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

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Aldora Divers/Aura Hotel, Mar, 2011, by James Castanino, DC, US ( Sr. Reviewer 7 reports). Report 6083.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food	N/A
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We spent 5 days with Aldora during our recent visit to Cozumel, which was the second visit in the past 12 months (last time I went with Palancar Divers out of the Occidental). I am an experienced diver but this was my girlfriend's first dive trip; she did her check-out dives with Aldora and then we dove together for a day. Overall I think Aldora runs a good operation, with experienced, safety conscious staff, friendly management and emphasis on spending time underwater. They charge a premium but in the end it is worth it if you want to visit the best sites and get the bottom time. I spent a lot of time researching dive operators before this trip and decided on Aldora primarily due to their good reputation and emphasis on bottom time (this had been a real disappointment with Palancar, dives averaged 45 mins and DM's seemed in a rush). Overall I was not disappointed and would dive with Aldora again. Best aspects of the operation: -Bottom time. We were never rushed and every dive last more than an hour. Aldora uses massive tanks which negated the need to wear any weight (I usu wear 8 pounds with a 3 mil). -DMs were generally excellent. Good attitude, friendly and safety-oriented. I had three different DMs and they were all excellent. -Small groups. Average group was 4-6. Boats were fast and generally comfortable. -Good service. We left our gear on the boat every day and it arrived ready to go the next morning. -Dive sites. I had requested dives on the southern tip of the island before arriving in Cozumel and Aldora made it happen. Most operators don't like to go there because of the fuel costs, time, etc. but these guys had no problem going there and the dives were great. We had two logistics issues with Aldora: First, which was more annoying than the second, was a scheduling issue. The instructor told my girlfriend that the boat would pick her up at the dock on day 2 and they never showed up (I was on a different boat with experienced divers). She missed a day of diving as a result of this. On another day, one of the Aldora boats broke down and they arrived 90 mins late. In this second instance (unlike the first) the dive shop called us ahead of time to let us know. Boats break down and they had another boat there fairly quickly so we didn't miss diving. Management was apologetic about both of these issues and gave us two free golf shirts at the end of our visit. Not as good as a discount, but a nice gesture. One thing to keep in mind; Aldora surface intervals are done at a beach club near the reef. This was nice (instead of sitting on the boat) and allowed you to order food or a cold drink. However, I though the surface intervals were longer than necessary and had the impression that the primary reason was so the captains and DMs could eat lunch. We were there for almost 90 minutes on a couple days, which is a certainly a good safety margin but in my view not the best use of time. Aldora does charge more than just about anyone else, but in my opinion it is generally worth the extra cost. I would dive with them again.
Websites	Aldora Divers
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Utila, Bonaire, Belize, Cozumel, Yucatan, St. Lucia, BVI, Bermuda, US Northeast.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-80 Ft/ 15-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
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	N/A
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/Aura Hotel in Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel

Aldora Divers/Aura Hotel, Mar, 2011,

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/Aura Hotel in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel