Learn to fit tanks at your sides and thread tight overhead passages in the Yucatán’s cenotes. This three-day TDI sidemount course mixes classroom theory with in-water practice and hotel transfers from Playa del Carmen.
More ways to explore the area's outdoor wonders
A shaft of turquoise light slices through a cenote as students sort fins on a limestone bench, the surface trembling with distant pulses of the underground river. In the Yucatán, where water has carved corridors beneath the surface for millennia, a three-day TDI sidemount course teaches divers to move through those corridors with greater agility and safety.
Difficulty
challenging
Duration
3 days
Fitness Level
Moderately fit: comfortable swimming, able to carry gear and handle repetitive water entries; no serious respiratory or cardiac issues.
Wildlife
History
The Yucatán’s cenotes have cultural importance to the Maya and formed as limestone collapsed and groundwater carved subterranean rivers across the karst plateau.
Conservation
Operators typically limit group sizes, enforce no-sunscreen rules, and require gear rinses to protect delicate freshwater ecosystems and maintain water clarity.
Reserve your spot on the Cave Sidemount Diver TDI course today and enjoy a trusted, highly rated experience designed to help you make the most of your adventure.
Pre-course buoyancy practice
Work on neutral buoyancy in a pool or shallow open-water dive before the course to make skill days more productive.
Bring a personal mask
A well-fitted mask improves communication and comfort in confined passages — many problems in caves start with a leaking mask.
Respect cenote ecology
Avoid conventional sunscreen; use a long-sleeve UV shirt and rinse gear to limit contaminants entering fragile freshwater systems.
Plan post-dive flights
Don’t fly for at least 18–24 hours after your final dive to reduce decompression risk after repetitive dives.
Personal fitted mask
Better seal and communication in overhead environments reduces task loading during skills.
Dive computer with bottom timer
Required for tracking no-decompression and repetitive-dive profiles during the course.
Primary dive light (strong beam)
Cenote passages and caverns need reliable illumination; spare batteries are recommended.
Long-sleeve UV rashguard
Protects skin from sun and reduces the need for sunscreen that can harm cenote water quality.
summer