Dive Review of Aldora Divers/El Cozumeleno in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel

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Aldora Divers/El Cozumeleno, Oct, 2003, by Brett Mook, IL, USA . Report 827.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Aldora is a great operation for experienced divers that want to dive the deeper and more challenging sites and indeed they lived up to this reputation and more. My dive partner on this trip was new to diving (10 or so dives so far) and a bit nervous and Aldora really took the time and care to select fun yet skill appropriate sites and keep an eye out to make this trip enjoyable for her too. She came away more skilled and confident and glowing about seeing her first nurse shark. Aldora's large capacity tanks provided nearly double the bottom time you get from the aluminum 80's that are used by most operators. Dive Masters treat divers like adults and allow you the freedom to explore sites without being constantly herded. Dives averaged over an hour each including safety stops even for the divers on our boat that were heavy breathers. Aldora ran multiple boats daily taking care to match divers skill levels with the rest of their group and selecting sites that are skill friendly and enjoyable. Dive groups are no bigger than 6 per boat and night dives are available on Wednesday and Saturday nights no matter how small the group and on other nights if there are enough divers to fill a boat. The boats were fast enough to get us out to the dive sites before the cattle boats began to arrive and scare away the bigger critters. Plenty of bottled water and warm post dive parka's were available on the boats. Surface intervals were taken at Playa Sol, a very nice beach club offering good food and a fresh water pool to relax in between dives. The best dive of the trip was to a site on Columbia Deep referred to as "Dave's Throat". In my opinion it is a far more interesting and enjoyable site than Punta Sur (Devil's Throat) which many folks consider the marquis dive on Cozumel. The swim throughs are more extensive and when you ascend you get to drift over and explore a healthy reef system making it like two dives in one rather than drifting over sand flats as you do when you ascend from Punta Sur. The El Cozumeleno is an all inclusive resort located north of downtown and is a short $5 cab ride into town. It would be a bit far to walk for most folks. The atmosphere is lively but not for those seeking a Cancun style Spring Break type atmosphere. There are plenty of activities for families with children as well as all adult groups. The main pool is very big with a swim up bar and nearby pool side grill (great for that post dive cheezeburger in paradise). There is a second quieter pool that is also very nice. Snorkeling is good and shore diving is available through the on site dive shop for those interested. The food was very good with buffet style meals and a sit down menu dining room option available nightly. The staff here is super and really provided the friendly and easy going service that will bring us back. Being up north, most dive operators will not pick you up at the hotel dock so divers should plan for an early morning trip south to meet their dive boats at another resort or pier and a cab ride home after their day of diving.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	All over.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	currents
Water Temp	80-84°F / 27-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	80-90 Ft/ 24-27 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Depth limits watched carefully on deep dives for deco due to 130 foot sites visited. Long safety stops. Computers a must and provided for those needing one. Long surface intervals.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Aldora Divers/El Cozumeleno in Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel

Aldora Divers/El Cozumeleno, Oct, 2003,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Aldora Divers/El Cozumeleno in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel