On the Water
4 hours
Recommended by 91% of travelers
91% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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Scuba Libre
Scuba Libre
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About
Scuba Libre has been operating in Playa del Carmen since 1998.Currently Scuba Libre operates two dive centers, one located in the heart of Playa del Carmen only 30m/100ft from the sea and the other inside of the Sandos Caracol Eco Resort and Spa, 6km/4mi north of Playa del Carmen. Scuba Libre is a PADI 5* Gold Palm Resort and active member of APSA (Riviera Maya Association of Dive & Water Sports Operators.)Scuba Libre's Dive Masters and Instructors are very familiar with the diverse dive sites along Playa del Carmen and are very experienced in training and guiding divers. Scuba Libre teaches all levels of PADI courses in German, English, Italian, Spanish, French and Dutch. A maximum of 6 divers per Dive Master or 4 students per Instructor are taken into the ocean, this way Scuba Libre can give full attention to all clients and ensure them the safest and most exciting dive experience possible.Scuba Libre's boats have been specially customized for diving activities, providing all the space and comfort that a diver may expect, plus all of the necessary safety equipment that an open sea operation requires.The boats and dive centers are fitted with state of the art radio communications with direct access to the Local SSS Recompression Chamber of Playa del Carmen and DAN Americas.
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico
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On the Water
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On the Water
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Recommended by 91% of travelers
91% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
794 reviews
Excellent
623
Very good
102
Average
33
Poor
7
Terrible
29
Tim Ziegler
8 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
My girlfriend and I had a busy week of diving with Scuba Libre. Let me tell you it was a great experience. My girlfriend needed her referal so we had 2T dives day one and 2T Dives day 2. Those dives were great and our instructor was awesome he helped get her ocean ready and she passed with flying colors. We went to 2 locations with nice reefs with beautiful fish and colorful coral. Huge eels and we even saw some barracuda during our safety stop. I would highly recommend them to anyone getting a referral or doing the full course. Highly skilled instructors and dive masters. Day 3 was a 2T dive one in Tortugas and One at one of the stops we went to the day before. Tortugas was a drift dive so it was a work out but we saw 2 turtles. We heard there is also sharks but we didn't see any although it was a strong current so it was hard to see anything. Although it was another great dive. Lastly cenotes day 4 was the highlight! Go, go, go! An amazing experience we have never seen anything like it! We were guided by an experienced instructor who loved cave diving and knew alot. My girlfriend was scared but he guided her through on his arm and it allowed her to enjoy the trip. All and all a great experience and great trip!
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your kind review Tim, we at Scuba Libre are glad you and your girlfriend had a great time diving with us and we were able to meet and exceed your expectations!
We hope to see you underwater on your next trip to the Riviera Maya.
Written January 22, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ken Jansons
Tsawwassen, Canada11 contributions
Jan 2024 • Solo
I booked the Tullum package, 5-2 tank days online before arriving.
I was staying at the Sandos Caracol eco for a 10 day stay.
Scuba Libre gave me an unforgettable experience and made this trip the best one so far. Their knowledge and professionalism has made me want to plan my next vacations around them. The Scuba Libre people working at the Sandos Caracol are the reason this trip is unforgettable.
Muchas gracias Scuba Libre 🙏
I was staying at the Sandos Caracol eco for a 10 day stay.
Scuba Libre gave me an unforgettable experience and made this trip the best one so far. Their knowledge and professionalism has made me want to plan my next vacations around them. The Scuba Libre people working at the Sandos Caracol are the reason this trip is unforgettable.
Muchas gracias Scuba Libre 🙏
Written February 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arianna J
Fort McMurray, Canada6 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
Went on a 4 hour deep sea fishing trip with this group. Crew was amazing, fishing was amazing. However if you have any mobility issues this is not really for you getting on the boat and off the boat in the water if you have any physical limitations or are new to it will be very difficult as they don’t have a doc.
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brandon G
5 contributions
Dec 2023 • Solo
AVOID
I booked a Discover Freediving tour with this company. However, a few days after booking I came down with a chest cold. To be safe and to be respectful of their time, I cancelled 2 days prior to the tour. They refused my request for a refund. They offered a credit, but I was leaving the day after the tour was scheduled and had no idea when I'd be able to return. Their money was apparently more important to them than my safety or wellbeing. Whoever I spoke with (they wouldn't give their name) told me the owner (Riccardo Corra) could only be reached by snail mail. They took over $200 from me. Their representative was extremely rude and unprofessional. If you want to avoid obnoxious/rude staff, and greedy/thieving owners, go with one of the many other competent agencies in the area.
I booked a Discover Freediving tour with this company. However, a few days after booking I came down with a chest cold. To be safe and to be respectful of their time, I cancelled 2 days prior to the tour. They refused my request for a refund. They offered a credit, but I was leaving the day after the tour was scheduled and had no idea when I'd be able to return. Their money was apparently more important to them than my safety or wellbeing. Whoever I spoke with (they wouldn't give their name) told me the owner (Riccardo Corra) could only be reached by snail mail. They took over $200 from me. Their representative was extremely rude and unprofessional. If you want to avoid obnoxious/rude staff, and greedy/thieving owners, go with one of the many other competent agencies in the area.
Written January 1, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LauraLy A
Saint Louis, MO1 contribution
Jun 2021 • Family
We went snorkeling at a nearby reef, which was great! All on board to help with the adventure were knowledgeable and kind! Lucky for my family, a photographer named Travis Xander was snorkeling with us that day and offered to take pictures. The pictures far exceeded my expectations and I am so happy with the decision! He has an impressive resume and talent. If you are lucky enough for Travis to join you on your adventure, ask for him to photograph you and your family, you won’t regret it. It has been a lot of fun to reflect back on our day and show family the fun we had through pictures. I will include a few of my favorites from the trip.
Written June 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much from all staff and in special Travis for your great review, hope to have you back son for new adventures
Written July 2, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Samara Rosendo Machado
5 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Me and my husband came to Playa del Carmen to celebrate our honeymoon. Of course, like other adventurous young couple we wanted to see the nature and explore around. That's when the snorkeling trip was suggested by the people who works at the Scuba libre. We bought the trip at full price and we made sure to ask what would be the best day to go snorkeling, to be safe and to have good visibility. They suggested to go on Tuesday the 14-01-2020 claiming that this would be a very good day to snorkel and see the corals/fishes. On the 14th of January we went to the meeting point for the trip and I asked several times to the Scuba libre crew about the weather conditions, the waves, how wild the waves were and about the visibility. They all kept reassuring me that this was the best day to go, calm sea and good visibility. After few workers of the Scuba libre reassured me, I was convinced, after all they are the professionals. I went to the get the equipment with my husband. At this point they were just giving the equipment randomly without caring if the life vest fitted or not. No explanation was given about the use of the equipment not even how to put them on. Then they sent us to the shore to get a small boat that would bring us to the speed boat. Then I saw bigger waves and wild sea. But then again, they kept saying that once we went to the coral reef the condition were better. So we went to the coral reef, waves kept getting bigger and the sea wilder. I started feeling a bit sea sick because of these conditions, so I asked to be the 1st to go into the sea. As soon as I jump into the sea, the life vest suffocated me, because it was way too big and was coming up to my throat making me unable to swim. My husband tried to make it tighter, but the life vest was just too big. I asked help to the boat captain and he said that it was a recurrent problem and that the crew from Scuba libre did not care about the life vest size and other tourists had the same problem. That I should complain when back to shore, but for the time being that I should just hold the life vest with my hands and swim with only my legs. However, the waves were getting higher and stronger, so I could not keep up. The guide that was supposed to be guiding us in the water and checking out safety was just acting like another tourist and swimming around and did not care about safety of the clients. The captain was just on his phone, also not checking on us. A complete disregard to our safety. After few minutes I could not bare the suffocating life vest and I went back to the boat. The boat captain himself suggested that I took off my life vest and that I went for a swim to try to enjoy some of the snorkeling. But the waves were too high at this point and in this snorkeling place there is nowhere where you can just stand up because under you are all corals. When I got down from the boat a stingray touched the tail on me (I was very luck to not be hurt by it). At this point I was really done with it all and I went back to the boat.
Shortly after that every other tourist went on the boat. A guy started throwing up a lot, I was feeling very sick as well and shaking from head to toe. The waves were extremely high and started raining. When we were almost arriving there was no small boat to pick us up. The captain said that we were close enough to the shore (about 100 meters away) and that we should just jump from the boat and go swimming. At this point I had no life vest and the captain nor the guide were worried about it. I was feeling extremely sick, I was pale and shaking and I had to be the one to ask for a life vest. I was so sick that I could not wear the life vest and I had to ask for people to help me with that. I just remember jumping from the boat in the water and afterwards my husband pulling me to the shore with an elderly German woman that was on the trip. I got UNCONSCIOUS, drank too much sea water. My husband lost his sunglasses to save me (100 euros is nothing when compared to a life). Once I got in the shore, nobody from the Scuba libre company was there to help me. I went back to the hotel, someone from the Scuba libre crew was trying to sell another trip. I explained what happened and he said "but today wasn't a good day anyways to go snorkeling". So I said, "why then send people disregarding their safety and just caring about the money?" And he said "next time I will ask the waves to stop just for you to swim". That was the most rude and disrespectful comment ever. I was feeling way too sick to file for a complaint. The next day I went to the Scuba libre crew and file for a complaint. Yesterday the 17-01-2020, someone from their crew came to talk to us (no manager/supervisor) and said that they would give us the money back from the trip and asked to NOT write a review on trip advisor. Because it would look bad for them. This made me so annoyed. This is about safety and people's life. Other tourists need to know that they are "a company and that money is important for then to keep going. They don't check the wind conditions before sending us out there. Also if the flag is yellow it could quickly turn into red flag (a dangerous flag, don't go because you might die type), but it is a business and as long as they can sell it to people and send them there, they will". Everything that is in quotes, was said yesterday by Scuba libre yesterday. They wanted to give the money back to make me "happier about the situation" and don't let me write for you guys to read (again in quotes is what was said by Scuba libre). I requested to talk to a manager, but convenient enough he/she was away for the weekend (on a Thursday??). They kept making lies over lies and even when the flag yesterday was red, they were trying to sell jetski trips. NO CONCERN ABOUT PEOPLE'S LIFE NOR SAFETY. YOU ARE JUST MONEY FOR THEM.
Shortly after that every other tourist went on the boat. A guy started throwing up a lot, I was feeling very sick as well and shaking from head to toe. The waves were extremely high and started raining. When we were almost arriving there was no small boat to pick us up. The captain said that we were close enough to the shore (about 100 meters away) and that we should just jump from the boat and go swimming. At this point I had no life vest and the captain nor the guide were worried about it. I was feeling extremely sick, I was pale and shaking and I had to be the one to ask for a life vest. I was so sick that I could not wear the life vest and I had to ask for people to help me with that. I just remember jumping from the boat in the water and afterwards my husband pulling me to the shore with an elderly German woman that was on the trip. I got UNCONSCIOUS, drank too much sea water. My husband lost his sunglasses to save me (100 euros is nothing when compared to a life). Once I got in the shore, nobody from the Scuba libre company was there to help me. I went back to the hotel, someone from the Scuba libre crew was trying to sell another trip. I explained what happened and he said "but today wasn't a good day anyways to go snorkeling". So I said, "why then send people disregarding their safety and just caring about the money?" And he said "next time I will ask the waves to stop just for you to swim". That was the most rude and disrespectful comment ever. I was feeling way too sick to file for a complaint. The next day I went to the Scuba libre crew and file for a complaint. Yesterday the 17-01-2020, someone from their crew came to talk to us (no manager/supervisor) and said that they would give us the money back from the trip and asked to NOT write a review on trip advisor. Because it would look bad for them. This made me so annoyed. This is about safety and people's life. Other tourists need to know that they are "a company and that money is important for then to keep going. They don't check the wind conditions before sending us out there. Also if the flag is yellow it could quickly turn into red flag (a dangerous flag, don't go because you might die type), but it is a business and as long as they can sell it to people and send them there, they will". Everything that is in quotes, was said yesterday by Scuba libre yesterday. They wanted to give the money back to make me "happier about the situation" and don't let me write for you guys to read (again in quotes is what was said by Scuba libre). I requested to talk to a manager, but convenient enough he/she was away for the weekend (on a Thursday??). They kept making lies over lies and even when the flag yesterday was red, they were trying to sell jetski trips. NO CONCERN ABOUT PEOPLE'S LIFE NOR SAFETY. YOU ARE JUST MONEY FOR THEM.
Written January 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scott M
Montreal, Quebec, Canada2 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
I have the exact same experience as the review posted on April 6th.
I am a Divemaster, but my girlfriend had never dived before. She decided to try the Discover Scuba course. I do not recommend anybody to take courses with this dive shop. The theory lasted only 10 minutes and the pool session only 15 minutes. In my opinion as a divemaster, this is completely inadequate especially considering the conditions of the ocean in Playa del Carmen. The red flag was up almost all week.
I was surprised to see that there was another student in the course with her. I assumed that he was a Discover student as well. Both beginners were given the same theory and pool session. However, I found out later that the other guy was actually an Open Water certified diver. So what the dive shop did was they decided to mix a DSD course with a Scuba Review course. This means that not only was the course inadequate for a DSD course, but the guy who paid for a scuba review course did not get to review all the skills that are covered in a scuba review course. This is unacceptable. There were no buoyancy skill practiced, no emergency ascent, no alternate air source practice... All of these things and many more are performance requirements for a Scuba Review course and the dive shop failed to provide adequate training for paying customers.
So after this poor attempt at training their paying customers, my girlfriend did not feel comfortable and the instructor could see it. She was stressing out and did not feel like she had enough time to get used to diving. He did not care and was quick to get back to making jokes with his colleges at the dive shop. The owner never looked up from his cell phone the entire time we were there. She panicked and decided to cancel the dive (a smart move for ANY diver who does not feel comfortable about a dive). But diver safety is not Scuba Libre's main concern. Money is. Which is why they charged her for the dives anyway. So basically I paid for 4 dives and I only got 2 dives out of it.
I have been diving since 2006, and have been to Mexico a few times, Jamaica a few times, Honduras a few times, DR, Venezuela, Florida Keys... among others and NEVER has a dive shop asked us to pay for our dives up front. Normally you do your dives and you pay later unless you are in a situation where the boat does not return to the dive shop. But Scuba Libre charges their customers first and then when a dive gets cancelled for whatever reason, they do not reimburse you. This is no way to treat potential new divers.
My girlfriend is now terrified of ever diving again due to their lack of caring and inadequate training. PADI has lost a diver because of this dive shop. But more importantly, they robbed us of an activity we could have enjoyed together for many years. I have been in this situation before (in Jamaica) but the dive shop really did their best to help out the new diver and she is now a divemaster as well.
Needless to say I took my business elsewhere for my next dives and I will never dive with them again. If you are a capable diver then the dive sites here are great. But go elsewhere if you only dive a few times a year.
I am a Divemaster, but my girlfriend had never dived before. She decided to try the Discover Scuba course. I do not recommend anybody to take courses with this dive shop. The theory lasted only 10 minutes and the pool session only 15 minutes. In my opinion as a divemaster, this is completely inadequate especially considering the conditions of the ocean in Playa del Carmen. The red flag was up almost all week.
I was surprised to see that there was another student in the course with her. I assumed that he was a Discover student as well. Both beginners were given the same theory and pool session. However, I found out later that the other guy was actually an Open Water certified diver. So what the dive shop did was they decided to mix a DSD course with a Scuba Review course. This means that not only was the course inadequate for a DSD course, but the guy who paid for a scuba review course did not get to review all the skills that are covered in a scuba review course. This is unacceptable. There were no buoyancy skill practiced, no emergency ascent, no alternate air source practice... All of these things and many more are performance requirements for a Scuba Review course and the dive shop failed to provide adequate training for paying customers.
So after this poor attempt at training their paying customers, my girlfriend did not feel comfortable and the instructor could see it. She was stressing out and did not feel like she had enough time to get used to diving. He did not care and was quick to get back to making jokes with his colleges at the dive shop. The owner never looked up from his cell phone the entire time we were there. She panicked and decided to cancel the dive (a smart move for ANY diver who does not feel comfortable about a dive). But diver safety is not Scuba Libre's main concern. Money is. Which is why they charged her for the dives anyway. So basically I paid for 4 dives and I only got 2 dives out of it.
I have been diving since 2006, and have been to Mexico a few times, Jamaica a few times, Honduras a few times, DR, Venezuela, Florida Keys... among others and NEVER has a dive shop asked us to pay for our dives up front. Normally you do your dives and you pay later unless you are in a situation where the boat does not return to the dive shop. But Scuba Libre charges their customers first and then when a dive gets cancelled for whatever reason, they do not reimburse you. This is no way to treat potential new divers.
My girlfriend is now terrified of ever diving again due to their lack of caring and inadequate training. PADI has lost a diver because of this dive shop. But more importantly, they robbed us of an activity we could have enjoyed together for many years. I have been in this situation before (in Jamaica) but the dive shop really did their best to help out the new diver and she is now a divemaster as well.
Needless to say I took my business elsewhere for my next dives and I will never dive with them again. If you are a capable diver then the dive sites here are great. But go elsewhere if you only dive a few times a year.
Written April 29, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
steffyiowa
Forest City, IA26 contributions
Feb 2018
The crew was wonderful!! Attentive and very professional...but great fun as well. We had a great time on the boat as well in Isla Mujeres!! Rented a golf cart and ran around the island!!
Written March 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JoanneD905
Andover, UK1 contribution
Mar 2013 • Friends
This is the first time I have ever left a review on the Internet but I feel so strongly about this company and that one day someone may lose their life through incompetence that I feel the need to warn other people.
We have just returned from a great holiday in playa del carmen, apart from this Bad experience with Scuba libra. Me and my wife have been diving all over the world as advanced divers for over 10 years and have never seen such poor tuition as this. A group of 8 of us booked a days diving, 3 of us certified Divers and the other 5 doing their first dives (discover scuba diving). One of the group was very nervous and I was assured there would be 2 Instructors with us. First they told us, and advertise, there would be a 40 minute Theory session, Never happened, and then off to the pool for 2 hours with the group of 5 and 1 instructor to put it all into practise. I, being a certified diver, accompanied them to take some holiday snaps etc. I was amazed at how little instruction the Instructor gave them over a total of 45 mins in the pool shared between the five of them. On the way back I was told we only needed 1 instructor between the 8 of us for the sea dives. After strong complaining they said 2 instructors would be sent. On the day of the diving the sea was quite rough (not the company's fault) and off we went. On the rough journey out we had no briefing or plans of how we were going to organise the group apart from everyone would be going off the boat backwards. Although the 3 certified divers had no problem with this the 5 beginners ( 2 who were in their 60s) were absolutly terrified of this prospect as it had never been mentioned or even practised in the pool. I strongly told the instructor that there was no way the older lady would go in the water backwards and would rather not do it if that was the case. I was told not to worry and that he would help her off the boat in a different way after we had all got in the water. We were then all ordered into the sea (backwards) without any briefing apart from meet at the front of the boat on the rope. Great, 8 people, 1 rope and choppy conditions. The second instructor who was supposed to help out was not an instructor as such but only there equiped with a large camera outfit sent to take pictures to make more money (forget divers safety as making money from photos is obviously more important). The last lady on the boat with the issue of going in the water backwards was then man handled by the instructor and the boat driver BACKWARDS into the water. Whilst this was happening the rest were all trying to hang on to a rope at the front of the boat getting thrown all over the place by the conditions waiting for instructions. The Instructor then shouted to everyone to proceed down the rope and meet at the bottom (12mtrs) untill he comes down with the last one. As we started to proceed down the rope the second so called instructor proceeded to take many photos of 5 complete beginners trying to make their way down the rope with no help on bouancy, equalization or anything else. One had a regulator kicked out her mouth and shot to the surface choking water and going back to the boat, another had a mask knocked partly off there face and could not see and also went back to the boat. I could go forever but in the end we had the 3 certified divers and only one of the begginers at the bottom for the dive. The rest were on the boat refusing to ever try scuba again. The 3 certified divers had already arranged other trips diving with this company but needless to say we cancelled and went on to enjoy 3 great days diving in playa and cozumel with a much appreciated professional company. No one was offered any drinks or fruit on the boat as promised but that was the least of their worries. I complained strongly back at their office but no appologies or mention of refunds, just excuses. If you are thinking of trying scuba for the first time bewarned of SCUBA LIBRE as they are an accident waiting to happen also pay for your diving in dollars or you will get really ripped off when they change back to pesos.
Mark & Joanne
We have just returned from a great holiday in playa del carmen, apart from this Bad experience with Scuba libra. Me and my wife have been diving all over the world as advanced divers for over 10 years and have never seen such poor tuition as this. A group of 8 of us booked a days diving, 3 of us certified Divers and the other 5 doing their first dives (discover scuba diving). One of the group was very nervous and I was assured there would be 2 Instructors with us. First they told us, and advertise, there would be a 40 minute Theory session, Never happened, and then off to the pool for 2 hours with the group of 5 and 1 instructor to put it all into practise. I, being a certified diver, accompanied them to take some holiday snaps etc. I was amazed at how little instruction the Instructor gave them over a total of 45 mins in the pool shared between the five of them. On the way back I was told we only needed 1 instructor between the 8 of us for the sea dives. After strong complaining they said 2 instructors would be sent. On the day of the diving the sea was quite rough (not the company's fault) and off we went. On the rough journey out we had no briefing or plans of how we were going to organise the group apart from everyone would be going off the boat backwards. Although the 3 certified divers had no problem with this the 5 beginners ( 2 who were in their 60s) were absolutly terrified of this prospect as it had never been mentioned or even practised in the pool. I strongly told the instructor that there was no way the older lady would go in the water backwards and would rather not do it if that was the case. I was told not to worry and that he would help her off the boat in a different way after we had all got in the water. We were then all ordered into the sea (backwards) without any briefing apart from meet at the front of the boat on the rope. Great, 8 people, 1 rope and choppy conditions. The second instructor who was supposed to help out was not an instructor as such but only there equiped with a large camera outfit sent to take pictures to make more money (forget divers safety as making money from photos is obviously more important). The last lady on the boat with the issue of going in the water backwards was then man handled by the instructor and the boat driver BACKWARDS into the water. Whilst this was happening the rest were all trying to hang on to a rope at the front of the boat getting thrown all over the place by the conditions waiting for instructions. The Instructor then shouted to everyone to proceed down the rope and meet at the bottom (12mtrs) untill he comes down with the last one. As we started to proceed down the rope the second so called instructor proceeded to take many photos of 5 complete beginners trying to make their way down the rope with no help on bouancy, equalization or anything else. One had a regulator kicked out her mouth and shot to the surface choking water and going back to the boat, another had a mask knocked partly off there face and could not see and also went back to the boat. I could go forever but in the end we had the 3 certified divers and only one of the begginers at the bottom for the dive. The rest were on the boat refusing to ever try scuba again. The 3 certified divers had already arranged other trips diving with this company but needless to say we cancelled and went on to enjoy 3 great days diving in playa and cozumel with a much appreciated professional company. No one was offered any drinks or fruit on the boat as promised but that was the least of their worries. I complained strongly back at their office but no appologies or mention of refunds, just excuses. If you are thinking of trying scuba for the first time bewarned of SCUBA LIBRE as they are an accident waiting to happen also pay for your diving in dollars or you will get really ripped off when they change back to pesos.
Mark & Joanne
Written April 6, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MNDiver1981
Erhard, MN14 contributions
Dec 2014 • Friends
I stayed Sandos Playacar and dove off and on for a week before Christmas. Simona was helpful as usual and Jonathon Gonzalez was awesome in helping my friend and I get our PADI Deep Diver specialty. He made us feel welcome and safe as he went through the materials and skills and took us on our best dive of the week if not the best dive I have ever been on. Will definitely be going back just have to find the time and money.
Written January 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My 12 year old granddaughter will complete classes and pool at home
If she brings referral letter can she complete certification with you?
We’ll be there in March 2020
Thx
Jeff
Written October 20, 2019
Hi Jeff im sorry i did not see yuor message before, it will be our pleasure to receive your daughter and certified her.
please contact me , please let me know which hotel you will stay, also remember there is the option to take the theory online with eleatinnig padi and the full practice here in 2 days she will finih the course . please visit our page adn contact us via mail tripavisor is very limited, does not allowed corresponding informations as mail and links
Written November 9, 2019
why use them? Quetzel/Tucan has Dressel divers on site. Im sure Marco or Javier would have taken better care of you, and as a tenant of Iberostar, you would have gotten a discount.....
