in Quintana Roo. It is the 15th longest cave in Mexico. This is quite an accomplishment in both persistence in exploration within the three caves and cooperation among the separate dive teams who made the connections. What a breath of fresh air to see cavers working together! Further updates include new lengths for Sistema Sac Be Ha and Sistema Baab Zotz ("diving bats").

27 February, 2007 - A new area in the southern portion of Sistema Sac Actun is being explored (update added). Also updated are Sistema Toh Ha, Entrada Caapechen, Cenote Chan-hol, Sistema Sac Be Ha, and Cenote Chumkopo Antigua (Chu An). Interestingly enough, Entrada Caapechen and Cenote Chan-hol are the 16th and 18th longest underwater caves in Quintana Roo, yet with only one entrance. Most underwater cave systems of this length in Quintana Roo have an average of three to eight separate entrances to the cave.

06 February, 2007 - Added Entrada Oxpechen ("Three Wells") in the Sian Ka'an region. Apparently I failed to report this cave during the 28 May, 2006 update. Also updated the Cave Names, Links, and Sponsor pages.

25 January, 2007 - After three years of dedicated exploration, Sistema Sac Actun is now the longest underwater cave in the world, and Mexico's longest cave. The final connection between Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich and Sistema Sac Actun occurred between the Muul Ha region in Sac Actun, and the Cenote Manati region in Nohoch Nah Chich.  Cenote Por One, a rather small and uninviting cave, is positioned between these two areas. Given eight months of sidemount exploration, Por One was connected to Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich last week. Four successive days of exploration dives by Steve Bogaerts and Robbie Schmittner led to the final connection between Sac and Nohoch.  As Sac Actun was 14,300 meters (47,000 feet) longer than Nohoch Nah Chich at the time of connection, the explorers have named the entire cave Sistema Sac Actun.

 It's now possible to traverse from the Pabilany cenote (W of the Calimba cenote on the Coba Road) around the Grand Cenote (Sac Actun), Cenote Esqueleto (Temple of Doom), Cenote Naval, Cenote Abejas, Cenote Nohoch Kin, bypass Manati, press on to Balancanche, Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich, pass by the Dinner Hole Cenote, and end up in the Dirty Dog or Pet Cemetery Cenotes. In straight line distance, that's a bit over 10 kilometers. But there's 152,975 meters (501,887 feet) of cave to look at on the way. Congratulations to each and every cave diver who has made this possible!

01 January, 2007 - Updated underwater cave information on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Naranjal, Cenote Chan-hol, Sistema Sac Be Ha, and Sistema Regina. We have also added information on a new underwater cave, Sistema Yax Tun.

The Calimba cenote entrance to Sistema Sac Actun is not passable at this time. The entrance area is not safe to enter or exit due to a digging project.  We would suggest you not use, or plan on the Calimba cenote as an entrance or exit for traverse dives to other cenotes in the system. You may wish to avoid the entire area altogether until you receive a definitive report on the cave's stability and permanent guideline conditions. At this time, we have no first-hand information as to the the condition of the underwater cave passages near this entrance.

Photo: R Schmittner

15 November, 2006 - Updated underwater cave information on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich, Sistema K'oox Baal, Sistema Baab Zotz, and Cenote Chun Che Chen. The Czech Speleological Survey has made quite an impressive effort in exploring the Sistema K'oox Baal area. We have also updated dry cave information on Sistema Yax Muul; the newly discovered Labertino area holds many new leads. Also added information on a new dry cave; Cueva Chichan Muul.

09 October, 2006 - Updated underwater cave information on Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich, Cenote Chan Ayim, Cenote Por1, Cenote Chan Ha, and Sistema Tam Chac Ha. Also updated dry cave data for Sistema Yax Muul. Road improvements (2-lane to 4-lane expansion) on MX 307 at Puerto Aventuras are threatening the Alux dry caves in the area. Cave breakdown due to road and utility construction is reported in one cave.

05 September, 2006 - Updated underwater cave information on Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Sac Actun, and Sistema Camilo. Added one new underwater cave, Cenote Shagadelic. Also corrected the spelling of the Cenote Cocodrilo cave on Cozumel Island (erroneously reported as Cenote Crocodrilo).

30 June, 2006 - Updated underwater cave information on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich, and Sistema Dos Ojos. Added two new underwater caves; Cenote Por One, and Cenote Hatzutz Tam Ha.

28 May, 2006 - Updated underwater cave information for Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Toh Ha, and Entrada Caapechen (was earlier named as Cenote Manatee in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere).  Added Entrada Camaron, Cenote Chan Ha, and Entrada Oxpechen Two. We have also updated the Unconfirmed Cave Lengths, Cave Names and Dry Cave pages.

16 April, 2006 - Updated underwater cave information on Sistema Camilo, Cenote Chan-hol, Cenote Manatee in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere, and Sistema Sac Be Ha. Added new dry cave data on Sistema Tishik K'una; the "dry Temple" cave system.

Explorations continue to be hampered by the effects of last year's hurricane season. Many "mensuras" (property boundaries)  and trails to distant cenotes and caves are blocked, or choked, by fallen trees - and now presently by new jungle growth. Old trails will need to be cleared before explorations in outlying cenotes and caves are possible.   

21 March, 2006 - We are sorry to report that Greg Brown died on 23 February, 2006. Among his many contributions to the exploration of underwater caves in Quintana Roo, Greg was instrumental in exploring and surveying Sistema Aak Kimin. This cave system is a unique coastal cave; its reported depth is -68.6 meters (-225 feet) in depth. A memorial was held at Cannon Point, Akumal in Greg's honor.

There's been a flurry of exploration in both the underwater and dry caves of Quintana Roo. Updated information on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich, Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Crustacea,  Sistema Regina, and now Sistema Yang Kai (a connection was made between Yang Kai Two and Yang Kai). Added Sistema Sac Xiquin,  Cenote Manatee, Cenote Hatzutz Molo, and Cenote Xcan.

17 February, 2006 - Updated information on Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Toh Ha, Cenote Chan-hol, Cenote Crustacea, Sistema Ich Tunich, Cenote Regina, and Cenote Yang Kai Two. Added three new underwater caves; Cenote Lilly, Cenote Salvaje, and Cenote Tam Chac Ha. Also updated the Cave Names page.

04 January, 2006 - Updated information on Sistema Dos Ojos, Sistema Mundo Escondido, Sistema Miguel, Cenote Chan-hol, Cenote Regina, Cenote Yang Kai, and Cenote Yang Kai Two. Updated the Links, Site Map, and Cave Names pages while adding a few page translations in German. We thank Tanja Mueller, Philipp Huber, and Robbie Schmittner for their help in these translations. We are still working on Spanish components for these pages.

03 December, 2005 -  Updated information on the Cenote 27 Steps cave. Added three new underwater caves, Cenote Yang Kai, Cenote Yang Kai Two (a potential siphon area for Cenote Yang Kai?), and Cenote Ralle.

30 October, 2005 - Sorry for the late update, I've updated information on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Dos Ojos, Cueva Aak Kimin, Laguna Lagarto, and the dry cave Sistema Yax Muul. Added three new underwater caves, Cenote Balun Actun, Cenote Balan Ak on the Quintana Roo mainland, and Cenote Crocodrilo on Cozumel Island.

28 September, 2005 - Updated information on Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich, Sistema Muul Three, and Cueva Quebrada on Cozumel.  Updated the dry cave Sistema Yax Muul.  Added two new caves, Sistema Bat and Cenote El Tigre.

23 August, 2005 - Sistema Muul Three is now connected to the smaller Abejas Negras cave. With last month's Hurricane Emily, many jungle trails need to be cleared due to wind damage.

10 July, 2005 - In recent developments, the Yaxchen Project connected Sistema Yaxchen West to Sistema Ox Bel Ha. With these new explorations, Sistema Ox Bel Ha is over 142,854 meters ( 468,680 feet) in length. Updated new investigations in Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich. Added reports on a new cave, Cenote Herradura.

27 May, 2005 - Sistema Muul-Ha is now connected to Sistema Sac Actun for a total of 77,183 m (253,226 feet). Updated Sistema Alimi, Sistema Miguel, Sistema Muul 3, and Sistema Sac Be Ha . Updated information on the dry cave, Sistema Yax Muul. Added a new web page for unconfirmed reports of cave lengths in Quintana Roo.

07 May, 2005 - Sistema Sac Actun is now connected to the Naval Mud Hole Cenote, and to Sistema Esqueleto (Temple of Doom). The total length for the Sac Actun cave is confirmed at 69,686 meters (228,629 feet). We have added Sistema Sueno. Updated Sistema Ak Tulum, Sistema Joolis, Sistema Leon, Sistema Muul Ha and Muul 3, Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich, Sistema Tux Kupaxa, and Cenote Chan-hol. Also updated the length of Sistema Yax Muul dry cave and the dry cave connections to Sistema Tux Kupaxa for Sistema Lion for the overall cave length (wet cave to include dry cave connections).

29 April, 2005 - Updated Sistema Esqueleto, Sistema K'oox baal, Sistema Miguel, Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Sac Be Ha, Cenote Coop One, Cenote K'oxul, and Cenote Regina. Added Sistema Nachan Kiin, Cenote Chumkopo Antigua, and Cenote Little Fish. Added two new dry caves, Sistema Tak Be Luum and Sistema Leon. Sistema Leon connects the underwater Sistema Lion cave to the underwater Sistema Tux Kupaxa cave. Updated Sistema Yax Muul as well. Details on these dry and combined caves are found on the Dry Caves page. Also updated the Cave Names page.

