Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Aldora Divers in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan

Aldora Divers: "Still Excellent After (Partial) Ownership Change", Mar, 2020,

by Ryan Black, MI, US (Reviewer Reviewer 4 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 11450 has 3 Helpful votes.

Photos Submitted with this Report


Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions

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

Accommodations N/A Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Third consecutive year diving with Aldora. My wife and I did 7 days of 2 tank AM diving with them. We dove all seven days with Didier, who was great at pointing things out and being responsive to requests for bird-dogging specific things (e.g., tiny macro stuff). There has been a partial change in ownership -- Dave retired -- but things are still running about as smoothly as before.

For newcomers, Aldora is known for using larger steel tanks. Men and women get 120CF and 100CF, respectively, by default. More gas means longer dives. We averaged 81 minutes with a min/max of 65 and 94 minutes. Note that women can ask for bigger tanks, but make sure you verify when you check in that they know you want them (and have it written down on your information sheet).

Surface intervals are done on shore, though the location has changed from a full-service beach club to something a bit more rustic on the beach. Aldora puts out a table of chips and (very good) guacamole, fruit slices, and water for you to munch on. This stuff is free. You can also buy some hot food -- e.g., quesadillas/tacos -- for cheap (20-40 pesos per quesadilla) from a nice family who cooks them fresh. It's a pleasant place to spend an hour. In previous years Denise and Memo were there checking in with everyone to ask if they were happy. Of the seven days we dove, I think we only saw them there once or twice. (NB: We didn't have anything to complain about -- just an observation)

Aldora is also known for keeping its groups small -- usually 6 divers and a guide. On a few of our days our group also had another diver who had hired a private guide. They went in a few minutes before us and then typically stayed down for a modest among longer after we were all up on the surface. On one of the days we waited 20 minutes for them to finish their dive (putting their dive time close to 100 minutes). Conditions were calm, so it wasn't a big deal to be floating along waiting, but I would have been annoyed if the seas were rough. The upside of being a "bigger" group was that for most of those days we dove from Falicity, which is Aldora's biggest boat and was incredibly comfortable to be on with only seven divers and two guides.

Brass tacks, Aldora will still be our go-to dive operation in Cozumel because we like their attention to detail and longer bottom times we get with the bigger tanks.
Websites Aldora Divers   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Throughout the Caribbean, Iceland, Hawaii
Closest Airport CZM Getting There Direct into CZM.

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, cloudy, dry Seas calm, currents
Water Temp 78-80°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Let divemaster know when you have 1000 PSI; safety stop at 700 PSI; no deco diving
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Home Depot bucket on boat that sometimes contained fresh water. Not a huge deal, however, since ride to/from sites from condo was short. Didn't see any big rigs on this trip.
Was this report helpful to you?
Report currently has 3 Helpful votes
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 1077 dive reviews of Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 

Want to assemble your own collection of Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.29 seconds