Written September 16, 2018
Hola con mi señora quisieramos repetir la excursión de snorkel del año pasado, me podrían informar de los horarios de salida y los costos?. La excursión tendría que se en lo posible el día domingo 10 de junio y somos dos personas.
Gracias
Luis desde Argentina
Written May 20, 2018
El año pasado tomamos la excursión desde el Sandos Playacar y navegamos unos 5 minutos o algo mas (supongo) Pasamos un parque acuático que supongo era Xcaret y nos sacó fotos Carlo Bongioni. Este año vamos a estar en el hotel Campanario, por lo que saldremos desde la base de ustedes. Lo que todavía no tengo definido es si la vamos a hacer el domingo 10 o lunes 11 de junio, pero en último caso si les parece me puedo llegar o comunicarme unos días antes allá en Playa del Carmen?
Written May 22, 2018
Can you tell me what we can do with the free scuba gears within the resort? Is it more like swim in the shallow swimming pool for a minutes or two or dive in the cenote?
Written April 6, 2018
Hi Danile im sorry to answer to you only now, what we offer at the resort it's free scuba demao, is like 5 minutes tasting the scuba gear in the swimming pool , we provide also snorkelr gear for free for 1 hour at the time , if you like to swimm into cenotes the animation team offer life jacket and snorkel direct there
Written April 21, 2018
Hello , if you are not certified you can participate to the discovery scuba diving program, with 2 and half training in th morning you will be ready for 2 reef dives
Written March 1, 2018
Hi I'm coming to riu palace Mexico in January do you pick up from this hotel or do I have to make my own way to the dive centre if so how far are you from this hotel. Thanks
Written October 23, 2017
Hi Im Riccardo from Scuba libre, we do have 2 dive center in playa del carmen, one it's down town on the calle 4 norte few step before the beach, taxi take 7 minutes to get there, an other option it's to use our diving base located on the sandos playacar. in that case you will just need to walk 5 minutes you will need to walk on the beach on the right side from your hotel up to sandos playacar. Using this facility there will be 12 usd boarding fee per trip
visit our page to see the package, and write to me on the web mail so we cna have an easier chat and i can send to you maps link and other info .
Regards
Written October 24, 2017
Hi Myself and my husband are going to sandos playacar sept next year and would love to try some diving, we have never dived before and wondered if there is anything suitable with yourselfs we could try? Also are you close to our hotel
Written September 18, 2017
Hi Eleanor im Riccardo ceo of Scuba ibre, we do have a diving base right on the sandos's playacar beach .
We make diving trainnig there and divong boat departure right from the beach .
For buiginners we do have the dicovery scuba diving program :
start at 8.00 am with little theory and pool training untill 10.30, then we will meet again at 12.30 for the 2 afternoon reef dives by boat . It cost a totla of 147 usd( 135 usd + 12 usd sandos boarding fee) per person all included, for september next year the price maybe will increase a little .
Other option is take the open water course and get certified . Let me know if you need info about the course
Written September 18, 2017
hi i am staying at grand riviera princess in january, how close are you to this hotel. what is the price list, also thinking about bringing all or part of my gear what is rental costs.,thanks I am padi Advanced. Paula
Written December 18, 2016
Hi Paula im Riccardo from Scuba libre, we do have a diving base located on the beach of Sandos Caracol Resort like 1 km from your hotel . look at our web page and write to the contact
Written December 18, 2016
Combien est le coût pour le rafrechissement en piscine pour 2 personnes avec une plongee chacune merci Chantal et Michel
Written April 1, 2016
refrehser + 2 local dives + equipment 135 usd all togheter, in case you like to receive the service at sandos hotelsthere is a boarding fee of 12 usd
Written May 13, 2016
Noelia,... Hola... pregunta, ¿Tienes que tomar un curso de certificación previo a hacer un tour de buceo? o es opcional?
Saludos.
Written February 18, 2016
Con un pequeno curso de buceo que puede tardar 2/3 horas se puede ir bucear directamente.
Written October 5, 2016
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