NSS-CDS
Cave Instructor · Instructor #386Specialized cave-diving standards, safety, exploration and conservation.
Ricardo Castillo · Instructor & photographer
Ricardo Castillo
Cave, technical and CCR instructor trainer, underwater photographer and expedition leader based in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Co-owner of Dive Rite México and ZOTZ Local Diving Experts.
Standards connected to this pathway
Agency roles with a clear purpose.
TDI
Instructor TrainerTechnical, decompression, rebreather and instructor-level development.SDI
Course DirectorRecreational progression and professional instructor development.FRTI
Instructor TrainerPractical first-response and emergency-care education.
DAN
InstructorDiver-focused emergency preparedness and response training.01
Instructor · Photographer · Expedition leader
Experience built in the water.
Ricardo Castillo is a Mexican diving instructor trainer and underwater photographer based in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo. With more than 25 years as a diver and more than 7,000 dives, his work connects recreational diving, technical diving, cave exploration, closed-circuit rebreathers and photography.
As co-owner of Dive Rite México and ZOTZ Local Diving Experts, Ricardo connects equipment selection with training and guided experiences. Dive Rite México provides specialist equipment advice; ZOTZ delivers diving, courses and expeditions.
His experience extends from Mexico’s submerged caves and Caribbean reefs to Norway, Antarctica, the Arctic, the Galápagos, the Bahamas, Truk Lagoon, Indonesia and other destinations. His photographs and films document these environments and the people who explore them.
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Credentials & teaching
A professional path you can verify.
Ricardo’s teaching roles include NSS-CDS Cave Instructor #386, TDI Instructor Trainer, SDI Course Director, FRTI Instructor Trainer and DAN Instructor. His SDI/TDI instructor number is #13580.
The NSS-CDS public directory lists his cave, sidemount, stage, DPV, CCR Cave, CCR Trimix Cave and other teaching programs in Playa del Carmen. His SDI interview describes his background, instructor qualifications and approach to teaching. Dive Rite lists Ricardo among its O₂ptima instructors.
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Training in Playa del Carmen
Judgment, control and awareness.
Training develops the ability to plan and execute dives with sound judgment, stable buoyancy, effective propulsion and awareness of the team and environment. Progress depends on demonstrated competence and the requirements of the selected agency and course.
Programs can be taught in English or Spanish, privately or in small groups. Cave and CCR courses are limited to a maximum of three students per instructor. Course selection depends on your certifications, recent experience, equipment configuration and objectives.
Rebreather training is specific to the unit and course. Contact Ricardo before booking to confirm the appropriate CCR unit, prerequisites and progression.
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Selected publications
Published experience, with original sources.
Ricardo’s published work includes an InDEPTH article on polar diving, participation in its cenote-conservation round table, and coauthored articles in four issues of NSS-CDS Underwater Speleology from 2013 and 2014. He received individual cover-photography credits for Hells Bells and Chan Hol, and a shared cover credit for Chac Mool and Monstruo.
His crocodile photographs from Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen were also featured by Earth Touch News and GrindTV, whose coverage has an accessible version at Men’s Journal.
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Photography & exploration
Observe carefully. Share what matters.
Ricardo combines teaching with professional underwater photography and filmmaking. His work has appeared in diving publications and documentaries about caves, shipwrecks and sharks, and his photographs have been displayed at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History.
He leads ZOTZ expeditions and teaches underwater photography through practical work on diving skills, light, composition, image review and post-production.