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

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Aldora Divers/Hotel Cozumel : "Terrific Cozumel trip...Again!", Nov, 2023, by Martin Metzger, TX, US ( Reviewer 4 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 12835.
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		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We really enjoyed our 3rd trip to Cozumel, an 8 day visit with 6 days of diving. It was our first time with Aldora Divers, who really lived up to their Internet reputation and personal referrals - we're sooo glad we gave them a try! We had been trying to get to some of the higher rated, more remote intermediate and advanced sites for over a year, even for the premium fee, but no luck on the previous two trips. Aldora was eager to take us for the standard price. A 7:30 am pickup time at Wyndham Cozumel allowed for a relaxed breakfast, then we went flying past other boats to still arrive first at some dive sites! There were only 4-7 divers on our boat each day, all on Nitrox. Instructor/DM Mario was very personable, always smiling, and striking a good balance of leadership versus freedom, very eager to assist, and guiding us through very comfortable dive profiles. The higher pressure steel 120 cf tanks not only allow for longer Dives, but also result in more relaxation when entering the water with over 3700 psi in a tank THAT large. One dive lasted 95 minutes with a max depth of 90', average 39'. A few Dives were over 80 minutes even with a max depth over 100', staying just clear of NDL and still a surprising amount of Nitrox left at the end! Pass your gear up to the Captain or wear it while climbing the ladder, your choice! Day 1 was just a refresher after 2 months out of the water and adjusting to different weight of the 120 cf steel tanks (I needed about 5 pounds less weights, and some Divers on our boats carried none) but still nice dives. Only 5 Divers on our fast boat the 2nd morning, starting with a dive at the slightly more remote and very highly rated Maracaibo, a deeper wall dive. Saw a 5-6' reef shark and the usual parrot fish etc., and did a swim through at 111'. "This site looks all of the Cozumel sites looked 20-30 years ago." We spent the interval anchored on Cielo Beach playing (very carefully) with about 10 friendly rays that were slowly, gently swimming around and brushing up against us. Then we dove Casa Blanca and saw a huge turtle feeding, a small octopus, a 4' nurse shark that was so curious that I thought it was going to gently head butt one of our divers, and more. Day 3 was another highly rated site, Punta Sur Cathedral, followed by an 87 minute dive at Punta Tunich, which was like a crowded aquarium of sealife: 2 lobster, 3 reef sharks, 3 turtles, large moray eel, parrot fish, angel fish, puffers, small spotted rays, large southern rays, barracuda, and too many other fish to list. Later dives included nice swim throughs, about 4 eagle rays, frequent barracuda sightings, plenty of small spotted rays and southern rays, more lobsters, large and small turtles swimming or feeding, and an occasional reef shark. Like Tunich, San Clemente was crowded with sea life. Day 6 was special in that we went northward with only 2 other customers to Barracuda, and then we did a 102+ minute shallower dive on the fascinating Two Boats site, two coral covered wrecks in 35' of water. Of the 3 all inclusive hotels we've stayed in Cozumel, Wyndham was the bargain value. It was luxurious probably 20 or 30 years ago, so still spacious, strong A/C with remote control, room safes, meals can be crowded and a few aspects are outdated, i.e., 1960's floor tile in hallways, door keys had to be reprogrammed twice in the first 3 days, no wash cloths or mini bar in the room, etc., but it was less that half the price, so we'd go back. Remodeling began last year a few rooms at a time, replacing old bathtubs with safer walk-in showers, new furniture, etc. Many of the repeat guests who referred us agree that the friendly staff, convenient central Cozumel location and value is what brings them back.
Websites	Aldora Divers Hotel Cozumel
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Bahamas Aqua Cat, Blackbird Resort Belize. Scuba Ranch, Texas
Closest Airport	Cozumel	Getting There	Direct flight from DFW Texas to Cozumel
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, currents, no currents
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	75-125 Ft/ 23-38 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Observing marine park rules regarding sea life for those Dive sites. Dive watches required for deeper Dives
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	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/Hotel Cozumel in Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel

Aldora Divers/Hotel Cozumel : "Terrific Cozumel trip...Again!", Nov, 2023,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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/Hotel Cozumel in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel