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Dive Review of Aldora Divers/Villa Aldora in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Chen Rio

Aldora Divers/Villa Aldora, Nov, 2011,

by Meegan Gruber, OR, US ( 1 report). Report 6366.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food N/A
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling 5 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments We are so glad that we chose Aldora. You should definitely stay at the Villa Aldora if you are diving with them! Brent, Greg and Kay took excellent care of us and really took the trip from good to great. We arrived and were greeted with ice cold beers and given a tour of the facility. We were lucky enough to be upgraded to a suite which was beyond beautiful and enormous! The views from the balconies (yes, there were 2!) were amazing for watching the sunsets. Brent drove us to the dive shop and then to the grocery store. It was so great to have our own local tour guide!

The following AM, we awoke to the dreaded winter NORTE. The port was closed on the "good" side of the island and none of the dive operators were going out at all EXCEPT Aldora! We knew earlier that week that there was a norte predicted and we were sure glad we had chosen Aldora. Diving on the windward/east side is "rustic" as there are no piers and loading/unloading is all off of the beach (but, they did it all for us). The east side is not a marine park, so the large fish were not there. The corals, sea fans and sponges were fantastic. I love the way the coral heads were separated by stretches of pure white sand. Great for wide angle photos. When we got back to the beach, Brent was there with towels, dive parkas and beverages. We were warm, dry and happy.

During the afternoons and evenings, there was good snorkeling off of the villa and plenty to see and do in town. No need to rent a car. The villa had bikes to use and town was a 5 minute ride away. It was fun to bike around and great to work off some of the calories from all of those tacos! The food there is really great and we did over do it. Brent will guide you (and maybe even drive you) to the best local eateries. We felt very safe there and biked to town every evening for dinner.

The bad weather continued for 3 days, and Aldora was the only operation running. Finally, the weather broke and winds died down. But, our bad luck continued when our 2 year old son who was back in the States w grandparents got very ill. We had to fly out in 24 hrs! My husband was devastated as this was his first major dive trip and our first trip sans-kids. Just a few hours before we had to leave for the airport, my husband called Brent to ask about tanks and gear so we could do one last dive right off the Villa Aldora. Brent answered with one word, "done." A few minutes later he arrived with the tanks! A 10 ft dive may not seem worth it to most, but it really meant a lot to my husband. He got to get in the water on a sunny, calm day and get a taste of diving on the west side.

We had pretty much the worst luck imaginable and only half of our intended trip. But, we were still able to have an incredible and unforgettable time thanks to Aldora Divers and Villa Aldora. They really treated us like royalty and we are already planning our next trip back.
Websites Aldora Divers   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Bahamas, FL Keys, Catalina, Sharm-el-Sheik, Hurgada, Eilat, Okinawa
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather windy, cloudy Seas choppy
Water Temp -°F / -°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile ?
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities 2 stars
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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