Ask Me Again If I Still Love Diving!
Written: Sep 25 '06 (Updated Feb 12 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Expert instructor/dive masters who care about the undersea environment and love what they do!
Cons: Higher priced, but worth it. Website could use updates for post Wilma information
The Bottom Line: Aldora's love of diving makes them worth every dollar! Don't be fooled into thinking going cheaper with a 20 diver capacity boat is a better deal.
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| weberism's Full Review: Aldora Divers |
When I booked our 10th anniversary trip to Cancun, Mexico, I planned to sneak away for a day and dive Cozumel. I had no idea how to go about this, so I took to the internet. There, I found a great article by Dave Dillehay, on the best way to enjoy diving Cozumel from Cancun, by spending just one night on the island. With this in mind, I began my quest to find an operator.
As I researched the diving I'd heard so much about from friends and divers at my local Denver dive shop, I started with their recommended operator, though they didn't actually know people at these shops, it turned out, (I'll be suggesting they readdress their Cozumel connection soon) and reviewed at least 10 dive operators' websites.
As I surfed these sites, I was bombarded by low dollar, mulit-day dive packages, but my attention kept coming back to the most expensive shop on the island. Aldora does not offer multi-day discounts, but as I soon learned, it is well worth it, once you've blown bubbles with this group. I followed up with a few phone calls, and I was hooked. That one night turned into a 3- night stay, which took a little explaining to my non-diving wife. But that is a story for another time.
Why did I pick the most expensive option on Cozumel? First, their website was far more informative than any of the others I found. It was also more personal, with commentary from owner Dave Dillehay, refreshingly honest about high and low points in the operation's history (read some of Dave's "Open Letter to Aldorans" for a good sense of this).
Second, Aldora correctly, in my view, operates off the principle that quality and enjoyment of bottom time is what matters most, so they use large capacity tanks, keep the groups small, and provide fast, clean boats to beat the crowds to great diving spots (though they typically go to points further south than many of the other shops for a first dive, so it is rare that as you descend you see anyone else). The steel 120 cu. ft. tanks allow you to take full advantage of your no decompression time; dive deep, linger, but have plenty to get you back up safe and slow. Further, the place they go for surface intervals has good, safe food for the gringos with tender stomaches.
Third, their staff was fantastic, from the interaction via email, phone, and more email, through the check-in process at the shop, during the dives, and finally, culminating in clean, packed equipment, ready for me to take home. Which leads me to the story that I think perfectly reflects why Aldora is THE operator to go with on Cozumel; they love what they do!
I must have arrived at the bottom of the low season, because for two days, I was the only paying customer (just the week before, they had three full boats out each day). That they even took me out says a lot about their operation, but they made it a point to be sure I took advantage of such a rare opportunity, by giving me great instruction and taking me to great dive spots, despite the fact this had to be a money losing proposition for the day.
On the second day, Luis took me to Punta Sur for our first dive. On the way out, I asked the typical questions; "how long have you been diving?", and "do you still love it?",to which he replied, "23 years, and yes, I do, or I wouldn't be doing it". That is what you'd expect, I guess, but the way he said it made me believe him.
As we dropped into the water, we were the only boat around. We quickly dropped down to 90' at the base of a 45' coral head and had a look around. As we crossed the sandy bottom to another coral formation, two spotted eagle rays approached. Luis drew them in closer with his clam feeding impersonation. After a minute or two of this, Luis looked beyond the rays and flashed the sign for shark. As I sucked down air like a college freshman sucks down beer at a tailgate party, I saw not one, two, or three sharks, but four grey reef sharks, swimming back and for just over the drop off. This amazing show lasted for no less than 5 minutes, as I greedily sucked down the air in exhilarated gulps (now is where I need to say thanks for the 120s!!!). Reveling in the underwater show, Luis spun around and triumphantly pumped his fists and legs! Now I'm laughing away my precious oxygen, because it was clear I wasn't the only one having a good time!
For the sake of brevity (I know, too late), I'll close the story here, and just let you know that 50 minutes, another shark, a few turtles, and some amazing coral viewing later, we were back on board the boat. With cold bottled water in hand, I looked at Luis, who smiled and said, "Ask me again if I still love diving"! They really love what they do, these friendly people at Aldora, and that makes all the difference. In what is otherwise a commodity (boat ride to the same reefs everyone else has access to), Aldora's staff stands out for their love of their craft, and the beautiful environment in which they do it.
The rest of the diving was spectacular, as you'd expect from Cozumel, but Luis, Memo, Mario, Cabrillo, Marcello, and everyone else at Aldora were fantastic the entire trip. I really felt like they enjoyed hosting me.
Finally, yes, the price looks high, but it takes less math than was required to log your first surface interval to understand why the large capacity tanks, required computers (free if you don't have one), and small group size pays off in a big way. True to their word, I averaged over 60 minutes of fun, per dive on the large capacity tanks.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
weberism
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 1 member
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