PADI Discover Scuba Diving

Safely experience the joys of scuba diving

If you are limited on time or you would like to try scuba diving without the commitment of a multi-day certification, then Discover Scuba Diving is your ticket to experience our beautiful reefs, full of life here in Playa del Carmen without any prior experience.

Dives

1 training dive in the pool
2 dives reef dives in Playa del Carmen
Small group sizes (max. 4 students)

Schedule

Experience available every day
Typically 09:00-17:00
Including approximately an hour break to allow you to grab some lunch

Requirements

No previous experience necessary
Comfortable in the water
10+ years old
Fulfill the medical requirements
Do not fly within 18 hours of scuba diving

Includes

Full dive equipment rental
Dive computer
Pool entry fees
PADI Materials
PADI Registration

Extras

GoPro Rental: $50
(includes memory card for you to keep)

Dive info

12m-18m / 40ft-60ft
Water temperature: 27-30°C / 80-87°F
Dive times: typically 4060min
We always try to give you the best experience and long dives whenever possible. Of course, we need to respect air consumption and no-decompression limits

Book now…

Start your booking by selecting the date you would like to dive

Let us know the name of each diver you would like to book for. Also, let us know any equipment rental each diver will require.
Diver Name
BCD
Regulator
Wetsuit
Computer
If you would like to add of remove divers to your booking please adjust the quantity next to the "Add to cart" button.
This is a multiple day dive package, so all of the extras such as equipment rental, GoPro rental and private guide fees reflect the total cost across your entire multiple-day package. If you don't want everything on every day then don't add it right now and just let us know via phone/email.
Although we are proud to work with small groups, if you would prefer to have a private guide then we can arrange this for you. You'll notice that generally the cost of the private guide decreases when you add buddies to dive alongside you in the private group.
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Pay a deposit of $45.00 per item

PADI Discover Scuba Diving is a one-day experience that aims to introduce you to the world of scuba diving with minimal fuss. You will be able to join us for two of our beautiful dives here in Playa del Carmen.

An instructor checks on some students

With this experience you will complete two dives in the Ocean after spending the morning in a swimming pool. In the pool you will learn some basic skills to keep you safe and ensure you can make the most of your ocean dives. You will be with a PADI Instructor for your entire day and they will accompany you closely in the ocean on two dives to a maximum depth of 12m/40ft.

Because this is an experience rather than a certification, the next time you want to go diving you will still be considered a non-diver and will need to complete another similar whole-day experience with pool training before ocean dives (although subsequent dives with us within a few days wouldn’t require the additional pool training).

Here in Playa del Carmen we have healthy reefs with many schools of fish. We often see turtles, moray eels, stingrays and occasionally nurse sharks, eagle rays and manta rays. The visibility on average tends to be between 10m/30ft and 25m/80ft. There are currents here, but the reef has many spots for the fish to hide, so you can turn a corner and see a wall of fish in front of you.

Can we dive in Cozumel?

The diving is Cozumel is legendary and many people come from all over the world to experience the reefs in Cozumel. Our famous Direct-to-Cozumel service takes divers to the reefs in Cozumel daily. However the majority of these famous reefs are the fabulous wall dives. These are indeed wonderful dives, but they are deep (up to 30m/100ft) and challenging with generally stronger currents. Of course, Cozumel also has beautiful shallower dive sites that are suitable for Discover Scuba Diving, but these shallower sites are not all that different to the types of reef we find here in Playa del Carmen.

But I really want to go… If you have your heart set on diving in Cozumel then please get in touch with us and we may be able to arrange something. We will need to look at the possibility of sending a special guide to keep you shallower than any other divers we might have on a given day. We will also need to check how we can complete the confined water training before heading over to Cozumel on the direct boat (since this is a morning trip it’s not possible to go to the pool on the same day as the ocean dives). Occasionally we can arrange an afternoon dive in Cozumel or we can arrange for you to complete the pool training on a prior day (the easiest way to do this is to complete the experience one in Playa del Carmen and then we would not need to conduct the pool training again during your trip).

Comfort and safety

Divers prepare to roll back from our boat Zazil-Ha in to the beautiful turquoise waters here in Playa del Carmen

Our boats each have two engines, and the captains have been working on the dive boats here for many years. Their experience really helps when it comes to selecting the most suitable dive site in changeable conditions.

One of our captains is also a PADI Rescue Diver so he really knows what divers need.

Our boats also have all appropriate safety equipment:

  • Emergency oxygen
  • First-aid kit
  • VHF radio
  • Life jackets

Our boats have plenty of space for you to prepare yourself prior to diving and have shaded areas to escape the Caribbean sun. We provide purified drinking water onboard as well as a freshly baked muffin.

Ready to learn
Peak Performance Buoyancy training
Okay?
A buddy team practice navigation techniques
Descending for the first time
Mask skills
Down we go
Students on the surface
First kicks
Take your time
Diver training in Playa del Carmen
Diver taking notes

We know there is a problem witht he medical questionnaire. We are actively working to fix it. For now, you can check eligibility by visiting ScubaMedical.com

Medical Questionnaire

These are the core medical questions associated with PADI Discover Scuba Diving. If you need to answer YES to any of these questions you would need medical sign-off from a doctor.

This is only a quick check to help you right now. Before booking any training you should check the full medical and liability statements associated with the course.

  • Do you currently have an ear infection?
  • Do you have a history of ear disease, hearing loss or problems with balance?
  • Do you have a history of ear or sinus surgery?
  • Are you currently suffering from a cold, congestion, sinusitis or bronchitis?
  • Do you have a history of respiratory problems, severe attacks of hayfever or allergies, or lung disease?
  • Have you had a collapsed lung (pneumothorax) or history of chest surgery?
  • Do you have active asthma or history of emphysema or tuberculosis?
  • Are you currently taking medication that carries a warning about any impairment of your physical or mental abilities?
  • Do you have behavioral health, mental or psychological problems or a nervous system disorder?
  • Are you or could you be pregnant?
  • Do you have a history of colostomy?
  • Do you have a history of heart disease or heart attack, heart surgery or blood vessel surgery?
  • Do you have a history of high blood pressure, angina, or take medication to control blood pressure?
  • Are you over 45 and have a family history of heart attack or stroke?
  • Do you have a history of bleeding or other blood disorders?
  • Do you have a history of diabetes?
  • Do you have a history of seizures, blackouts or fainting, convulsions or epilepsy or take medications to prevent them?
  • Do you have a history of back, arm or leg problems following an injury, fracture or surgery?
  • Do you have a history of fear of closed or open spaces or panic attacks (claustrophobia or agoraphobia)?

Small group = big fun

We proudly take our divers in small groups to provide the best service.

Small groups allow us to focus our time and attention on you to make sure you have the safest and most enjoyable experience possible.

Discover Scuba Diving / Open Water
Maxiumum 4 divers per Instructor

Playa del Carmen / Cozumel dives
Maximum 5 divers per Instructor

Cenotes
Maximum 4 divers per Instructor

We believe in quality

We consistently invest in new equipment and maintaining our equipment in excellent condition.

We are proud major-brand equipment we provide. Our standard equipment rental items are:

  • Regulator: Apeks ATA-40 (some with Suunto dive computers)
  • BCD: Zeagle Resort (with weight pockets)
  • Wetsuit: Cressi 2.5mm (ocean)
    or 5mm (cenotes)
  • Mask: 5 models available from Cressi, Beauchat, IST
  • Fins: Cressi branded, full-foot fins