Founded
2008 / Tulum, MX
About Scuba Tulum
Built in Tulum, focused on safe, unforgettable diving.
Founded in 2008, Scuba Tulum began with a simple mission: deliver professional, safety-first diving and snorkeling experiences while sharing the best of Tulum's cenotes and ocean reefs. Today, Scuba Tulum works alongside Dive in Playa, our sister dive shop in Playa del Carmen, so guests can plan cenotes, reefs, courses, and seasonal dives from the base that makes the most sense for their trip.
Focus
Cenote & Ocean Diving
Approach
Safety, Clarity, Small Groups
✓Beginner-friendly options with clear pre-trip guidance
✓Cenote, cavern, and ocean routes matched to comfort level
✓Direct team support before booking and before diving
Sister shop in Playa del Carmen
Dive in Playa brings the same small-team standards north.
Dive in Playa is the Playa del Carmen sister shop of Scuba Tulum. It gives guests staying in Playa a local base for reef dives, bull shark season, cenote days, whale shark departures, and SSI courses while keeping the same planning style: honest route matching, clear communication, small groups, and guide-led decisions.
Meet the Divers
Our diver team combines local route knowledge, calm instruction style, and the operational discipline behind Scuba Tulum’s cavern and cenote reputation.
Looking for a specific guide, language, or training focus? Message us before booking and we will match the right person when possible.
Marina Leal
Co-founder & Course Director
Marina specializes in cenote route planning and guest progression. She is known for clear pre-dive briefings, smooth pacing, and helping new divers build confidence quickly.
Paolo Gasparini
Co-founder & Instructor
Paolo supports advanced divers on deeper and more demanding profiles. His approach combines precise standards, route discipline, and excellent in-water communication.
Adiel Villanueva
Head Dive Guide
Adiel is a highly experienced diving professional with over 20 years in the diving industry and 18 years of guiding experience. Specialized in cave and cenote diving, he combines a calm and professional approach with strong safety standards and personalized guidance. His passion for the underwater world and dedication to quality service create exceptional and unforgettable diving experiences for divers of all levels.
Favorite Cenote: Adiel's favorite cenote is Tak Be Lum because of the unusual bubble appearance underwater that makes it unique.
Shop standards
Certified guidance, clear procedures, and conservative dive planning.
Our shop works around established training-agency standards, documented briefings, equipment checks, and route choices matched to each guest's certification, recent experience, and comfort in the water.
Review Safety StandardsCertification-aware trips
We check certification level and recent dive history before recommending cenote, ocean, course, or custom requests.
Pre-dive briefings
Guests receive route context, procedures, communication signals, and expectations before entering the water.
Equipment discipline
Gear setup, checks, and fit are treated as part of the experience, not rushed admin before the trip.
Conservative pacing
Small groups and level-matched routes help the team keep the dive calm, clear, and controlled.
Guest Reviews
What divers consistently say about their experience with Scuba Tulum.
Open Water confidence
Gold-standard cavern guides
Small-group cenote dives
★★★★★
"I had an incredible experience completing my Open Water certification with this dive center and an amazing divemaster, Paolo. He taught me so much, made me feel completely at ease, and his exercises were of excellent quality and based on real-life situations that can actually happen while diving. I now feel more confident and excited to continue my diving journey."
★★★★★
"Marina and Paolo run an incredible operation. As a California based Scuba Instructor myself who dives with Scuba Tulum for fun, they are the gold standard in the area for cavern and cave dives. All their guides have decades of experience in the area as full cave guides."
★★★★★
"We had a great experience with Scuba Tulum. Very clear communication and professional. Adiel was amazing. He clearly explained the dives we were going to do, provided good history of the cenotes and was very knowledgeable. Scuba Tulum focuses on small groups max 4. We were just two. Totally recommended."
Dive with the team in Tulum.
Tell us your certification level, comfort in the water, and preferred dates. We will point you toward the right cenote, ocean, course, or custom request.