Underwater cave divers explore dark caverns illuminated by blue light beams penetrating through crystal clear water.
Underwater Photography Expedition · 2027

Two environments.

One week to master both.

The Yucatán offers something rare: two completely different underwater worlds within an hour of each other. Open reef. Flooded cave. The light, the subjects, the technique — everything changes. This expedition is designed to make you better at both.

 

March 8 to 16, 2027

 

 

Duration

8 Nightd

Base

Playa del Carmen

From

€2450p.p.

 

Max

10 divers

Why the Yucatán

Exceptional conditions.

Two disciplines in one trip.

Most underwater photography workshops take you to one kind of water. This expedition takes you to two — and the contrast is the point. The reefs of Cozumel and Playa del Carmen are among the best-lit, most species-rich in the Caribbean. The cenotes are something else entirely: ancient flooded cave systems where visibility stretches beyond 30 metres, where shafts of light cut through the dark like nothing you have photographed before.


Both environments are technically demanding in different ways. The reef rewards wide-angle work, behaviour, patience with moving subjects. The cenotes require an understanding of ambient light, composition in tight spaces, and a different kind of stillness. Spending serious time in both, with structured photographic guidance throughout, is how real progress happens.


The logistics are straightforward. The diving is world-class. The group is small enough that you get proper attention. Come with your camera ready and leave with images — and techniques — you did not have before.

 

Dives

12

Environments

Reef · Cenote

Visibility

25–40m+

Water temp

26-28°C

Group size

10 divers max

Level required

N2 / Padi AOW with 50+ dives min

Operator

DUNE Mexico

Reef.

Cenote.

Two environments, two sets of techniques, two completely different images. The expedition is structured to give you serious time in both — with photographic briefings tailored to each.

Playa del Carmen & Cozumel

Some of the clearest, most biodiverse reef in the Caribbean. Cozumel's walls drop into blue water with strong natural light and constant marine traffic — turtles, barracuda, nurse sharks, dense schools of fish that shift and compress around you. Playa del Carmen's reefs offer shallower, more intimate terrain for macro and portrait work. Day and night. Wide angle and close focus. Every dive is a different brief.

Turtle - Barracuda - Reef shark - Colorful reef - Night dive - Wide angle - Macro

Cenotes —

flooded light

The Yucatán's cenotes are among the most photographed underwater environments on earth — and with good reason. Ancient cave systems flooded with exceptionally clear freshwater, where shafts of light penetrate from the jungle above and the halocline creates a natural visual distortion unlike anything on a reef. Tajma Ha, Angelita, Carwash — each system has its own character, its own light, its own compositional logic. Two full days here, with the specific cenotes chosen based on conditions and light timing.

Light shafts - Halocline - Cave diving - Ambient light - Silhouette - Wide angle

The week,

day by day.

Nine days structured around the diving and the light. Mornings in the water, afternoons for theory, debrief and image review. The schedule is tight enough to be productive and loose enough to respond to conditions.

01

Arrival

Arrival & welcome — Playa del Carmen

Arrival in Playa del Carmen and settling in. In the evening, a welcome drink is organized so the group can get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere. Anyone who wishes can bring a specialty from their home region to share during this first moment together before the workshop begins. This first evening will also be the occasion for Louis David to present his work, his photographic philosophy, and the framework of the workshop.

02

 

Playa

Playa del Carmen — first dives

The week begins with two dives on the reefs of Playa del Carmen, a first immersion into Caribbean waters and their tropical marine life. Before each outing, time is set aside to check photo equipment: checking seals, cleaning O-rings, basic settings, followed by a short briefing on the day's site, the expected subjects, and the setup to favor (wide-angle or macro). These dives are a chance to find your bearings, observe the first photo subjects, and begin working on light, composition, and approaching the species. After the dives, a meal at a local cantina to soak up the Mexican atmosphere.

 

03

Cozumel

Cozumel — reef & first night dive

Speed boat to Cozumel. Two morning dives on reef: theme is wide angle and reef architecture — using the wall, the light angle, the fish behaviour. Evening: night dive. The reef at night is a different subject entirely. Debrief and image review back at the villa.

 

 

04


Cozumel

Cozumel — portraits & behaviour

Two morning dives with tighter photographic focus: fish portraits, behaviour, close approach technique. How to read movement, anticipate position, work with available light rather than fighting it. Evening: second night dive — consolidating what worked yesterday, pushing further.

