Tres Potrillos Cave System – Cozumel Underwater Caves
Tres Potrillos is a small cave system located in the jungle of Cozumel not far from the island’s shoreline. The cave is accessed through a narrow cenote hidden in the dense vegetation.
The cenote entrance is extremely small, measuring roughly 3 feet long and 1.5 feet wide, allowing only a single diver to enter or exit at a time.
The Cenote Entrance
Just below the surface, the cenote opens slightly to one side where a low ceiling is covered with delicate soda straw stalactites. Because the upper layer of the cenote contains approximately 40 feet of brackish water, visibility in the upper portion of the sinkhole is often limited. The decorations in this shallow area can be difficult to see clearly due to the reduced visibility. At approximately 40 feet, the halocline gives way to a saltwater layer where the visibility becomes crystal clear.
The Main Chamber
Below the halocline, the cave opens into a moderately sized chamber. The chamber slopes downward on one side and contains numerous formations, making it one of the more decorated caves known on the island. The cave environment is particularly notable for its preserved formations and the dramatic change in visibility once divers pass through the upper brackish layer.
The Deep Pit
One end of the chamber contains a deep pit that descends to approximately 125 feet (38 meters). This makes Tres Potrillos the second deepest known cave on Cozumel, with the deeper cave being Chempita (Jade Cenote).
Relationship to Other Cozumel Cave Systems
Tres Potrillos lies approximately midway between surveyed passages in the Aerolito cave system and Cueva Quebrada (Chankanaab). Despite its geographic location between these cave systems, exploration has not revealed a navigable connection between them. There are no offshoot passages large enough to allow further penetration by divers.
Geological Notes & Cave Data
Like many caves beneath Cozumel, Tres Potrillos formed within the island’s limestone bedrock through karst dissolution. These caves originally formed when sea levels were lower and the passages were dry. As sea levels rose following the last ice age, the caves flooded, creating the submerged cave systems that exist beneath the island today.
Location: Jungle interior of Cozumel near the shoreline
Geology: Limestone karst formation
Cave Type: Submerged limestone cave
Approximate Depth Range: Surface to approximately 125 ft (38 m)
Water Type: Freshwater lens over saltwater intrusion with brackish upper layer
Formation Process: Dissolution of limestone bedrock
Primary Access: Small jungle cenote entrance approximately 3 ft by 1.5 ft
Exploration Status: Explored chamber with no known further penetrable passages
The Cozumel Karst System
The caves beneath Cozumel are part of the island’s limestone karst system, where freshwater slowly dissolved the bedrock to form underground passages. When sea levels rose following the last ice age, many of these caves flooded, creating the submerged cave systems that exist beneath the island today. Although many of the caves appear isolated, they formed through the same geological processes that shaped the underground landscape of Cozumel.
The story of exploring caves beneath Cozumel’s jungle is described in Rob Neto’s book Beneath the Jungle of Cozumel.
Several of the caves documented on this site were explored during efforts to better understand the underground landscape beneath the island of Cozumel.
Other Cozumel Cave Systems
Cueva Quebrada Cave System
Aerolito Cave System
Sin Nombre Cave System
Cocodrilo Cave System
Chempita (Jade Cenote)
Kuuchi T’uuchtaj Cave System
See also: Map of Cave Systems on Cozumel
Return to Cozumel Cave Systems
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Tres Potrillos located?
Tres Potrillos is located in the jungle interior of Cozumel not far from the shoreline.
How deep is Tres Potrillos Cave?
The cave contains a deep pit that reaches approximately 125 feet (38 meters).
What makes Tres Potrillos unique?
Tres Potrillos is accessed through an extremely small cenote entrance only large enough for a single diver at a time.
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