CAVE DIVING in Mexico is not like cave diving in Florida. If you learned to cave dive in Florida, you already know how to get to most of the sites, where to park, and where to find the main line. Getting to any of the popular cave diving sites in Florida does not require four-wheel-drive vehicles or burros. If you think you and your buddy can just show up at the Cancun airport, rent an economy car and some doubles and just start hitting the sites, you may be in for a rude awakening.

1. Even with the detailed driving directions provided in Steve Gerrard's book, many of the sites are difficult to find. The entrances may have no signs (or misleading signs), or be hidden behind other buildings.
    
2. Unless you speak fluent Spanish, you will not be able to communicate with the attendants at most sites, to find out who to pay and how much.
    
3. As you drive back into the jungle from the entrance, you may not know how far to go or where to turn.
    
4. The main line in most popular Mexican caves starts a considerable distance from the entrance. It is easy to waste an entire dive just looking for it.
    
5. Even when armed with a map, it is difficult to tell which tunnels are worth seeing and which are not.

Cave VS Cavern Cenote Dos Ojos Grand Cenote

Considering how much you are likely to invest in air fare, accommodations, meals and car rental, it makes sense to protect that investment by engaging the services of a professional guide.

Most of the area's guides are certified cave diving instructors or divemasters with extensive cave diving experience. These are the same people who have helped to map and explore many of the systems.