Country of residence: Mexico
Diving since: 1999
Level/agency of certification: PADI, TDI, SDI, IANTD, SNSI, SSI, CMAS
Leo Morales is a professional technical, cave, and cavern diving instructor based in Riviera Maya, Mexico, and the founder of A Mar Abierto Scuba. Through his operation, he guides divers through some of the most demanding and visually stunning aquatic environments on the planet, from the passages of the Yucatan's cenote systems to the reefs of the Caribbean.
What began as a simple curiosity underwater evolved into a lifelong calling. Over the years, Leo transitioned from recreational diving into sidemount, cavern, and full-cave diving. He is a two-time world record holder in disabled scuba diving, milestones that reflect both his personal drive and his broader mission to prove that the ocean holds no limits when passion and preparation meet.
Today, Leo serves as a Course Director Trainer for both Disabled Diving and Technical Diving, dedicating himself to forming top-tier instructors and making the underwater world safely accessible to divers of all abilities. When he is not in a cave system or training the next generation of dive professionals, he documents the open ocean through underwater photography.
In his own words, here is a little more about Leo and what drives him in and out of the water.
How did you get into diving?
My entry into the diving world didn’t start as a casual hobby, it literally saved my life.
Years ago, I faced the hardest challenge of my life when I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. To save my life, I had to undergo a major amputation, losing my right leg at the hip. Surviving that battle left me with a 20% chance of survival, a profoundly changed body, and a heavy emotional weight to carry as I struggled to find my footing in a new reality.
During my rehabilitation, a close friend suggested I try scuba diving as a form of physical therapy. From the very first moment I slipped beneath the surface, everything changed.
Underwater, gravity lost its grip on me. The physical limitations that felt so heavy on land vanished in the water. I found an incredible sense of freedom, peace, and weightlessness that I thought I’d lost forever. The ocean didn’t care that I had one leg; it welcomed me entirely.
I was instantly hooked. What started as physical therapy quickly became an absolute passion. I went from a student discovering the underwater world to a professional, rapidly pushing through my certifications to become a dive instructor, a technical diver, and eventually a double world-record holder. The water gave me a second chance at life, and I’ve dedicated myself to it ever since.
What is your most memorable underwater experience?
While every dive yields its own magic, two vastly different chapters of my underwater journey stand out as my most memorable experiences—one a grueling testament to human endurance and willpower in the deep blue, and the other a humbling encounter with the raw majesty of nature.
In December 2012, after months of rigorous technical preparation, I dropped into the deep blue off Cozumel's Palancar Reef. Carrying six different gas-mix cylinders, I descended to 125 meters (410 feet), breaking the Guinness World Record for the deepest dive by a person with a disability. Reaching that depth—and seeing the support team around me—was a victory not just over gravity, but over the cancer that was supposed to claim my life.
The following year, in 2013, I pushed the boundaries of endurance during the Cozumel Scuba Fest. I spent 8 hours and 16 minutes continuously underwater, finning a massive 15.6 kilometers (nearly 10 miles) on a rebreather system to claim the world record for the longest underwater distance traveled by a disabled diver. When I finally broke the surface, exhausted but triumphant, I knew my mission was clear: to show the world what adaptive divers are truly capable of.
On the other side of my diving life is the pure joy of marine exploration. My most unforgettable encounter with wildlife happened in the Galapagos Islands.
I found myself floating in the current, completely surrounded by a school of hundreds of hammerhead sharks. There were no cages, no barriers—just raw, pristine nature. Watching these magnificent, powerful apex predators glide effortlessly all around me was a profoundly humbling moment. In that open water, detached from the heavy constraints of the land, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and a deep connection to the marine world. It was a stark reminder of why I protect these waters, and why I train others to explore them safely.
What is your proudest professional moment?
While breaking deep-sea world records and swimming face-to-face with sharks are moments that define my personal limits, my proudest professional moment happens on the surface, looking into the eyes of my students.
As a Course Director Trainer for Disabled Diving and Technical Diving, my greatest achievement is successfully building a bridge between two worlds that many people believe are entirely incompatible.
The exact moment that fills me with the most pride is watching a student—especially someone who has been told by society, or even by doctors, that their physical limitations would keep them grounded—break through the surface after a successful technical dive or a challenging cenote session. Seeing the transformation from doubt to empowerment is indescribable.
When I train new instructors to safely teach adaptive techniques, or when I watch an adaptive diver master advanced skills like sidemount or navigating a cavern line, I am not just teaching them how to dive. I am giving them back their freedom, the exact same way the ocean gave it back to me years ago.
Co-authoring the book Dive Abled and creating a global standard where technical diving is accessible, safe, and rigorous for everyone is my true legacy. Knowing that my life’s work ensures that the next generation of divers will see capability instead of disability is, without a doubt, my proudest professional achievement.
What do you wish more people understood about the ocean?
What I wish more people truly understood about the ocean is that it is not a place of fear or a separate world—it is our ultimate equalizer.
Too often, people view the ocean through a lens of intimidation. They see the depth, the shadows, or the apex predators like sharks and feel a sense of vulnerability or danger. But as someone who left a piece of my physical body on land, I have learned that the ocean is actually the most welcoming, liberating environment on Earth. It doesn't care about your physical limitations, your past battles, or your challenges. The moment you step into the water, gravity loses its power, and everyone—regardless of ability—starts on the exact same baseline.
Secondly, from a conservation standpoint, I wish people understood that the ocean is a living, fragile system that we cannot afford to take for granted.
When you dive into a deep cave system or float with hundreds of hammerhead sharks, you realize how intricately connected everything is. The health of our subterranean cenotes directly impacts our pristine reefs, which in turn feeds the open ocean. We cannot protect one piece without protecting it all.
Ultimately, the ocean isn't just a destination for adventure; it is a profound teacher of resilience, peace, and coexistence. I wish everyone could experience even just a moment of the absolute freedom it provides, because once you feel that connection, you don't just want to explore the ocean—you feel a deep, personal responsibility to protect it.
What advice would you give to a new diver?
If I could give just one piece of advice to a new diver, it would be this: Focus on your breath, master your buoyancy, and never let ego enter your dive planning.
When you first start diving, it is easy to get caught up in the gear, the depth, or rushing to the next certification level. But the true magic of diving happens when you achieve total weightlessness and stillness. Your lungs are your primary buoyancy control device—learn to breathe slowly, calmly, and intentionally. When you control your breathing, you control your position in the water, your air consumption improves, and you unlock that deep, meditative peace that the underwater world offers.
Second, always remember that the ocean accepts you as you are, but it demands absolute respect.
Never dive to impress anyone else, and never be afraid to call off a dive if something doesn't feel right. In technical and cave diving, we have a golden rule: Anyone can turn the dive at any time, for any reason, no questions asked. Carry that mindset with you from day one. Take your time, build a solid foundation of basic skills, and choose gear that feels like a natural extension of your body.
Diving is not a race or a competitive sport. It is a journey of self-discovery, freedom, and connection. Enjoy every single moment of the learning process, respect your personal limits, and let the water teach you how to flow.
What is your favorite piece of Cressi gear and why?
As a technical and cave diving instructor, gear choice isn't just about comfort—it's an absolute matter of safety, streamlining, and structural reliability.
If I have to choose the gear that truly elevates my diving, it comes down to a tight tie between two pieces that perfectly serve the demands of both high-level adaptive training and exploratory diving:
1. The Cressi T10-SC / Master Cromo Regulator System
In the overhead environments of deep cave systems or during high-stakes technical decompression, your regulator is your literal lifeline. The Cressi T10-SC/Master Cromo is my favorite because its performance is utterly flawless, no matter the depth or the gas mixture.
The SC (Sealed Chamber) first stage keeps the internal mechanics completely isolated from the outside environment. When I'm diving in cenotes where fine silt, organic particles, or varying mineral compositions can affect equipment, this environmental seal gives me absolute peace of mind. Combined with the ultra-smooth, adjustable inhalation effort of the Master second stage, it delivers effortless breathing when precision and calm focus are required most.
When I am teaching open water, advanced courses, or adaptive diving modules where I’m not in a dedicated sidemount rig, the Cressi Commander is my absolute go-to back-inflation BCD.
Because it uses a rear-inflating air cell completely independent of the harness, it gives me a perfectly streamlined profile in the water. For an adaptive diver or an instructor managing multiple tasks, achieving optimal horizontal trim is everything.
The Commander allows me to stay perfectly balanced and flat in the water column without any chest squeeze. Plus, its rugged, high-denier construction stands up to the daily abuse of salt water, boats, and limestone edges without missing a beat.
What does being a Cressi ambassador mean to you?
Being a Cressi Ambassador is far more than a professional sponsorship or wearing a logo; to me, it is a profound responsibility and a celebration of human potential.
Cressi is a brand that literally helped birth the sport of underwater exploration. They have spent decades innovating, breaking barriers, and making the ocean accessible to generations of divers. As someone whose life was completely transformed and saved by the water, aligning with that legacy feels like a perfect circle.
To me, representation matters. When people see a Cressi Ambassador who is a cancer survivor, a double world-record holder, and a professional technical and adaptive diving instructor, it completely redefines what an elite diver looks like. It sends a powerful message to the global diving community: the underwater world belongs to everyone, and physical limitations disappear the moment you cross the surface.
Find Leo:
