Scuba Diving Courses — Get Certified in Paradise

The Open Water course is two days of diving in Mexico, plus some videos, quizzes, and exams done at home before you arrive. Complete the home study at your own pace, then 2 days of hands-on diving here. The PADI Advanced Open Water course takes 2 days with five adventure dives.

Yes, and we strongly recommend it. PADI offers eLearning — an online course you can complete at your own pace from home before your trip. This covers all the theory and knowledge reviews, so when you arrive in Mexico, you jump straight into the water sessions. This saves 1-2 days on your vacation and lets you spend more time diving. We will send you the eLearning access code when you book.

We offer all PADI courses in English, Spanish, French, and German. PADI materials are available in these languages, and our instructors are multilingual. If you need instruction in a specific language, let us know when booking so we can assign the appropriate instructor.

This is what makes getting certified with us truly special — your certification dives take place in cenotes and on Caribbean reefs, not in a murky lake or cold quarry. Open Water students complete confined water sessions in a pool or calm cenote, then do their four certification dives in a combination of cenotes and ocean reefs. Advanced Open Water students dive cenotes and reefs throughout the course.

The minimum age for PADI Open Water certification is 10 years old. Children aged 10-14 receive a Junior Open Water Diver certification with some depth restrictions (12 meters maximum, must dive with a certified adult). At 15, the certification automatically upgrades to the full Open Water Diver rating. There is no upper age limit — we have certified divers well into their 70s.

Everyone learns at their own pace, and we never rush students through the course. If you need additional practice time in the water, extra explanation of theory concepts, or simply want to take things slowly, that is absolutely fine. We build flexibility into our course schedules. Your comfort and competence are more important than speed. There is no extra charge for additional time within reason.

The PADI Open Water course is from $400 per person ($400 from Playa del Carmen and south, $500 from above Playa) — these prices include all instruction, equipment, PADI certification fees, and free hotel pickup. The PADI Advanced Open Water course is from $400 per person ($400 from Playa and south, $500 from above Playa) with the same inclusions. These prices are competitive globally and represent outstanding value given that your certification dives happen in world-class cenotes and Caribbean reefs.