CENOTE DEEP CAMP
Freediving Training · Cenote Exploration · Yucatán
February 27 – March 6, 2027
Optional Molchanovs Wave 2 Course from February 25
FREEDIVING BENEATH THE YUCATÁN
Hidden beneath the limestone of the Yucatán Peninsula is an extraordinary world of freshwater cenotes.
Clear water, depth, dramatic light and a stillness very different from the ocean make them exceptional places to freedive — and to train.
Cenote Deep Camp is a week built around this environment. We move between different cenotes for depth training, individual coaching and exploration, while living together in a private hacienda near Izamal.
But the week is about much more than time on the line.
It is morning preparation and long days in the water. Local Yucatecan food. Evenings around the table reviewing dives and sharing stories. Exploring a region shaped by Maya culture and a landscape where cenotes have been part of life for thousands of years.
A week to train seriously, understand your diving better, explore extraordinary places — and enjoy everything that happens in between.
THE CENOTES
No two cenotes feel quite the same.
Some are wide and open, surrounded by jungle and filled with natural light. Others disappear beneath limestone walls, hanging roots and shafts of sunlight. Underwater, the visibility can seem almost endless. For freediving, they give us something the ocean rarely does: deep freshwater in a protected environment, without waves, current or changing sea conditions. That makes them exceptional places for focused depth work.
But we don't come here only because they are good places to train. The cenotes are part of the history and identity of Yucatán. Formed within the peninsula's limestone, they are entrances into a vast underground freshwater system and have been deeply connected to Maya life and culture for centuries.
Throughout the week, we move between different cenotes rather than staying in one place. We prefer quieter locations away from the most heavily visited tourist routes, and we keep the exact cenotes we use private.
Part of the experience is discovering them when we get there.
THE FREEDIVING
This is a Deep Camp, but the goal isn't simply to go deeper.
The week gives us time to look at your freediving as a whole, without rushing from one session to the next. There is time to play with technique, understand your equalization better, find more comfort and efficiency at depth, and work through the little things that can sometimes make a big difference.
For more experienced freedivers, there is just as much room to fine-tune the details, work on deeper equalization techniques such as reverse packing and mouthfill, and explore what might help you progress further.
And everyone comes with a different level.
You might be comfortable around 15 meters and curious to see where you can go from there, diving in the 30–40 meter range and looking for more consistency, or already diving deep and wanting to work toward 60, 70 or 80 meters. That's exactly why we keep the coaching personal. There isn't one goal for the camp or one way the week needs to look.
We train, we experiment, we learn from the dives — and we also make sure there is plenty of time to simply enjoy freediving in some pretty extraordinary places.
THREE COACHES. NINE FREEDIVERS.
We keep the camp to a maximum of nine freedivers, with three training lines and no more than three people per buoy.
Carlos and Petra coach throughout the week together with an invited freediving instructor, while an additional Master Freediver is there to support the team with safety in the water.
During the camp, you get to spend time with each of the three coaches. We like this approach because everyone sees and teaches a little differently — sometimes a different perspective, a small observation or simply another way of explaining something can make things click.
With only three freedivers on each line, there is plenty of time for individual attention, conversation and feedback, while still sharing the experience with the people around you.
HOW THE DAYS FLOW
Mornings at the hacienda start slowly, with breathing, stretching, visualization, equalization and some dry practice. Then we sit down for a good, healthy breakfast together before heading out to the cenotes.
We spend the main part of the day in the water, training, diving and enjoying the cenote we're in that day.
Afterwards, it's time to eat, recover and relax for a while before heading back to the hacienda.
By late afternoon, we usually come together again. We look through footage, analyze dives, talk about what happened in the water and sometimes continue with a presentation or a longer discussion around freediving.
Evenings are easy. We have dinner together, share stories, hang out by the pool — or everyone can simply enjoy some free time and do their own thing.
It's a full day, but never meant to feel rushed. There is time for the training, and plenty of time to enjoy everything around it.
BEYOND THE LINE
Not every day in a cenote needs a training line.
We dedicate one day simply to exploring — freediving through the cenote, looking for beautiful light and underwater spaces, taking our time and enjoying the environment without thinking about depth targets.
And, of course, the cameras come with us.
There is time to create images, repeat a shot, explore another part of the cenote or simply dive because it feels good.
After several days of focused training, it is a different way to use your freediving — and one of our favorite days of the camp.
THE IMAGES YOU TAKE HOME
Photography and video have always been a big part of what we do.
Carlos and Petra have years of experience filming freedivers underwater and creating imagery for athletes, sponsors, production companies and professional projects.
During the training days, video is also part of the coaching. Seeing your own dive can show you small details in technique, movement and body position that are difficult to feel underwater.
But we also want you to have beautiful images from the experience itself.
Throughout the week — and especially during our exploration day — we take time to create professional underwater photos and video of you in the cenotes.
Everything we create during the camp is shared with you for your personal use.
You leave with more than a few clips of your dives. You take home images that really capture where you've been.
OUR HOME FOR THE WEEK
Our base is a traditional hacienda near Izamal, one of Mexico's Pueblos Mágicos.
And for the week, the hacienda is just for us. It gives the camp a completely different feeling. We have our own rooms and common spaces, a small pool, breakfast together in the mornings and somewhere to come back to after a day in the water.
Nobody disappears to a different hotel at the end of the day. We come back to the same place.
Wetsuits are drying, someone is looking through footage, someone else is sitting by the pool, and conversations from the cenote tend to continue around the table. For a few days, it becomes our home in Yucatán.
YUCATÁN BEYOND
THE CENOTES
It would be a shame to come all the way here and experience Yucatán only from underwater.
Our hacienda is near Izamal, known for its yellow streets, Maya heritage and relaxed pace of life. And throughout the region, the cenotes, the landscape and Maya history are closely connected.
We keep one day free from structured training, giving the body some recovery and giving us time to experience a little more of where we are.
We might explore Izamal, visit a Maya archaeological site, discover another corner of Yucatán or simply take the day slowly.
The exact plan doesn't need to be fixed months in advance.
It's a day to recover, explore and enjoy being in Yucatán.
Yucatecan food has its own character — shaped by Maya traditions and centuries of other influences that have made the cuisine of this part of Mexico very different from the rest of the country.
And food is definitely part of our week.
We look for fresh, local and authentic places whenever we can. Breakfasts are shared at the hacienda, and around our diving days we choose local food that gives you a chance to actually taste the region we're spending the week in.
After a long day in a cenote, sitting down together over good food is part of the experience too.
Vegetarian, vegan and other dietary requirements can be accommodated with advance notice.
AND YES, THE FOOD MATTERS
DATES
CENOTE DEEP CAMP
February 27 – March 6, 2027
Feb 27 · Arrival in Mérida & transfer to the hacienda
Feb 28 · Training
Mar 1 · Training
Mar 2 · Cenote exploration & photography
Mar 3 · Recovery / Yucatán day
Mar 4 · Training
Mar 5 · Training
Mar 6 · Breakfast & transfer back to Mérida
The exact cenotes and daily flow remain flexible. We adapt the week to the group and how the training develops.
ADD MOLCHANOVS WAVE 2
February 25 – March 6, 2027
Arrive two days earlier and combine the Deep Camp with your Molchanovs Wave 2 certification.
The additional days include your Wave 2 course, confined-water session, course materials, two extra nights at the hacienda and breakfast and lunch on February 26. Depth requirements continue naturally during the Deep Camp.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
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7 nights at our private hacienda near Izamal
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Group transfers from and back to Mérida
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All transportation during the camp
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4 cenote training days
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1 cenote exploration & photography day
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1 recovery / Yucatán day
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All cenote entrance fees
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Coaching with Carlos Coste, Petra Oberucova and our guest instructor
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Three training lines + additional Master Freediver safety support
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Daily preparation, coaching and video analysis
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Professional underwater photography & video
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All photos and footage from the camp
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Breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the Deep Camp
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Snacks, water and hydration during diving days
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Wine and beer at the hacienda, plus a drink with dinner
NOT INCLUDED
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Flights to and from Mérida
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Personal freediving equipment
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Travel insurance
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Meals outside the Deep Camp program
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Personal expenses and gratuities
PRICE
CENOTE DEEP CAMP
February 27 – March 6, 2027
USD 2,390 per person ($40,500MXN)
WAVE 2 + CENOTE DEEP CAMP
February 25 – March 6, 2027
USD 2,690 per person ($45,600MXN)
Maximum 9 freedivers.
A 40% deposit secures your place.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Not sure about your level, the Wave 2 option or simply want to know a little more?
Send us a message. We're always happy to answer questions or jump on a quick call and talk things through.