DUDU LAKE

 

Laguna dudu trip

DuDu is a cenote, or sinkhole and there is some doubt over its actual depth.  Some say 107 feet whilst others suggest the bottom has yet to be determined. There is also a question mark over the name DuDu. One suggestion is that a Taino Indian of that name lived in a cave close to the lake which can also be explored while you are visiting the lakes.

There are no changing facilities here, although there is now a restaurant and snack bar on the site, so it is best to arrive in your swimming gear. It is about 10 meters down to the water which has very easy access with cement stairs going down to the water’s edge and is a very popular tourist attraction and local hangout so you will find people are jumping in from all over the place and swimming. One favorite is to grab onto the rope swing from the wide stone ledge and you can swing out and drop into the clear cool waters.

It is also recognized as the only place where you can do cave diving from one natural lake to another natural lake, so it is very popular with divers who practice this sport. Here the visibility is an astonishing 50 meters (160+ ft). The two lakes are connected by two massive underwater tunnels about 200 meters long and a third cave takes you into a spectacular underground dome naturally decorated by limestone stalagmites and stalactites still gradually building up over the years. The Caverns offer a number of different eco systems, natural beauty just waiting to be discovered. If you are swimming don’t be surprised to find a team of divers surfacing around you while you swim.

The first part of the cave features a very large and tall main tunnel that has many dark tannic stained decorations; one column is over 10 meters high; the maximum depth here is 20 meters. At the end of this tunnel there is a steep slope that goes up to about 6 meters and the line here makes a sharp left turn and there is an air pocket with breathable air to the right.
Continuing on the mainline the cave gets lower and you will pass through with a series of weird dark stalactites before the tunnel opens up again. The rest of the dive has no decorations and is generally shallower with an average depth of only 6-7 meters.
After swimming for about 45 minutes you eventually get to the end of the line which goes up to another entrance called Cueva de Lilly.

Coming back out you can swim around the cenote to the left and dive the cavern zone which consists of two more tunnels that lead to the third entrance, Pozo de los Caballos, before turning back toward the stairs. The cavern zone is quite grandiose and well worth it with huge shellfish encrusted stalactites and very unusual water colors.

Entrance to DuDu and the Blue Lagoon is not expensive.  If you are Dominican it is only RS$50 (about $1.50) but visitors pay double at RS$100 (a bit less than $3).