Hidden Underwater River Flowing Under the Ocean in Mexico

Located in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, there’s a secret underwater river called Cenote Angelita (Spanish for Little Angel) that can be found after a 10 to 15 minute drive south of Tulum. It is arguably the most unique formation of this kind: a thin layer of hydrogen sulfate separates the saltwater from the fresh water above it, allowing scuba divers to swim along this underwater creation, which looks a lot like a regular river would on the ground. There are even fallen trees and leaves on both sides of the “shores”, making this seascape look all the more surreal!

Cenotes are actually deep natural pits, or sinkholes, characteristic of Mexico, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath.

“From the surface, you look down and all you can see is deep blue water. At about 18m you begin to see what looks like a strange wispy bottom appearing below with a few ghostly, bare limbed tree trunks and branches sticking out. As it becomes clearer you begin to feel the first effects of narcosis at the same time as you see an expanse of wispy fog below. At the top of the cloud you stop and look around, everything appears surreal and a spooky feeling takes over amplified by the effects of the nitrogen in your brain,” describe Maya Diving, offering scuba diving trips to Angelita.