July 22 – 26 · Tulum, México
DESCEND
a ritual of breath, movement & freediving in sacred waters
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What is Descend
Go deeper.
Go deeper.
Into the water.
Into yourself.
The cenotes of the Yucatán are not just water. To the ancient Maya, they were sacred passages — entrances to Xibalba, the underworld where gods and the dead resided..
For five days, we invite you to descend. Into the stillness of ancient waters. Into the silence beneath the breath. Into a version of yourself you’ve been waiting to meet.
Yoga, breathwork, freediving, cacao ceremony, meditation — woven together in the heart of the jungle. Not a retreat where you watch. One where you transform.
The Experience
Five days.
Five days.
Everything changes.
Freediving in Sacred Cenotes
AIDA 1 certification included for beginners. Advanced coaching up to 35m for experienced divers. Equalization clinic. Every dive is a conversation with depth and with yourself.
Yoga, Breathwork & Meditation
Morning yoga at sunrise. Breathwork sessions that open what was closed. Pranayama, somatic integration, and cacao ceremony under the jungle sky.
Underwater Photo Session
Your last day — a private session in one of the most spectacular cenotes near Tulum. Leave with images that tell your story beneath the surface. Shot by Valentina.
July 22 – 26 · Tulum, México
Itinerary
A look inside your week at DESCEND
01
Jul 22
Intention Setting
Set Your Intention. Open Your Heart.
You arrive to Cancún airport at 12:30pm — the van is waiting. It takes you straight to Pepem, deep into the Selva Maya (1.5h). The moment you step out and feel that green, humid jungle air, you know this is different.
We have lunch together — your first meal at Chaman Cuisine, the conscious vegetarian restaurant on site. Then we gather for an integration exercise — a space to arrive fully, meet the group, and start to land in your body.
Tonight, dinner under the jungle sky. The descent begins here.
We have lunch together — your first meal at Chaman Cuisine, the conscious vegetarian restaurant on site. Then we gather for an integration exercise — a space to arrive fully, meet the group, and start to land in your body.
Tonight, dinner under the jungle sky. The descent begins here.
02
Jul 23
Connect with Yourself
Meet the Water. Meet Yourself.
Morning meditation. Breakfast at Chaman. Then we sit down and crack open the theory of freediving — how your body works underwater, the physics of depth, the magic of the mammalian dive reflex.
In the afternoon, we get in the pool. Breathing for freediving. Your first static apnea. Your first taste of stillness. The evening closes with a breathwork session and yoga nidra — a practice designed to take you somewhere between sleep and awareness.
You’ll feel things you haven’t felt in a long time.
In the afternoon, we get in the pool. Breathing for freediving. Your first static apnea. Your first taste of stillness. The evening closes with a breathwork session and yoga nidra — a practice designed to take you somewhere between sleep and awareness.
You’ll feel things you haven’t felt in a long time.
03
Jul 24
Connect with the Water
Descend. In the Cenote.
Sunrise yoga. Breakfast. Then we head to the cenote.
You enter the sacred water and feel the kind of moment that’s impossible to explain and impossible to forget. All morning in the water: equalization, technique, depth. This is where the certification happens.
After a proper lunch back at Pepem, the afternoon is for breathwork, somatic integration, and pranayama — tools for processing everything the water is bringing up.
You enter the sacred water and feel the kind of moment that’s impossible to explain and impossible to forget. All morning in the water: equalization, technique, depth. This is where the certification happens.
After a proper lunch back at Pepem, the afternoon is for breathwork, somatic integration, and pranayama — tools for processing everything the water is bringing up.
04
Jul 25
Connect with the Love of the Universe Through Others
The Final Dive. Cenote Maravilla.
Morning yoga. Today is the photo session — the day you’ve been building toward without knowing it.
We head to Cenote Maravilla: the most spectacular cenote in the Ruta de los Cenotes near Puerto Morelos. You freedive. Valentina photographs. The light does something extraordinary in that water. Lunch in Puerto Morelos.
Back at Pepem in the late afternoon, we close the retreat the way it deserves: a cacao ceremony, breathwork, and a ritual of release. Tonight, we celebrate everything that shifted this week.
We head to Cenote Maravilla: the most spectacular cenote in the Ruta de los Cenotes near Puerto Morelos. You freedive. Valentina photographs. The light does something extraordinary in that water. Lunch in Puerto Morelos.
Back at Pepem in the late afternoon, we close the retreat the way it deserves: a cacao ceremony, breathwork, and a ritual of release. Tonight, we celebrate everything that shifted this week.
05
Jul 26
Departure
One Last Breath. Carry It Home.
Final sunrise yoga. Breakfast together. Goodbyes that feel like beginnings. Checkout at 11am.
You leave with your AIDA certification, a gallery of underwater images, and something harder to name — a quietness. A sense of what’s possible when you get out of your own way and let the water do its work.
You leave with your AIDA certification, a gallery of underwater images, and something harder to name — a quietness. A sense of what’s possible when you get out of your own way and let the water do its work.
What’s included
Everything
Everything
taken care of.
So you can focus on one thing: going deeper.
- 5 nights at Pepem retreat center
- All meals — breakfast, lunch & dinner
- AIDA 1 certification or advanced coaching
- All freediving sessions and fees in cenotes
- Equipment included — wetsuit, fins, mask
- Daily yoga, breathwork & meditation
- Equalization workshop
- Cacao ceremony & closing ritual
- Professional underwater photo session
- All transfers between locations
Where you’ll stay
Pepem.
Pepem.
A sanctuary in the Mayan jungle.
Nestled in the heart of the Selva Maya of Tulum, inside Parque Dos Ojos — surrounded by sacred cenotes and medicinal trees.
Pepem is not a hotel. It’s a portal. Eco-sustainable cabañas, a jungle yoga shala, temazcal, fire circle, and Chaman Cuisine — a conscious vegetarian restaurant where every meal is an act of nourishment.
No noise. No city. Just the jungle, the breath, and the community you’ll build here.
Your guides
Led by two women
Led by two women
who live this.
Valentina Kochian
Marine Biologist · AIDA Freediving Master Instructor · Underwater Photographer
Valentina grew up in Playa del Carmen, where the cenotes weren't a destination — they were home. At 16, she skipped parties to train with the only freediving instructor in the area. The first time she descended into that blue silence and looked up at the light rays piercing through from above, she knew this was it.
She's been a certified AIDA instructor since 2017, holds two Argentine national freediving records, and founded Freefall Academy to share what the water has always given her — presence, freedom, and a connection to something much bigger than herself.
She has spent years guiding people into their first breath-hold, and watching something irreversible shift in them, underwater.
These photos? All hers..
Ana Toledo
Yoga · Breathwork · Cacao Ceremony · Reiki · Marine Biologist
Nine years ago, yoga found Ana again — and she chose to go deeper. What started as a personal transformation became a lifelong path: 350 hours of yoga training, certifications in breathwork, meditation, cacao ceremonies, and Reiki. Tools, as she puts it, for returning to joy.
Then the sea called. She studied marine biology, and the ocean taught her what no classroom could — how to move with stillness, how to trust the breath, how to surrender to depth. Science and spirit stopped feeling like opposites. In the cenotes of the Yucatán, she found where it all meets. Ana brings movement, breath, depth and nature together to create a space where you can stop performing and start feeling. The water does the rest.
Only 12 spots available
⚡ Early bird — first 4 spots only
Early bird price
$27,000
Regular price:
$31,000
MXN per person
All inclusive
5 nights at Pepem
All meals included
AIDA 1 freediving certification/coaching
All freediving sessions
Daily yoga & breathwork
Cacao ceremony
Equalization workshop
Underwater photo session
All equipment
All transfers
Reserve your spot
35% deposit to confirm · Balance due before arrival
Questions
Everything you
Everything you
need to know.
No experience needed at all. If you've never freedived, you'll receive full AIDA 1 certification during the retreat — theory, pool and open water included. If you're already certified, you'll receive advanced coaching tailored to your level, up to 35m depth.
Not at all. Every session is designed to welcome all levels — from complete beginners to experienced practitioners. Ana will guide you exactly where you are.
You'll never be alone underwater. We maintain a maximum ratio of 4 students per instructor in the water at all times — so depending on the size of the group, we bring additional certified freediving instructors to the cenote sessions. Safety is non-negotiable for us, and so is the quality of your experience.
5 nights at Pepem, all meals (except one lunch out the 26th July), AIDA 1 certification or advanced coaching, all freediving sessions, all equipment (wetsuit, fins, mask, weights), daily yoga and breathwork, equalization workshop, cacao ceremony, the underwater photo session, all transfers, tips for the hotel/restaurant staff, mexican taxes.
Pepem is located inside Parque Dos Ojos, in the Selva Maya of Tulum — about 20 minutes from Tulum town. Surrounded by cenotes, medicinal trees, and jungle. There's a pool, yoga shala, temazcal, fire circle, and Chaman Cuisine restaurant on site.
You'll stay in beautiful eco-sustainable cabañas at Pepem — palapa roofs, canopy beds, and the sound of the jungle at night. Rooms are shared between 2-4 participants, each one with an individual bed. If you'd like a private room, let us know and we'll see what's available at an additional cost.
Cancún International Airport (CUN) — about 1.5 hours from Pepem. The meeting point is at the airport at 12:30 pm. The van will leave by 13:00 pm.
Fill out the form below or send us a WhatsApp. A 35% deposit confirms your spot — we'll send payment details within 24 hours. Second payment (35%) is due May 22nd. Last payment (30%) is due June 22nd. First come, first served.
Because this retreat launches less than 90 days before the start date, all payments are non-refundable. That said, we know life happens — if you need to cancel, we'll do our best to find someone to take your spot. If we're able to sell your place, we'll issue a full or partial refund depending on the circumstances. We're humans, not a corporation, and we'll always try to find a fair solution.
Ready to descend
Reserve
Reserve
your place.
Tell us a little about yourself. We'll follow up within 24h with payment details to confirm your spot.
Click below to fill out a quick form — name, contact info, and your experience level. Takes 2 minutes. We'll reach out within 24 hours with payment details to confirm your spot.
Book your spot →First come, first served. Only 12 spots available.
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