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

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Aldora Divers/Coral Princess, Feb, 2012, by Kevin Munson, IL, US ( 1 report). Report 6440.
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	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Aldora's stated brand promise is "Only the best of Cozumel". I haven't done much comparing (having only been with one other dive operator in Cozumel), but I can certainly say that almost every element of my experience was "the best". They were "on-brand" at every opportunity to impress me. As other divers have commented here on Undercurrent, diving Steel 120's is the primary differentiating factor for Aldora. I had bottom times averaging around 1 hour 15 minutes, with a few shallower dives approximating almost two hours. This was the first diving I have done with EANx where I actually had to pay attention to my no-deco time, yet I usually surfaced with more than 1000 psi on every dive. Boats: We only dove the larger, 44' boat named Felicity twice, but it was really fast, with goof space available and easy to dive. The rest of the time we went out with the smaller, faster boats, which did the trick although I would have preferred a marine head. Aldora Staff: The level of service and professionalism was an unexpected delight for me. I got to know Memo, Guillermo, our DM Julio, DM trainees and most of the boat captains. Each of them paid careful attention to our satisfaction with the experience at any crucial moment- adjusting as needed to any feedback that we gave (which was - of course - mostly positive). I would say that customer service is a key part of the overall experience diving with Aldora. Diving: We pretty much had our choice of dive sites on any given day, and Aldora accommodated our requests as much as they could. We saw Cantarell (eagle ray dive), Chankanaab (night dive), Columbia (Deep), Palancar (Caves and Horseshoe), Paso de Cedral (twice), Punta Sur (twice), Tunich, and a few others I can't remember. The corals were all in good health, and there was plenty of life to see each day. Not many big critters, but really enjoyed the 12 Eagle Rays at Cantarell and probably 15-20 turtles (mostly on Paso de Cedral). Also saw about 7 nurse sharks and 4 black tipped reef sharks. We also went over to Playa del Carmen to visit the Chac Mool cenote, which was really a neat dive as well. Surface Interval: I didn't know whether I would like the daily routine of a surface interval at Mr Sancho's Beach club, but I really enjoyed it. They had good food, fast service and nice facilities. Memo would often meet us there and check in to see how things were going. That was another unexpected delight. Hotel: Staying at the Coral Princess was a bit of a hassle in terms of showing up at the Aldora docks each morning. Next time I would choose a hotel that Aldora picks up divers at. Nevertheless, Guillermo parked our car for us every morning in the lot near the Aldora shop, which we really appreciated. The accommodations at the Coral Princess were average at best, although it was nice to be able to do some night snorkeling easily from the waterfront (saw some neat reef squid there as well as a bunch of other life). Comparatively speaking, I would say the quality was almost as good as a Hampton Inn in the US. Overall: Without reservation, I would highly recommend diving with Aldora Divers. For the kind of divers we were, they were the perfect outfit for Cozumel. The Coral Princess was only "OK" and I would probably pick somewhere else next time.
Websites	Aldora Divers Coral Princess
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Grand Cayman, Hawaii (Maui), Puerto Rico, Florida (Key West and West Palm Beach), Epcot (divequest), Quarries (IL, OH, MI), Great Lakes, Bonne Terre MO.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	currents
Water Temp	77-82°F / 25-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	100-250 Ft/ 30-76 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Because I dove Nitrox the entire trip, the limiting factor was MOD, which I only exceeded once at the Devil's throat for 5 ft and 20 seconds. Stayed with the DM most of the time; had to stay within direct line of sight unless in a swim through.
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		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	I only used a SeaLife Mini II without external lighting, but was able to use it easily without any issues. Took so many photos and videos that I ran out of batteries during each dive day.

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

Aldora Divers/Coral Princess, Feb, 2012,

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/Coral Princess in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel