Choose scuba (PADI Open Water Diver) if you want long, relaxed time underwater and to join dives like Cozumel, the cenotes or a wreck. Choose freediving (SSI Level 1 Freediver) if you are drawn to minimal gear, breath-hold and the calm that comes with it. Both courses start from zero and both give you a certification recognized worldwide.
Here is how the two compare and how to pick.
At a glance
| PADI Open Water Diver | SSI Level 1 Freediver | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 3 to 4 days | 2 days |
| Where we train | Pool and sea at Coco Beach | A cenote |
| Minimum age | 10 (Junior Open Water) | 12 |
| Depth after the course | Up to 18 m (60 ft) | Up to 20 m (66 ft) |
| Gear | Tank, regulator, BCD, wetsuit | Mask, fins, wetsuit |
| You dive with | A certified buddy | A certified buddy |
What the scuba course involves
The PADI Open Water Diver course has three parts. Theory covers how pressure, equipment and your body behave underwater. In the pool you practice the core skills in calm, shallow water: clearing your mask, sharing air, controlling your buoyancy. Then come the open-water dives in the sea off Coco Beach, where you put it all together.
What you get: time. A tank lets you hover over a reef, watch a turtle eat and drift along a wall for most of an hour. Once certified, you can rent gear and dive with a buddy anywhere in the world. Divers aged 10 to 14 receive a Junior Open Water certification with extra depth and supervision limits.
What the freediving course involves
Freediving is diving on a single breath. Over two days you work on breathing and relaxation, the physiology of breath-hold, equalization and, above all, safety and buddy procedures. In the water you learn efficient finning and how to descend and come back up relaxed, in the clear, still water of a cenote.
What you get: freedom. Almost no gear, silence and a skill you can practice anywhere there is water. The SSI Level 1 Freediver certification lets you freedive with a buddy to 20 meters.
Which one suits you?
Scuba suits you if you want to see as much as possible on each dive, plan to join boat dives on this trip or future ones, or prefer a slower, more gradual introduction.
Freediving suits you if you are comfortable in the water, curious about what your body can do, short on days, or already snorkel a lot and want to go deeper.
Many people end up doing both. They train different things, and each makes you better at the other.
Good to know before you book
- Medical questions. Both courses start with a short medical questionnaire. Some conditions need a doctor’s sign-off before you get in the water, so answer it honestly and early.
- Flying after diving. Do not plan a scuba course for your last days. You need to leave enough time between your last dive and your flight, and your instructor will go over the guideline.
- What comes next. An Open Water certification opens Cozumel and guided cenote cavern dives. The bull shark dive asks for at least 15 logged dives, so a new diver needs more experience first.
- No wind needed. If you are here to kite, both courses are a good use of the calm days.
Course details and booking are on our activities page. Like all our activities, courses are paid in advance to secure your dates.
Related guides
- Cenote Diving with an Open Water Certification: Cavern vs Cave
- Diving Cozumel from Playa del Carmen: Ferry or Boat?
Not sure which course to take? Tell us your dates and your experience in the water, and we will help you choose.
