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

Aldora Divers/Suites Bahia, Feb, 2007,

by Buzz Waterston, PA, USA ( 2 reports). Report 3241.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Suites Bahia a little spartan, but right in the center of town and very well priced (about $70/night). Small kitchenette with a decent size refrigerator. Rooms on the fourth floor the most quiet---I recommend 42, 44, or 46, all of which have balconies for drying your stuff and looking out obliquely over the water, without the noise of being right over Avenida Rafael Melgar. Free internet access in the lobby.
Aldora Divers are the best. Fast small boats get you to the sights before they're mobbed. My son (12 dives before this) and I dove Punta Sur Sur, and I did Maracaiba last year.
It was lobster mating season, so we saw some huge males out in the open looking for babes. My son saw his first shark, a 7' nurse shark free swimming in front of us for about 100 yards. Saw huge groupers in the 4-5' range, 5' cubera snapper, 3' porcupine fish, rays, and turtles.
Favorite dives were Palancar Gardens for its wonderful swimthroughs, and Tunich/Yucab for the fish life (including a splendid toadfish). The dives site seemed less sanded-over than last year, and the island is completely rebuilt since Wilma pass over it a couple of years ago.
Playa del Carmen is worth a ferry ride and a day on the beach (tops are optional there; lots of Europeans) but is no longer a charming little village. There's even a Wal-Mart there now.
If you go to Cozumel, please don't judge it by walking along the main drag by the water, Avenida Rafael Melgar. Go to the municipal mercado where the Mexicans eat delicious fresh lunches for $4, and explore Avenidas 15, 20, and 25. It feels much more Mexican than it does closer to the water.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving All over the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather dry Seas choppy
Water Temp 78-80°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 0
Water Visibility 80-120 Ft/ 24-37 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Only dive restriction was that we come up with at least 500 psi. We tended to come up in a group (never more than 6 divers on the boat); if someone was sucking air, the divemaster would feed her/him air through an octopus with 10' hose.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

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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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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