05

 

Cozumel

Cozumel — refinement

Two morning dives with open brief — you apply what you have learned, guided but with more autonomy. The focus is on improving consistency: the same quality across a full dive, not just one or two shots. Afternoon free. Evening: preparation briefing for the cenotes.

 

 

06

cenote

First cenote day — Tajma Ha

Full day in the cenotes. The first session is Tajma Ha — a large, gallery-style cave system with dramatic light shafts in the morning hours. Everything you knew about reef photography is temporarily irrelevant. New brief: ambient light, composition in enclosed space, working the halocline. Two dives, full debrief.

07

cenote

Second cenote day — conditions permitting

Angelita, Carwash or Maravilla — the site is chosen based on conditions and what will give the best photographic results on the day. By now the approach is familiar; the focus is on producing images that demonstrate real command of the environment. Final debrief and review of the week's work.

08

Playa del Carmen

Free day

A free day to enjoy Playa del Carmen at your own pace: rest, beach time, personal exploration, or shared moments at the villa. This time can also be used to finalize your images and prepare for the closing session. In the evening, each participant shares their five best images on the big screen - a relaxed moment to look back on the week's progress and close the workshop on a high note.

09

Departure

Departure — Cancún

Last moments in Playa del Carmen, then departure according to flight schedule.

Photography lead

Louis

David

Wildlife & underwater photographer

On this expedition, Louis is in the water with you — not observing from above. Every dive briefing, every image review, every conversation about light and composition comes from someone who shoots the same environments you are shooting, with the same challenges and the same equipment constraints.


His background is split between the surface and the deep: years of wildlife photography in Africa followed by a deliberate move into underwater work beginning in the waters of Sulawesi. The reef and the cenote demand different things from a photographer. He has worked seriously in both, and that is what the guidance on this expedition is built from.

 

Scuba diver swimming in deep blue water with sharks silhouetted in the background.

Underwater photographer since 2017

Founder, Ocean Perspective — marine conservation through visual storytelling

Partner, SEAMPHONI — Horizon Europe offshore MPA monitoring

CAH 1B professional diver certification

What's included

Everything

in the water.

And on land.

  • 8 nights accommodation in a shared villa, Playa del Carmen


  • All breakfasts


  • 12 dives packages with lunches


  • Nitrox throughout for certified divers


  • All daily transfers — villa, dive centre, boat, cenotes


  • Airport transfers — Cancún on arrival and departure


  • 2 DUNE guides in the water throughout


  • Photographic theory sessions and daily image debrief





Not included

What you

arrange

separately.


  • International flights (unless you chose the package including flights)


  • Personal Dive and travel insurance


  • Equipment rental


  • Meals not mentioned


  • Activities not listed in the programme


  • Anything not mentioned



Equipment rental can be arranged through DUNE Mexico

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."

Jacques Cousteau
Dive operator & bookings

DUNE

Mexico

DUNE has been operating photographic and technical diving in the Yucatán for two decades. They know the reef systems, the cenote networks, and — critically — the light. Which cenote on which morning, which reef at which tide. That knowledge is what makes the difference between a good dive and a good photograph.


For this expedition, DUNE provides two dedicated guides in the water throughout — one focused on safety and positioning, one on photographic support. The boat is private to the group. The programme is built with their input and adjustable based on conditions on the day.DUNE has been operating photographic and technical diving in the Yucatán for two decades. They know the reef systems, the cenote networks, and — critically — the light. Which cenote on which morning, which reef at which tide. That knowledge is what makes the difference between a good dive and a good photograph.


For this expedition, DUNE provides two dedicated guides in the water throughout. The boat is private to the group. The programme is built with their input and adjustable based on conditions on the day.

A sea turtle swims gracefully over a coral reef in deep blue ocean waters.

 

Based in Playa del Carmen, operating since 2005

 

Specialist in reef and cenote diving, Yucatán Peninsula

PADI 5-star dive centre

2 dedicated guides in-water throughout the expedition

Private boat for the group — no mixing with other clients

Vibrant coral reef ecosystem with colorful sponges, soft corals, and marine life in crystal clear blue waters.

Bookings and logistics for this expedition are handled directly by DUNE Mexico and their team. An enquiry here opens the conversation — from there, you will be connected with the people who will manage your booking from start to finish.

Secure your place

Ten divers.

March 8 to 16, 2027

The group is capped at ten — enough to fill the boat, small enough that every diver gets proper attention in the water. This expedition runs once in 2027. When it is full, it is full.


From

€2,450

per person · 8 nights · all dives · all transfers included

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"Every time I slip into the ocean, it's like going home." 

Sylvia Earle