Sistema Dos Ojos
Cenote Dos Ojos
Dos Ojos (Spanish: Two eyes; officially Sistema Dos Ojos ) is an underwater cave system in the Caribbean coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, just north of Tulum. The documented system length is 82.4 km; it is by 28 Cenotes in conjunction with the surface. Dos Ojos is the world's third longest known underwater cave system ( Sistema Ox Bel Ha by Sistema Sac Actun and ). The exploration of Dos Ojos began in 1986 and is still ongoing. With 119.1 m is located in the Dos Ojos discovered in 1996 and 1500 m away from the main entrance deepest cave passage in Quintana Roo " The Pit ". Dos Ojos is located north and Sistema Sac Actun approximately parallel to; In August 2012, a connection was found in the range of Nohoch Nah Chich over a dry passage. With a total length of 310.7 kilometers Sac Actun / Dos Ojos is the world's second longest cave system.
Dos Ojos is an anchialine cave, that is, the deeper sea water is overlaid by fresh and brackish water; coastal Cenotes of the system are influenced by the tides. The connection with the karst spring on the coast has not been found, although a significant outflow of the lagoon Caleta Xel -Ha was detected in dyeing tests. The water temperature averages 25 ° C with excellent visibility, because the rainwater is filtered through the limestone and the only thin humus layer of the entry of tannins is low.
The Spanish name refers to the two neighboring cenotes which share a common cavern zone. The exploration of the cave system began from these cenotes. Dos Ojos 2001 was known by the IMAX film Journey Into Amazing Caves and the 2006 BBC documentary Planet Earth to a wider public. Parts of the movie The Cave were filmed in Dos Ojos.
Fauna
Outside the daylight zone are blind cave fish Typhichthys spec. before. In the field of Halo Kline Remipedia two species were detected.
Tourism
The Dos Ojos Cenotes are a popular spot for snorkeling and cave diving, which is typically attended by more than a hundred tourists daily.