Getting a Diving Certificate in Playa del Carmen

Within one hour I got my PADI E-Learning account and I could start studying the theory online. I finished the courses and online test in a few hours over the weekend and was ready to start the fun part. On Monday I met my dive instructor Jack at 8 am at Scuba Libre, from there we drove to the Hotel Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. I trained the whole morning in the big pool of the resort, luckily there were almost no guests in the pool and I had a lot of space. Jack explained all the exercises to me and I could practice them multiple times. Most of the exercises were not new to me, because I already did the explore scuba diving course a while ago, so it was possible to finish the complete pool session before lunch.

After a short lunch we prepared our gear to dive in the sea. We visited the two dive spots Cueva de Pargo and Moc Che, both about 10 minutes away from the resort. During the dive I could see multiple sea turtles, a barracuda, a pufferfish and many other animals. I dived to a maximum depth of 12 meters and both dives were around 45 minutes long. I also performed all the exercises successfully. To finish the first diving day Jack showed me how to wash and maintain the diving gear we used.

After a one day break I went for my second diving day. Because I already finished the pool training I only needed two more dives in the ocean to complete the course. I met Jack at Scuba Libre at 12 pm; we prepared our gear and I got the briefing for the dives. Then the boat picked us up at the beach in front of Scuba Libre. That day we dived in Shangri-La and Jardines, two dive sites close to Playa del Carmen. This area of the sea is only about 10 meters deep but the coral reef is really beautiful. I could see multiple green eels and some majestic sea flap flaps. I also performed some exercises like the emergency swim ascent and the mask replacement. With these dives I completed the PADI open water course and got my certificate at Scuba Libre. I’m happy with my certificate and I hope I will go to many other nice dives in the future.

I had a really good experience with Scuba Libre and my dive teacher Jack. He explained everything perfectly and was really well prepared. The equipment I used was in good condition and I always felt safe and well guided. Plus it was great to be able to complete the theory portion of the course online instead of in person. I would recommend Scuba Libre if you want to dive in Playa del Carmen.