The 6 Best Try Dives in Playa del Carmen

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

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

At Maroma Beach near Playa del Carmen, you get a short scuba introduction, shallow-water practice, and a recreational underwater session with bilingual guides such as Carlos, Alex, Juan, Ivan, and Ursula. Gear, insurance, beach access, bottled water, and shared hotel transport are included. You do not need open-water certification.

“My fiance and I booked the diving tour with them after reading so many great reviews about the people. And those reviews were right! I was VERY fearful about diving - everything from rolling backward into the water from the boat to not panicking under water to completing the training had me petrified. But the team (Alex, Ivan, and Ursula) helped me stay calm and made me feel safe. Once I figured out how to not panic and breathe too deeply (I found closing my eyes made a difference to help slow down my breathing), I really enjoyed the dive. I'll say the reef itself wasn't the most colorful or…”

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2.PADI Discover Scuba Diving Program in the Riviera Maya

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

Start at Pro Dive Mexico with a short scuba lesson and pool practice, then board a boat for one guided reef outing. Instructors such as Alex, Nicole, Anna, Jordan, and Toby have led beginner sessions, with groups limited to four. Gear is supplied, but marine park fees and some pickups cost extra.

“Great Riviera experience. We took our four kids, ages 10-14 for their first dive. They were not certified. Our dive guides, Anna and Jordan, were great with the kids. The pool skills training was well done and the kids got comfortable with their gear. The reef dive was great with lots of fish, nice reef features, and good visibility. The guides did a nice job on the descent to make sure everyone was comfortable and safe. Awesome first family SCUBA experience! Thank you for offering this intro to diving package.”

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3.PADI Discover Scuba Diving in Playa del Carmen

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

Meet at Hotel Riu Yucatan for a short PADI lesson, basic pool practice, and one boat-based open-water session off Playa del Carmen. An instructor stays with you throughout. You may see tropical fish, turtles, octopi, and sea anemones. The group is limited to eight, with equipment, water, and English or Spanish instruction included.

“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...…”

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4.Discover Scuba Diving Course in Playa del Carmen with Two Coral Reef Dives

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $169

Spend a full day learning scuba basics, practicing in a pool, then exploring two shallow coral reefs near Playa del Carmen. A PADI professional guides each 40-minute session, with equipment and water supplied. Alma, Jack, Geovanni, and Sam have led instruction for past groups, with patient coaching for nervous beginners. Minimum age is 10.

“I had a wonderful time learning scuba and seeing the two reefs.. Alma was so patient as my ears would not regulate and I was getting very frustrated but she was a champ. Once I was shown how to be patient with my ears I enjoyed the whole experience and will definitely try it again!! Thanks Alma for the whole experience..”

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5.Discover Scuba Diving in Playa del Carmen – 2 dives

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $165

Spend about seven hours learning scuba skills in shallow water, then head by boat to Playa del Carmen reefs for two supervised open-water sessions. Instructors speak English, French, and Spanish, and groups are limited to eight. Expect coral, tropical fish, rays, turtles, and a PADI Discover Scuba certificate.

“It was an absolutely fantastic experience! I had my two kids, 13 and 11, with me for the scuba dive. The whole organization from filling out documents in advance, welcome transfers etc. everything was super well organized. We felt safe and in good hands every minute. We saw a lot of fish and also a turtle, an eagle ray, a puffer fish and a thousand other fish... All in all great. The only thing I personally missed was a photo under water...”

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6.Playa del Carmen: Discovery Scuba Diving – Non Certified

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · 8 hours · from $186

Start at 8:00 AM at Scuba Playa for a safety briefing, equipment lesson, and pool session. Then make two shallow reef outings from Playa del Carmen’s beach with an English-speaking PADI instructor. Equipment, water, and the marine park fee are included. No prior experience is needed, but good health is required.

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