Alma Libre Dive Center
Cozumel dive centre inside a north-shore beach club, running boats south to the park reefs, with coral and fish identification taught on ordinary dives.
Last updated August 2026
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About Alma Libre Dive Center
The shop sits inside the Buccanos Beach Club on Cozumel's north hotel strip, and every reef it dives is south of it. The park's northern edge begins at the top of Paraiso, so a diving day here opens with a run down the coast to Palancar, Santa Rosa, Punta Dalila and Colombia.
Teaching carries the weight. Coral identification, fish identification and marine ecology have their own block on the course list next to the standard SSI ladder, and divers describe the same material arriving underwater on ordinary dives: species named on the reef, conservation explained, a training dive that turns into a guided exploration. Fish identification is taught against Mesoamerican, Indo-Pacific and Red Sea families, not the local reef alone.
The centre holds SSI Instructor Training Center status, which is what qualifies a facility to train diving professionals, and runs the ladder from Try Scuba through Divemaster and Assistant Instructor to the ten-day Instructor Training Course. Certified divers book daily boat trips, and a group can take a private boat up to fourteen. Booking goes through WhatsApp, while course enrolment is handed to SSI's own platform.
Monday changes the shape of the day. The beach club closes, and the boats leave from the Cozumel marinas instead.
What divers say
Reviewers keep landing on the same person. Michel Abrão, who holds the CEO title, comes up as instructor, as guide and in one account as the owner, and divers who booked separately all met him.
Guiding gets described in small numbers, in one case a divemaster to a couple on their own, set against being kept in a large group elsewhere. The Open Water course draws praise for patience and for a relaxed setting held together by stated safety standards.
What recurs most is the teaching in the water. Fish and corals get named as they appear, reef conservation is explained, and ecosystem detail arrives inside a dive that was only meant to be a lesson. Repeat visits come up too.
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Pricing
We do our best to show current pricing, but rates may change without notice. Last verified August 2026. Always confirm the latest prices on Alma Libre Dive Center's official website before booking.
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Courses
Guided Dives
Other Services
A 50% deposit per diver holds a booking. The balance is due in cash before departure, in US dollars or Mexican pesos, and card or PayPal payments carry a 5% surcharge. Cancelling or rescheduling needs 15 days of notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance do I have to cancel?▾
Fifteen days. Inside that window nothing is refunded and the full day rate is charged, and the same rule applies to illness. A private tour is non-refundable at any notice, because the boat has been held back from other divers.
How does payment work?▾
A 50% deposit per diver holds the booking, paid through a link once availability is confirmed. The balance is due in cash before departure, in US dollars or Mexican pesos. Card and PayPal payments add a 5% surcharge, and if you want an electronic refund the processor's fees are itemised and passed on to you. Signing up to the newsletter takes 10% off a first course.
What happens if the weather closes the port?▾
If the port authority suspends recreational nautical activity, the deposit comes back in full or the dives are rescheduled. Getting to the island is your own cost either way, which matters if you are crossing on the ferry from Playa del Carmen, Tulum or Cancun for the day. If the port stays open and the sea is simply rough, the booking stands.
Are underwater photos included?▾
The instructor shoots them and they cost nothing, but they are not part of what you are paying for. An instructor will put the camera away the moment diver safety comes first, and a flooded, lost or unavailable camera carries no refund.
Can I dive here without a certification?▾
Two ways in. Try Scuba is a confined-water session with an instructor beside you throughout and no certification at the end of it. SSI Basic Diver certifies you to 12 metres with an SSI professional alongside, and it credits toward Scuba Diver or Open Water if you carry on within six months.
Can I train all the way to instructor here?▾
The professional ladder runs in full. Divemaster asks for 40 verified logged dives plus Deep, Navigation and Night and Limited Visibility certifications, or at least five logged dives of experience in each of those areas, together with Diver Stress and Rescue; it awards the Dive Guide rating. Assistant Instructor follows, then a ten-day Instructor Training Course and the SSI Instructor Evaluation for the Open Water Instructor rating.
Does the centre run on Mondays?▾
Boats still go out. The beach club the shop sits inside closes on Mondays, so departures move to the Cozumel marinas that day.
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