Huatulco Dive Center

Set on the waterfront at Santa María Huatulco on Mexico's Pacific coast, Huatulco Dive Center is a PADI 5-Star IDC Resort staffed by two PADI instructors. Whether you're stepping into the water for the first time or working toward a professional rating, this is a place built around learning, with an onsite training pool, a classroom, and daily dive trips aboard the 33-foot boat "MAKO."

Courses and diving

The center runs a full ladder of PADI training, from Discover Scuba Diving through Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver, Deep Diver and Underwater Navigator, right up to Divemaster Internships and Instructor Development Courses. A two-dive day trip starts from USD 138, so certified divers can simply get in the water.

Local sites include La Blanquita, El Violin, Cacaluta East and West, and the La Montosa reefs, where divers may encounter sharks, whales, turtles and ocean fish. With staff speaking English, Spanish and French, it suits beginners, holidaymakers and divers aiming to go pro alike.