Cenote diving, cave diving, fun ocean dives, PADI and SDI courses with Xibalba Divers MX. Safety first, small groups, and a personalized experience from start to finish. Contact us and we will confirm availability, meeting details, and the best dive plan for the day.
Scuba Diving Instructor and Cave Diver
Small groups, local guides, honest site advice. Based in Playacar, Playa del Carmen. Read our Google reviews
Choose your dive
Xibalba Divers MX is a PADI and SDI dive centre in Playacar, Playa del Carmen, run by instructor and cave diver Humann Pour-Heidari. We run guided cenote cavern dives on nine routes, two tank reef mornings, seasonal bull shark dives, Cozumel day trips and courses from Open Water to Divemaster, always in small groups. Pick the day you want and we confirm the site, the plan and the price the same day.
Our signature divesCenote divingTwo guided cavern dives in fresh water with 30 metres of visibility: light beams, stalactites and haloclines, four divers at most per guide.See the nine routes
Playa del CarmenReef fun divesTwo tank mornings on our home reefs: turtles, easy drift dives, the green wall and the Mama Viña wreck, ten minutes by boat from the beach.See the dive sites
November to FebruaryBull shark divesObservation dives at Shark Point, 24 metres down on the sand with no cage, in a small group led by a shark specialist. Nitrox included.See the shark dives
Day tripCozumel by speedboatWalls, swim throughs and the famous drift dives across the channel, with brunch on the boat and back in Playa del Carmen by 12:30.See the Cozumel tripThe reason divers come here
The cenotes were the Maya entrances to Xibalba, the underworld. Today they open onto more than 10,000 sinkholes and the underground rivers that connect them. We dive them as caverns: a fixed line, daylight in sight, a certified cenote guide and four divers at most. Three favourites below, all nine under cenote diving in Playa del Carmen.
Open WaterDos OjosThe famous one near Tulum: the sunlit Barbie Line and the darker Bat Cave, two dives on the same system.See the route
AdvancedEl Pit and Nicte HaThe deep cathedral: colossal light beams down to the hydrogen sulphide cloud at El Pit, then the shallow water garden of Nicte Ha.See the route
AdvancedAngelita and Car Wash or Casa CenoteThe underwater river: a 30 metre descent to the sulphide cloud and its island of fallen trees, then an easy second dive south of Tulum.See the routeWhat divers say
Two guests in their own words, then every verified review, updated automatically from Google and TripAdvisor.
★★★★★
“We went diving with Humann in February on a recommendation. We did two dives with him at Dos Ojos, and it was fantastic. Communication was quick and easy, everything went smoothly, and you could tell Humann knew what he was doing.”
Isabel S. · Google review, translated from German
★★★★★
“If you are looking for a safe dive center and cool dive spots, Humann (Xibalba) is the perfect choice. Top notch equipment is a given here.”
Dirk B. · Google review, translated from German
Learn to dive
From your first breath underwater to Divemaster, taught by Humann in Playa del Carmen. Prices include the certification fee and rental equipment unless stated on the course page.
Start hereOpen Water DiverPool sessions, theory and four ocean dives. You finish certified to 18 metres anywhere in the world.9,000 MXN
Go deeperAdvanced Open WaterFive adventure dives including deep and navigation, with a cavern dive as an option. Opens El Pit, Angelita and Zapote.9,000 MXN
Look after your buddyRescue DiverThree days on problem prevention, self rescue and helping another diver, the course most divers call their best.9,000 MXN
Go proDivemasterThe first professional level: practical training with real groups in the cenotes and on the reefs, plus a certification pathway.25,750 MXNWho you dive with
Xibalba Divers MX is Humann Pour-Heidari’s dive centre in Playacar, Playa del Carmen: cenote and cavern diving, reef dives, bull sharks in season, Cozumel day trips and courses from Open Water to Divemaster. Groups stay small, the briefing is honest about what a site asks of you, and the plan changes when the conditions do.
Plan your trip
Three dive worlds within an hour of your hotel. This is how they compare, so you can pick the right days before you message us.
| Reef mornings | Cenotes | Cozumel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Playa del Carmen reefs, ten minutes by boat from the beach | Riviera Maya cenotes, 20 to 60 minutes by road with pickup | Across the channel by speedboat, 08:00 to 12:30 |
| Depth | 10 to 30 m, sites chosen for your level | Most routes above 12 m; El Pit, Angelita and Zapote reach 30 m | 12 to 30 m walls and drift dives |
| Water | 26 to 29°C salt water, 15 to 30 m visibility | 24 to 26°C fresh water, 30 m visibility or more | 26 to 29°C, famously clear water |
| Certification | Open Water with a few logged dives | Open Water; Advanced for the three deep routes | Open Water, comfortable in current |
| Two dives | 2,200 MXN | 3,000 to 3,800 MXN, transport and equipment included | 3,400 MXN with brunch on the boat |
| Best for | Turtles, easy drift dives, the Mama Viña wreck, bull sharks in season | Light beams, stalactites, haloclines, silence | Big walls, swim throughs and the famous drift |
Our home reefs sit ten minutes by boat from the beach. Two tank mornings, 2,200 MXN per diver, sites chosen each day for the conditions and your level.
Good to know
The eight things divers ask us first. Everything else is on the dive and course pages, or one WhatsApp message away.
In Playacar, Playa del Carmen, in the middle of the Riviera Maya: ten minutes by boat to the reefs, 20 to 60 minutes by road to the cenotes, and the Cozumel speedboat leaves from the beach in Playa. On cenote days we pick you up in Playacar and downtown Playa del Carmen, our only pickup area, so guests staying in Tulum, Puerto Aventuras or Cancún start the day in Playa.
For cenotes, reef dives and shark dives, yes: Open Water or equivalent from any recognised agency (PADI, SSI, NAUI, SDI and the others). El Pit, Angelita and Zapote need Advanced Open Water. Not certified yet? The Open Water course takes you from your first breath underwater to certified.
On cenote days, tanks, weights and full equipment are included. On reef mornings and Cozumel trips, tanks and weights are included and rental equipment can be added to your booking. Your own gear is always welcome.
Per diver, for two dives: reef fun dives 2,200 MXN, cenote days 3,000 to 3,800 MXN depending on the route (transport and equipment included), bull shark observation 2,800 MXN, Cozumel by speedboat 3,400 MXN. The shark feeding dive is 4,200 MXN for one dive, and both shark dives carry a marine park fee of about 100 MXN. Courses: Open Water, Advanced and Rescue 9,000 MXN each, Divemaster 25,750 MXN. Tanks and weights are always included and every page lists what is not.
All year. Bull sharks are here from November to February, whale shark snorkelling runs from June to September, and reef visibility is best in the dry season, November to April. The ocean sits at 26 to 29°C, so a 3 mm wetsuit is usually right; the cenotes stay at 24 to 26°C with no sun to warm you up, so we bring 5 mm suits for cenote days. The cenotes do not depend on the sea, so they are the answer on a windy day.
Cavern diving is recreational diving done properly: a fixed guideline, daylight always in sight, no more than four divers per certified cenote guide, and sites matched to your certification and how recently you dived. On the boat the groups stay small too. You dive with Humann or a guide who knows the site, and the briefing is honest about what each site asks of you.
Full refund for cancellations made at least 48 hours in advance; a no show loses the deposit. If the weather cancels a dive, the port closes or a cenote is not diveable on the day, you choose another day or a refund.
Send your dates, your certification level and what you would like to dive through the quick booking form or on WhatsApp. Humann replies the same day with the plan, the site and the price; nothing is booked until you agree.
Still wondering?
Humann answers on WhatsApp the same day, in English, German or Spanish.
Find us
Av Balamcanché Manzana 30 Lote 2C, Playacar
77710 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo
Ten minutes from the beach and the Cozumel ferry. Cenote pickups start here and in downtown Playa del Carmen.
