COZUMEL - Diving with Aldora Divers
May 2010
... a special vacation dive trip to Cozumel like no other ....
A small group of only four seen Cozumel a different way while diving with Aldora Divers. Aldora provides 120 cf steel tanks allowing dives lasting an hour plus long. Several of the dives actually spanned across two dive sites!
After arriving at Hotel Cozumel Resort we took our BC's, Regulators and Fins to the Aldora Divers office. Our gear was put into a mesh bag with our name on it. The next morning the boat picked us up promptly and our gear was set up on tanks and ready to go! Our surface intervals were spent at a day resort on the beach where sodas and food could be purchased. While diving one day on the North end, we opted for fresh conch ceviche (the best on the island and the best I've ever had!) delivered to the boat for our lunch.
We were treated on our first day with the appearance of the "Spendid Toadfish" ... how special is that!
We seen Spotted Eagle Rays, Turtles, Eels, huge and numerous Grouper, hundreds of mating White Snapper, a pair of Honeycomb Cowfish mating in the water column, Black Tip Sharks, Nurse Sharks, hundreds of Lobster, and so much more ....
We made one night dive which I rate as one of my best night dives ever ... at least 10 Octopus, plenty of huge Lobsters walking around, Crabs, Eels, and more ....
At the end of each day, Aldora took our gear back to their office, rinsed it and had it back ready to go for us the next morning. All you had to deal with was your wetsuit and boots ... what a treat!
Dives with Aldora cost almost twice as much as the other dive operators, but it is well worth it. The boats are nice; they don't crowd you (6 people to a boat).
After our last dive of the week, our gear was rinsed, dried and ready to pick up before our trip home.
... so if you don't mind spending extra for the service, Aldora Divers is the way to go!
Until next time ....
S. Scott