The 12 Best Diving Trips in Playa del Carmen

1.Scuba Diving in Cenote Dos Ojos from Playa del Carmen

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 453 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) Our pick

Explore Cenote Dos Ojos from Playa del Carmen with a small-group scuba tour, expert guides, two cenote routes, gear, lunch, and transport.

“We did the Barbie Line and Bat Cave with Pepe and had an awesome time! We learned so much and had so much fun. Pepe is so patient and knowledgeable and fun, we would like to do more dives with him! The trip lasted from 9am until about 4pm. Delicious lunch was included. All gear provided and was in great shape and fit comfortably. There were 3 of us on the dive. They don’t allow the dive master to take pictures so they can focus on the clients, but there was an on-site photographer who took excellent photos! The communication while booking the trip was excellent, all done on WhatsApp,…”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Scuba Diving in Cenote Kukulkan from Playa del Carmen

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 370 reviews · 7 hours (approx.)

Review of Cenote Kukulkan scuba tour from Playa del Carmen, with small groups, gear, lunch, safety details, costs, and booking advice.

“The entire dive from beginning to end was absolutely amazing! There were only 4 divers so the group was smaller and more intimate. Our guide was out of this world! He was full of information not just about the dive but the history of the Cenote’s and explained the scientific history of what we were seeing. He made sure to make all the right stops along the way pausing at places so we could simply take in the beauty of the light refractions. Cannot say enough good things!!! When I come back to Mexico I will for sure being coming back to dive them again!!!!”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Discover Scuba Diving & Beach Club with Transportation In Riviera Maya

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 239 reviews · 45 minutes (approx.) · from $150

Try scuba in Riviera Maya with a 45-minute lesson, shallow-water practice, reef swim, gear, beach access, and hotel transport.

“The dive masters were so great at explaining everything you need to know and making you feel so comfortable, especially if you’ve never done it before. They are extremely attentive and truly try their best to ensure you enjoy your day!”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Two reef discovery dives with professional instructor (no experience necessary)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 103 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $150

Try scuba in Playa del Carmen with pool training, two reef descents, small groups, full gear, and patient instructors for beginners.

“My friend and I booked this with no prior scuba diving experience. All the people working here are so pleasant and friendly! We spent the morning in the local pool learning about the gear and how to use it. We got a one hour break for lunch. On return, we packed everything up at the shop and got transport on a fun golf cart down to the beach. Unfortunately, on this particular day, the water was very rough from being quite windy. At the first dive site, once in the water, I chickend out going below surface at the last second. But everyone else made it down and had a…”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.PADI Discover Scuba Diving Program in the Riviera Maya

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 67 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $126

Try scuba in the Riviera Maya with pool training, a guided reef boat outing, full gear, and hotel pickup for $126 per person.

“One of the finest life experiences ever ! The corals are a beauty ! I was a first timer and they took due care of me. Wearing the BCD (buoyancy control device) while training in the swimming pool breathing under water, I thought I would quit. But they patiently train you well enough that you get comfortable. You get personal attention all the way through. Patience is key. I went during the weekdays. It was just 3 of us. 2 trainers. One from Italy, the other from Bilbao. Both spoke fluent English and Spanish. After the training session in the pool, you’re taken right in the ocean for this wonderful…”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.PADI Discover Scuba Diving in Playa del Carmen

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 61 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $135

Test scuba in Playa del Carmen with PADI instruction, pool practice, reef time, tropical sea life, and practical tips before you book.

“Terrible experience. The training is for less than an hour and is very rushed. The practice "tank" is actually a 3ft resort pool in which we were taught to breathing and hand signs for about 20 minutes. There was no pool lesson on equalizing pressure etc. We spent more time waiting for the boat to arrive than on the lessons itself. I felt very uncomfortable after the lesson and chose not to go into the ocean. My husband went and within 10ft in the ocean felt ear pain and couldn't complete it. This would've been identified if the practice tank was deeper. We spent a lot of money for nothing...…”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Cozumel Dive Package – Certified Divers from the Riviera Maya (4 dives)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 51 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $378

Review of Pro Dive International’s four-session Cozumel package from Playa del Carmen, with reef highlights, costs, logistics, and booking advice.

“My buddy and I booked a two tank boat dive through the Pro Dive shop and it was breathtaking. David was an exceptional guide, showing us the beautiful life of the sea and spotting the sharks as well as other captivating marine life in the area. David helped get the perfect photos/videos throughout the dive and was very informative about the wildlife in the surface. We would highly recommend David and Pro Dive for your next dive trip.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.PADI Open Water Diver Course in the Riviera Maya

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 47 reviews · 3 days (approx.) · from $602

Earn your PADI Open Water certification in three to four days with pool training, Cozumel reefs, gear, boat trips, and hotel pickup options.

“My 11 year old son and I met Alexia and Diana at the Occidental Xcaret. After a trial run with them we wanted to go further and get our certification. What an amazing experience. Karim was very patient with us and helped us learn so much. All the instructors were very friendly and made us feel very welcome. We were lucky enough to see a bull shark on our third dive. My son had a blast and won't stop talking about it. Anytime I'm in playa I will be diving with these folks again. Even if I never dive again, it was worth it. I was scared to even snorkel…”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Half-Day Scuba Diving in Playa del Carmen for Small-Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 46 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $100Best value

Review of Playa del Carmen’s small-group scuba trip, with reef sites, safety details, costs, skill levels, gear, transport, and booking advice.

“Amazing trip! Pol was a great dive master! Would definitely book through them again! Saw lots of fish, coral, eels, and a shark!”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Fun Dive Machine in Playa del Carmen or Cozumel-For Certificates

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 43 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $251

Compare Playa del Carmen and Cozumel reef trips, small groups, gear, guides, costs, timing, and practical tips before booking.

“Superb, the lessons were awesome and the dives were really awesome. Great instructor, i panic on entry only but used my yoga breathing with mouth, calm down and it was peachy. Love it and it was my first time ever, i am a horrible swimmer, i learnt swimming in 10 days only 😅 but i did really good with lots of air to spare :)”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.PADI Open Water Diver Course in Playa del Carmen

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 40 reviews · 3 days 4 hours (approx.) · from $590

Earn your PADI Open Water certification in three days in Playa del Carmen, with pool training, four reef descents, equipment, and e-learning.

“Today we finished our Open Water course. Our instructor Jorge was fantastic and very educational in all stages. We felt very safe with him and all the staff at Scubacaribe in Rui Yacutan (Playa del Carmen) are very helpful and nice. So of course we booked 2 more dives with Jorge as new OW divers.😃”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Scuba Diving in Cenotes

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 37 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $190

Explore Mexico’s cenotes from Playa del Carmen with Be Diving, small groups, expert guides, two dives, snacks, and clear pricing advice.

“Diving in the cenotes with Be diving was an amazing experience. My guide was Jon and he did a fantastic job of making me feel comfortable and making the experience enjoyable. Highly recommend anyone looking to dive in this area to choose this operation and I can't wait to be back!”

Check availability →Read our full review