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

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Aldora Divers/Villa Aldora, Aug, 2005, by David Sifre, ny, us . Report 1876.
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 Divers is one of the most expensive operators on Cozumel. The philosophy appears to be to keep the prices high, and the number of divers low. I was never on a boat with more than 4 other divers, including my buddy. In other words, 5 divers, one dive master. Unlike any of the other operations I have dived with, there is no food included. Just bottled water. However, the surface interval is done on land, at a "resort" type place where food can be purchased. There is also a swimming pool to relax in as well. This beats sitting on the boat for the surface interval, and may account for some of the cost (the resort costs $15.00 for tourists to get into, but is included in the price of the dive). The boats are small, without a marine head. Most importantly, you don't have to set up your own gear. Its set up when you get on the boat, they switch tanks between dives, and they keep your gear as long as you are diving with them. They also include the din adapter for your regulator. Bottom times are extraordinarily long -- 1 hour 20 minutes not that uncommon. This makes it particularly important to watch the decompression limits of your dive computer but otherwise, the drift dive is a long leisurely drift -- sometimes you can drift through several dive sites, and more often than not, you are diving much longer than with other dive operators -- another reason why it is worth more to dive with these guys. Divemasters were very friendly and knowledgeable, as well as protective of the reefs. The Villa Aldora is very nice. You must go into town for all meals except breakfast, which costs $5.00. Town is a $3.00 cab ride (3 minute drive/15 minute HOT HOT HOT walk). They are very friendly and accommodating. FREE internet access (high speed wireless, so bring the laptop); free telephone calls to the US, and a NYC area code complements of an internet phone in the room); and free snorkel gear is provided on request so that you can snorkel out front of the Villa Aldora without having to take your dive gear off the boat. No swimming pool, and exit from the ocean is by way of ladder, so handicapped or mobility challenged folks can't really get wet here. I will dive with these folks again, and I will stay at the Villa Aldora as well. Boat picks you up right outside your door, at 7:30 am, unless breakfast is late, in which case they wait for you to eat. :)
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	26-50 dives
Where else diving	Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Belize
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	95-120 Ft/ 29-37 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Were asked to keep the divemaster in site.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	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		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Unfortunately, at this time the boat was too small to accommodate a dunk tank for the camera. The captain and/or divemaster were good enough to hand the camera after a backward roll entry, and the divemaster was eager and able to point out macro critters to be photographed.

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

Aldora Divers/Villa Aldora, Aug, 2005,

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/Villa Aldora in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel