Cancun puts a living reef, a sculpture park on the sea floor and flooded caves within reach of one hotel strip. The water is part of the Great Mesoamerican Reef system, so even a simple snorkel can show you fish, coral and clear water. Divers can go further: reef sites, sunken ships and cenotes, the freshwater sinkholes of the Yucatan. The underwater museum, known as MUSA, is the sight most visitors have heard of. It holds sculptures placed on the sea bed, and both divers and snorkellers can see them.
The activity suits almost everyone. Snorkelling needs no training, so it works for families and nervous swimmers. Certified divers can book reef and cenote trips. Complete beginners can start a PADI course with an instructor. Several shops also teach more advanced courses, up to Divemaster, so a longer stay can turn into a real training week.
Start by deciding what you want to see. For colourful fish and easy water, pick a reef snorkel or dive. For something quiet and strange, pick a cenote. For art, pick the museum.
Marina Chac Chi
Marina Chac Chi is a PADI certified scuba company on Boulevard Kukulcan in the Hotel Zone. Its focus is certification, so it makes sense for anyone who wants to learn to dive rather than just try it once. It is open daily from 7AM to 6PM. That gives you a full day to fit in a course session.
- Address: Boulevard Kukulcan, Km 3.2, Zona Hotelera
- Hours: Daily 7AM–6PM
Scuba Diving Cancun
Scuba Diving Cancun has PADI certified instructors and rents equipment, which helps certified divers who travel without gear. Its day trips go to reefs, sunken ships and cenotes for cave diving. Half-day dive trips start at US$69. It is open daily from 7AM to 6PM, on Boulevard Kukulcan in the Hotel Zone.
- Address: Blvd. Kukulcan KM 3.5, Kukulcan Boulevard, Zona Hotelera
- Hours: Daily 7AM–6PM
- Price: Half-day dive trips start at US$69
Cancun Scuba Center
Cancun Scuba Center sits in Punta Cancun in the Hotel Zone and keeps long hours, daily from 7AM to 9PM. Its PADI instructors teach a range of courses, including Advanced Open Water and Divemaster. Day trips go to dive sites along the Great Mesoamerican Reef, and to Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, cenotes and underwater rivers. It also runs snorkelling excursions, including snorkelling with whale sharks, which makes it a good pick for mixed groups where only some people dive.
- Address: Quetzal 77510, Punta Cancun, Zona Hotelera
- Hours: Daily 7AM–9PM
Seatizen Divers
Seatizen Divers teaches with both PADI and SDI, two well-known training systems. It offers reef trips, cenote trips and dive trips to the Undersea Museum, MUSA. You find it at Marina Aquafun. It is open daily from 7:30AM to 5:30PM.
- Address: Marina Aquafun
- Hours: Daily 07:30AM–5:30PM
Manta Divers
Manta Divers is a full service dive shop with PADI certified instructors and courses. Its trips go to MUSA, the underwater museum, and to reefs, and cenote diving is available. Equipment is included. Listed prices run from $130 to $800, so the cost depends on the trip you choose. It is open daily from 8AM to 6PM on Boulevard Kukulcan in the Hotel Zone.
- Address: Boulevard Kukulcan Km 15+656, Zona Hotelera
- Hours: Daily 8AM–6PM
- Price: $130 – 800
Scuba Total Cancun
Scuba Total Cancun is a family-owned dive centre that has run since the early 2000s. Its PADI certified instructors lead small groups of no more than 4 divers. That suits people who want personal attention, or who feel unsure about diving in a crowd. It is open from 7:30AM to 5:00PM on Boulevard Kukulcan in the Hotel Zone.
- Address: Blvd Kukulcan Km 16,2 Hotel Zone
- Hours: 7:30AM–5:00PM
Cancún Yachts Club
Cancún Yachts Club rents yachts for tours in all areas of Cancun. On board you can snorkel, dive or swim in calm water. It suits a group that wants its own boat and its own pace instead of a shared tour. It sits on Boulevard Kukulcan in the Hotel Zone, near Captain Hook Cancun.
- Address: boulevardo kukulkan km. 5.8
Punta Este Marina
Punta Este Marina offers the Jungle Tour, where you drive your own boat through the lagoon and then snorkel on the reef. It also gives diving lessons and runs dive trips to the best dive spots in Cancun, such as the underwater museum. The mix of boat driving and reef time makes it a lively choice for families and friends.
Always Diving
Always Diving offers a wide catalogue of scuba programmes. That range makes it worth a look if you are not sure yet whether you want a taster, a course or a full dive trip.
Planning
Match the trip to your level. Beginners should pick a shop that teaches PADI courses, such as Marina Chac Chi, Scuba Diving Cancun or Cancun Scuba Center. Certified divers can choose between reef, wreck, cenote and museum trips. Most shops in this guide sit along Boulevard Kukulcan in the Hotel Zone, so it is easy to stay nearby and walk or take a short ride to the marina.
Plan your day around the opening hours. Most shops open early, from 7AM or 8AM, and close between 5:00PM and 6PM. Cancun Scuba Center stays open until 9PM, which helps if you want to talk through plans in the evening. If you want to see the underwater museum, choose Seatizen Divers or Manta Divers. For whale shark snorkelling, Cancun Scuba Center is the one in this list that offers it. For a trip on your own boat, look at Punta Este Marina or Cancún Yachts Club.
See all things to do in Cancun.