29 March, 2005 - Updated Sistema Ich Tun, Sistema Sac Actun, and Sistema Toh Ha. Added two new caves, Sistema Abejas Negras, and Cenote Ich Tun Three.

19 March, 2005 - Updated Sistema Dream Gate, Sistema Ich Tun, Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Ich Kin, Sistema K'oox baal, Sistema Ox Bel Ha, and Sistema Zapote. Added eight new caves; these are Sistema Ich Tun Two, Sistema Miguel, Cenote Chac Ha, Cenote Coop One, Cenote Gemelos, Cenote Stram, Sistema Dos Locos, and Sistema Zebra. Added another cave that is now under resurvey, Sistema Tux Kupaxa. Added a short dry cave that contains two short sumps, Cuevas Lorenzo.

04 February, 2005 - Updated new information on Sistema Sac Be Ha, and Sistema Mundo Escondido. Added a new underwater cave, Cenote Chun Che Chen. There have been some very significant advances in the past two weeks. Cenote Vaca Ha is now connected to Sistema Zapote through an obscure tunnel. Sistema Altar Maya (Cave Under the Sea) and Sistema Nohoch Kiin are now connected to Sistema Sac Actun. This makes Sistema Sac Actun the second longest underwater cave in the world at 61,941 meters (203,218 feet). Congratulations are due to the Sac Actun Exploration Team (SAET)!

10 January, 2005 - Updated new information on Sistema Mundo Escondido, Sistema Ox Bel Ha, Sistema Sac Be Ha, Sistema Toh Ha, and Sistema Tortuga. Added information on new underwater caves; Sistema Cubera, Cenote Camino, Cenote Maya, Cenote Venado, and Escondite del Diablo. Also added two new dry caves, Gruta Pica Piedra and Gruta Mil Columnas, on the Dry Caves of Quintana Roo page.

10 December, 2004 - Updated new information on Sistema Mundo Escondido, Sistema Muul Ha, Sistema Sac Be Ha, Sistema Tortuga, and Cenote Regina. We are very pleased to add a new page; the Dry Caves of Quintana Roo.

26 November, 2004 - Updated information on Sistema Toh Ha, Sistema Tortuga, Sistema Muul Ha, Sistema Mundo Escondido, and Sistema Sac Be Ha. A long-awaited connection was finally made through Cenote Ka'as, connecting Sistema Abejas to Sistema Sac Actun. Total surveyed passage for Sistema Sac Actun is now 35572 meters (116705 feet). 

21 October, 2004 - Updated information on Sistema Altar Maya (Cave Under the Sea), Sistema Dream Gate, Sistema Tortuga,  Sistema Pierre's Hole, Sistema Tu Ha (was Dzonot Tu Ha), and Cenote Ka'as. Added two new caves, Cenote Pierre's P Sump and Cenote Sac Be Ha. 

01 October, 2004 - Updated information on Sistema Naranjal, Sistema Xel-Ha Norte, Sistema Manglar Chaac, Sistema Toh Ha, Cenote Chan-hol, Cenote Baab Zotz, and Cenote Ox Pal. Added two new caves, Cenote Kan'pe Box Kin and Dzonot Tu Ha. Cenote Tortuga is now connected to Cenote Kim Ha, to create Sistema Tortuga. Also updated the Cave Names page.

22 August, 2004 - Updated Sistema Xel-Ha Norte and Cenote Kim-Ha. Added four new underwater caves, to include Sistema Maya Up, Sistema Cueva Maya, Sistema Choke, and Caleta Puerto Maya. Updated the Cave Names, Links, Cave Maps, and Convention pages.

20 July, 2004 - Updated Sistema Sac Actun, Sistema Nohoch Kiin, Sistema Altar Maya (Cave Under the Sea), Sistema Xel-Ha Norte, Cenote Regina, and Cenote Chan Ayim. Added two new underwater caves, to include Cenote Chan Regina and Cenote Muul Ha.

14 June, 2004 - Updated Sistema Nohoch Kiin, Sistema Toh Ha, and Cenote Chan-hol. Added Cenote Kim-Ha, Cenote Las Grutas, and Cenote Regina. Both northern caves in the Xel-Ha region are now connected (the Northwest Arm and Laguna Negra caves) as Sistema Xel-Ha Norte. Also updated Sistema CUTS (Altar Maya). This cave was originally named as Cenote Tancah in a Carnegie Institution of Washington publication (1924) by the famous archaeologist Samuel Kirkland Lothrop. According to our research, Tulum residents have called this cave "Doorway [Portal] Under the Sea", or "Cave Under the Sea" (CUTS) since the 1950's or 1960's. With respect to an earlier 2001 mapping team (to include Philippe Brunet and Nickolai Touissant), we will also refer to this cave by the name Altar Maya.

Updates and corrections are welcome: chac<at>consolidated.net

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