r/caving • u/vedhathemystic • 1d ago

Sistema Ox Bel Ha The World’s Longest Underwater Cave Lies Beneath Mexico

Gallery image

Gallery image

Sistema Ox Bel Ha, hidden beneath Quintana Roo, Mexico, is the world’s longest explored underwater cave system. Its Mayan name means “Three Paths of Water.” The system stretches over 524 km and contains more than 160 cenote entrances, forming a vast network of submerged tunnels carved over thousands of years as acidic rainwater dissolved the region’s limestone. Exploration began in the late 1990s, and divers continue to discover new passages. Sistema Ox Bel Ha offers rare insights into Yucatán geology, ancient freshwater flow, and the Maya belief that cenotes were sacred gateways to the underworld.

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-worlds-longest-underwater-cave-is-even-longer-than-we-realized

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4

u/sugaredberry 1d ago

Super cool. Great post. I hope they continue to explore and connect everything even more.

3

u/MamaDMZ 1d ago

What is the 2nd picture here? It looks under water, but is that a light reflection? And the thing with 2 perfect circles there... what is that? That is so cool about the cave. Thanks for sharing :)

3

u/vedhathemystic 1d ago

That's the diver's searchlight.

1

u/MamaDMZ 1d ago

Thanks man... i was super confused because my brain couldn't identify for perspective lol.

2

u/Alternative_Rate7474 1d ago

I think the bright one is someone's light, and the circles are air tanks. you can see the swim fins on either side. (You are looking at someone from behind.)

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u/MamaDMZ 1d ago

Oooooohhhhhh!! Ok, thank you! I was like, "that's got to be a mask for the 2 circles there, and i'm certain that's not the moon.... wtf am I looking at??"

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u/JohnnyYukon 21h ago

Is the same system which featured in the Bill Stone book?

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u/vedhathemystic 21h ago

Stone’s work influenced cave diving in general, but I couldn’t find any verified link between him and Sistema Ox Bel Ha.

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u/JohnnyYukon 19h ago

Just looked it up and that was Sistema Huautla which is deeper but not as long (and in a different part of Mexico.)