Playa del Carmen · Quintana Roo · Since 2019
One boat, one small team, our own permits. Tell us what you want to see — sharks, cenotes, reef, or just clear water — and we build the plan around you.
2 minutes on WhatsApp · No strings attached
Right now · Sargassum season
While Playa's beaches are buried in sargassum, we take you by private boat to a hidden beach you cannot reach by road. Bring your own food and drinks. If the water isn't clear on your day, we reschedule you free.
What we run
Six things, run by the same small team. Every button below opens WhatsApp with your question already written.
01
A private morning on clear water while the main beaches are covered in sargassum. Families, friends, non-swimmers and small children all welcome. Bring your own food and drinks.
02
One tank at Shark Point at around 25 metres with the bull sharks, one tank on the reef. We hold the shark permit and run our own boat, so groups stay small. No feeding, no chasing, no touching.
03
Guided cavern dives in the cenotes between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Light beams, haloclines, and the quietest diving in Mexico. No cave certification needed — cavern dives stay in the daylight zone.
04
Two tanks on the local reefs from our own boat. Turtles, rays, moray eels and the drift diving Playa is known for. Short boat ride, small group, no waiting around.
05
A full day on the walls and drift dives of Cozumel aboard the Xaman-Ha, our partner boat, with an Empathy guide travelling with you. You pay the same as booking direct — we never mark up a partner trip.
06
Full certification with pool sessions before you ever touch the sea. Taught in English and Spanish, in small groups, at a pace that suits nervous beginners rather than the schedule of a shop.
No shop. No middlemen. Just you and the water.
We own the boat. We hold the permits. And we go in with you. Empathy Dives has been diving this coastline since 2019.
Where we dive
Every site has its own character, depth and best time of year. Open any of them to see what it is actually like.
Why us
Nobody sells you a ticket and hands you to a stranger. The person who answers your message is the person on the boat.
Not seasonal staff from somewhere else. Our captain and guides grew up diving this coastline, and it shows in where they take you.
What you see is what you pay. No fuel surcharge at the dock, no equipment fee at the end, no tip pressure.
Free to join
Before you book
Bull sharks are here from roughly November through March. They are pregnant females that gather in the same water every winter. We run shark trips only in that window and close the season the rest of the year. Arrival dates shift a little each year, so we message the waiting list the moment the first sharks show up.
Shark Point sits at around 25 metres, so Advanced Open Water is the safe standard. Open Water divers with recent experience are considered case by case. Tell us your certification level and your last dive date and we will give you an honest answer, including no.
No. Cavern dives stay inside the daylight zone and are open to any certified Open Water diver with a qualified cavern guide. A cave certification is only required to go past the cavern zone, which recreational cenote dives do not do. If a shop tells you otherwise, they are selling you a course.
Sargassum season runs roughly April to October and peaks June to August. Playa del Carmen faces east with no offshore barrier, so it takes heavy accumulation in those months. Message us and we will tell you honestly what this week looks like — even if that means telling you to wait.
From 180 USD for a two-tank cenote dive plus cenote entrance fees, and 120 USD for a two-tank reef dive. The private beach charter is 3,700 MXN in total for up to six people, not per person. Course and bull shark pricing are sent by WhatsApp.
Yes. We run Cozumel dive days aboard our partner boat, the Xaman-Ha, with an Empathy guide travelling with you. You pay the same as booking direct.
No. The water at the beach is shallow and calm, and life jackets are on board for everyone.
Yes. It is shallow, calm and there is shade. It is one of the few things in Playa that genuinely works for a family with small children.
We confirm payment details by WhatsApp when you book.
If the port closes or conditions are not safe, you reschedule or get a full refund. We do not go out in weather we would not take our own family out in.