The crew were very kind and the boat was great. Based on the reviews it seems that they are excellent guides in general. However my review is specifically about our experience going to the Hidden Beach. Before booking I asked “is getting to the hidden beach easy enough for a 9 year old?”. The operator’s response was “Yes it is, a professional snorkeling guide will be with you”. The boat ride to the islands was pleasant, and took around 35 minutes. The boat stopped at another boat where two park agents checked to make sure we had wristbands, as they only allow a certain number of people per day. They also gave us helmets. Then our boat went a little closer to the cave and all five of us got in the water with the guide. We had the helmets and life jackets on. We started swimming toward the cave entrance and were told we needed to get ready to swim fast when he told us, between waves to get through the cave opening. At this point I started getting nervous and would have said “forget it”, but the current was pulling us strongly into the cave and we had no choice but to continue. Right when we were inside the cave (the low part is maybe 5-10 feet long?) a huge wave came in, completely filling to the top of the cave mouth. My 9-year-old was crashing into the top (thank goodness for the helmet), we had a couple seconds of being underwater, I couldn't see anyone else, I was just screaming at my husband to get my son to safety as soon as I was slightly above water. It was terrifying. We finally got through the cave entrance, swimming frantically to get through before another wave came. We were slammed into the shore of the hidden beach, and crawled up away from the water. We took all of our gear off and just sat trying to catch our breaths. I was crying and having an anxiety attack. I told the guide that was 100% not okay and he needed to find us another way out. My kids were crying. The worst part was knowing we had to go back through that cave opening to get out. There's no ladder or other way out. I asked the guide to get ropes so we could climb out and then walk through thousands of sharp plants to get out of there instead of going through the cave opening. We watched the cave opening get completely filled to the top with huge waves over and over. I contemplated trying to get a helicopter to get us out. Anything but risking my family going back through, and having to trust the guide to time the waves right. He said the only way out was to go back the same way. He went back to the boat to get another guide to help. They had one guy stay on the outside to watch the waves and help time it. Then my husband and a guide used a floating donut thing to take each of the kids and then me one by one back through. The way back was much better (no wave filling the cave) although watching the kids go through one at a time was torturous... I couldn't really see what was going on. When I went through I was fighting an anxiety attack the whole time, and started crying with relief once I was through. If you went when the ocean was super calm with no waves maybe it would be okay, but I'm shocked the guide didnt cancel this portion given the conditions. I debated writing this review because I do really think they are good people and good guides in other settings, and I’m sure they get a lot of pressure from customers that don’t want their expensive trip cancelled due to poor conditions at the last minute. Ultimately I decided to write it because I wish I had read a review like this before booking as I would never knowingly subject my family to risk like this. I have since read many similar stories on review sites for other operators going to the Hidden Beach. If you decide to do this tour I highly recommend communicating ahead of time about what you would like to happen if the conditions are poor, and set your expectations accordingly. And honestly I would never bring kids to do this.

Reasons for bad review: • Staff was not as helpful or friendly as I've experienced with other dive companies. Not nearly enough context was shared about what to expect or look forward to. We kinda felt like cargo. • Water was very cold. Limited visibility. Limited marine life. Unremarkable topology. • Lunch was small. Not good food. • Sayulita Sickness took down our whole group and we were horrendously sick, so if you're reading this, I encourage you to do some research and reconsider traveling to Sayulita.

Absolutely recommend. I am very beginner and Stefano and the rest of the crew made me feel so comfortable the whole time. They also made an effort to spot whales when we were on the boat! Thanks all for a great day!

The address for the meeting point is incorrect, so almost did not make the trip because we were in the wrong spot. Other than that perfect trip definitely recommend.

We booked a 9am, six hour snorkeling tour. Two days before we got a message saying our start time was changed to 2pm. They never asked if the change was ok or provided an explanation. When I asked for one I was told it was too busy in the morning with boats from Puerto Vallarta. I am inquired again as to whether the 2pm snorkel would also be six hours and include a meal as the original tour did. I was confused as to how we could do a six hour tour at 2pm given that it gets dark at 630. I received no response so my husband and I tried calling (number said person was not available) and emailing through TripAdvisor. We finally decided to drive to the dive shop to ask. It was closed when we got there. There was a WhatsApp QR code on their sign but when we scanned it it said it wasn’t active. I finally found an email address for the company and emailed them. They responded saying our tour was cancelled due to ocean conditions. That was two hours before it was supposed to start. Had I not emailed I doubt they would have informed us. I would avoid this company.

I tried calling/emailing many times to make sure they did resort certification for my teens. No one responded and the day of they said they couldn’t and refused a refund. I was only charged 2 days before and had they responded to any of my attempts, we would have found someone else. Instead, my kids Christmas present was ruined and everyone else was booked for the rest of our trip. They were completely rude and unhelpful. There was only 1 other person on the dive and 5 of us. So they sent us on our way and kept every penny. Huge disappointment trying to entertain sad teenagers for Christmas

My wife, 31 year old daughter and I had a great and enjoyable snorkling trip 3 days ago. The crew was friendly and knowledgable. We were guided during the snorkling. Went to two spots. Enjoyed a visit to the beach. And had a very nice bag lunch. The price was reasonable. A lot of fun!

Excellent dive company. Got to dive solo with Emily and she was a great DM. Very personable and very friendly. Would dive with here anytime!!! Boat was fine and overall experience was great. Sara was great and easy to communicate with. Fun dives!!!

This was my second time with Oceano Adventures. Once again, it was a great experience. I dove with my buddy Ian. The woman at their office, who checked us in was awesome very accommodating. She had such a positive vibe. I’m sorry I don’t remember everybody’s names. The dive master and crew were very professional, knowledgeable, and made it a very fun experience. This is my second time diving with Oceano Adventures. I highly recommend booking a dive with them.

The visibility was really good and we saw lots of lovely fish in the Marietas. The team at Oceano were really nice and professional and I'd definitely recommend diving with them!

Capable and pleasant trip, all on time and good communication. Good safety. Nice that snorkeling and diving are done from same boat so a family of mixed abilities can still do a trip together.

We took a taxi from San Pancho and arrived at the dive shop in Sayulita no problems. We were greeted nicely and then shuttled to the marina for the 20-30min trip to Marietas Islands. The diving went well and water was very warm. Our guide and boat crew looked after us very well! The whole day was excellent. Highly recommend Oceano Adventuras!

I was looking to do a scuba dive while on my trip with family and planned it through Océano Adventures and had a wonderful time. My guide was Anna and it was only me diving so she was my personal guide while the other guests snorkeled. The dive sites were wonderful and got to see some amazing fish and the blue footed boobies. I would definitely come back to them for another dive. Their groups are small so it’s a great experience to avoid crowds. Every one in the crew was friendly and helpful. Thanks to Océano!

Oceano Dive and Surf provided professional training and certification while making the overall experience extremely fun and exciting. Manuel and Oswaldo were fantastic instructors, paying special attention to details and providing step by step instruction. I Olán on furthering my PADI certifications through them.

This was a very well-organized trip to a beautiful location. The boat crew and dive leader were professional, enthusiastic and provided a memorable experience. The visibility was great with tons of marine and bird life to see. We'd definitely return for another trip with Oceano Adventures. Thanks!