Journey into the Sacred Mayan Underground "Dream Gate Cenote Downstream, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico" with Samih Fadli, Jason Renoux and M Constança Duarte Gonçalves.
Dreamgate was the location for much of the underwater footage used in the filming for the BBC Planet Earth Documentary Series "Caves" episode as well as the BBC Natural World Documentary "Secrets of the Maya Underworld".
Dreamgate is located 1km south of Dos Ojos on Highway 307. From the turnoff a very rough 4km dirt road leads out into the jungle. The Cenote has 2 permanent Cavern lines one which leads upstream and one downstream both of which can be dived in either direction (clockwise or anticlockwise). The two Cavern dives are markedly different from one another. Dive gear must be lowered by rope and pulley.
The upstream Cavern line begins and ends at the platform and can be dived either clockwise or anticlockwise. Although not a very large cavern zone it is one of the most highly decorated with an abundance of beautiful, delicate formations so go slowly as there is so much to see.
The shallow water and very fragile nature of the decorations mean that excellent dive skills are a must, particularly buoyancy control. In many places Soda Straw formations can be seen. These are the preliminary stage in the growth of stalactites. These formations are very fragile and even diver's exhaust bubbles will break them so please stay close to the guideline and view them from a safe distance to avoid any damage to this irreparable natural wonder.
There is an air dome in the center of the cavern zone and many of the stalactites from the ceiling pass through the water surface and are reflected in it.
