Cenotes of the Riviera Maya by Steve Gerrard

CENOTE NOHOCH NAH CHICH
'The Giant Birdhouse'
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Region  
Location  
GPS Position  
Land Owner Don Pedro Rodriquez Utizel and family
Dive Site  Fee YES
Maximum Depth 235 feet/71.6 meters, "The Blue Abyss"
Average Depth 25 feet/7.6 meters
Distance Explored / Surveyed 509,682 feet/154,449 meters
First Explorers Denny Atkinson, Mike Madden, Juan Jose Tucat and Ron Winiker laid 2,650 feet/803 meters of line on first dive - November 26th, 1987
Other Explorers Shelley Baker, Miquel Barcena, Patrick Bien, Len Bucko, Alex Buczkowski, Bill Carlson, Doug Carlson, John Curtis, Steve DeCarlo, Kashi Celler, Nancy DeRosa, Tony DeRosa, Pablo Diaz, Bob Eichert, Lamar English, Steve Gerrard, Veronica Guevarra (Carlson), Charlie Hancock, Eric Hutcheson*, George Irvine, Manual Jimenez, Burt Jones, Mercedes Jones, Don Keele, George Krueger, Randy Lathrop, Kate Lewis, Dan Lins*, Andres Matthes, Tom Morris, Eric Noftall, Robbie Osman, John Orlowski, Shelly Orlowski, Joan Patrick, Katja Peterson, Steve Pittman, Emmanuelle Sach, Bruce Schadow, Maurine Shimlock, Karl Shreeves, Ray Siegfried, Wes Skiles, James F. Smith, Chuck Stevens*, Juan Jose Tucat, Richard Tuma, Parker Turner, Vicki Urbieta, Gary Walten, Kay Walten and Ron Winiker, 53 explorers.

* Primary Explorers
Upstream YES
Downstream YES
Cavern Dive NO, No cavern diving allowed because of fragile environment
Snorkeling NO
Cenotes within Cave System
  1. Cenote Nahoch Nah Chich
  2. Cenote Dinner Hole
  3. Cenote Ferndock (Far Station)
  4. Cenote Pet Cemetery
  5. Cenote Nohoch Peck
  6. Big Don’s Cenote
  7. Cenote Mike’s Mangrove Mud hole
  8. Cenote Reptile Belly
  9. Cenote Sunken Skull
  10. Cenote Dane Delight
  11. Cenote Red Dog
  12. Cenote Natural Bridge
  13. Cenote Emmanuelle’s Mud hole.
  14. Cenote Mike’s Promise
  15. Chuck’s Cenote
  16. Cenote Mike’s Hunch
  17. Cenote De Weesh
  18. Cenote Pet Cemetary
  19. Cenote Balamcanche
  20. Cenote Burt’s Crack House
  21. Cenote I-Hop
  22. Cenote Fortress of Solitude
  23. Cenote Tankah
  24. Cenote Yax Muul
  25. Cenote Padre Kind
There are 111 cenotes total
Cenote Location The main entrance to Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich is 4.6 kilometers south of the entrance to Dos Ojos on Highway 307 or 11.3 kilometers north of the Coba Road intersection. The only way to reach Nahoch Nah Chich is by walking which takes about an hour or less, It is approximately 2 kilometers west into the jungle
Accessibility Easy, The Don Pedro Rodriquez family has constructed a professional wood
plank steps, walkway, huge platform and palapa with roof, Ladders in and out of the water available
Cave Description A very highly decorated, shallow cave system upstream from the main entrance compared to Sistema Sak Aktun in beauty but at a much bigger scale, It is listed as the world’s longest underwater cave system
Best Dives Anywhere upstream, Tour dives with a guide are required
Map Available YES, Cartographer: Eric Hutchinson - 1993. Map available through
Mike Madden
Future Exploration Since 1988, still continuing, Listed as the world’s longest underwater cave system according to the Guinness Book of World Records
History  
Other Activities  
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