Aldora Divers

Pros: Divers matched for experience, tanks for breathing, 6-pack boats and best dive sites.
Cons: About 20% more expensive than the bottom feeders - and worth every penny.

First, 'cause I know you're wondering, my diving experience: almost 50 years, 26 countries, Master Scuba Diver plus wreck, etc. In the end I always return to my favorite Fiji liveaboard for the ripping and stunning drift diving, soft corals... but ...

Pros: Great serv abv/below water. Diver site choice. Extra btm time
Cons: None..

We took a quick trip to Coz in mid-April 2007. After diving with the "cattle boats" for over 10 years due to ease of booking and on-site resort operations. I would never book with anyone else other than Aldora. Arriving Sunday - we dropped our gear ...

Pros: Safe, professional, friendly
Cons: Small boat, lousy equipment, mediocre diving, mediocre dive master, no lunch/snacks

After reading the glowing reviews at epinions.com, I had expected great things from Aldora Divers. I went with my girlfriend on November 26, 2006 for a two-tank morning dive. I was disappointed. First the good. Aldora’s a professional, trustworthy ...

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

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 ...

Pros: Highly experienced & trained professionals, impeccable customer service, smaller & faster boats, steel 120 tanks
Cons: A tiny bit more expensive than most

I was lucky enough to find Aldora Divers when I went to Cozumel for the first time. After diving with them for a week, I can't imagine using any other operator (and I did try a couple of others). Amidst all the "cattle boat" operations, you might think...

Pros: longer down times
Cons: no shore diving

My wife and I have used Aldora Divers on two separate vacations, and would greatly recommend them. The larger 120 steel tanks were especially great for me since I am a notorious air hog, while my wife must be half fish from the way she saves air. The...

Pros: Customer service; personalized experience; great for newbies and families; very professional.
Cons: Book early, they really are always busy.

Wow! My brother-in-law and I went to Cozumel immediately after certifying (open water PADI). I spent hours on the internet trying to decide which dive shop would have the misfortune of getting us wet for the first time... and based on reviews, ...

Pros: 2-6 people max per boat. Steel tanks,dive times are longer. Fast boats.
Cons: Absolutely none. Not one. Perfect dive operation in every way.

We just returned from a fantastic week in Cozumel diving with Aldora Divers. We can not say enough great things about the dive operation. Say goodbye to the common 'cattle boats' with 10-20 divers invading your personal space on the boat. We have not ...

Pros: Very professional, personalized service
Cons: Very slightly more expensive than other dive operations

We were planning a cruise with a stop in Cozumel with another couple who are divers. I wasn't sure that booking the dives through the ship would give us the smaller groups we were looking for. I actually based my choice to dive with Aldora from an...

Pros: Luis, Mateo, Julian, Memo, equipment stored for you, any dive site you want is available
Cons: No snacks, stuck at playa mia for surface interval, no rinse buckets for cameras

I spent the week with Aldora divers. I had Luis for three days and dove with Memo on the eastside. We also did a night dive Wednesday. My three tanks on Wednesday added up to a combined four hours and fifteen minutes. Aldora provides steel 120’s which provide added air for this six three heavy breather. It is so much fun to not be hurried or pressured to make a quick dive. We take a 90-minute to two hour SI at Playa Mia. I usually had water and guacamole. Very relaxing. Lots of turtles, lots of giant crabs, one eagle ray and some large green morays. Very nice diving. Maracaibo and Francessa stick out as my favorite dives of the week. Every time is different but I really like a lot of stuff on the bottom, which those two dives provide. A norte had scuttled our Sunday dive, which is why we dove the east side. The water was a little choppy Tuesday and Wednesday but fine the rest of the time. Aldora keeps and cleans your gear for the week. Nice boats with twin four stroke 130’s, parkas and cold water. I really like their service.

Pros: The Best Period No Contest!!
Cons: None

I have been diving for almost 20 years and I can say that Aldora is definitely the only operation I would use in Cozumel. I have used Del Mar cattle boats and Dive with Martin (when he was still alive). Aldora is absolutely the best overall. Sure there are days when currents are to strong or life just isn't there but you increase your odds tremendously when you dive 2 deep dives in row PERIOD!! If you are a novice this probably isn't the outfit for you because some of the diving is difficult but damn is it worth it. I will never use another operation again in Cozumel. I went with them in 2006 and am going back August of 2007 to use them again... They are SIMPLY THE BEST!!!!
Stan Dow
adow1@cox.net
Norman Oklahoma

Pros: Small groups, Big tanks, Professional attitude
Cons: They run 30 to 45 minutes behind schedule, it seems.

I chose Aldora because I wasn't interested in a cattle boat, plus I'm a bit of an air hog and they provide bigger tanks. My first scheduled dive started with me sitting on the dock waiting for a boat that never showed up. I called and learned that the boat had broken down and they made up for it with a two-tank afternoon dive which was great. The DiveMaster was excellent, and since there were only six of us, we all had an easy time keeping up. I dove the next morning and afteroon with Aldora, and both of these DiverMasters were excellent, I had plenty of air, and they made sure that everyone was treated equally. I consider myself something less than an intermediate diver but the DiveMasters all made it easy and every dive a pleasure. If I find myself in Cozumel again, I won't hesitate to use Aldora first.

Pros: Fast boats, friendly knowledgeable staff, excellent equipment.
Cons: You can end up with a bad diver but that isn't the company's fault

I and my wife Vicky have been diving with Aldora for 10 years and with other dive companies for 7 years prior to that. Ten years ago my wife and I had a bad experience on one of the cattle boats so we were looking around to dive with someone else. We go to Cozumel every year for two weeks. We found Aldora Divers and have been extremely pleased. Dave, the owner, runs a great operation and will try to please every diver as will all of his staff. He has fast boats and more times than not you are at the dive site,i.e. Devils Throat, before and of the other dive companies. The divemasters are extremely knowledgeable and some are Marine Biologists. If anything goes wrong with your gear they are there to fix it on the spot. I plan on diving with them as long as I can in the future.
Pat K.

Pros: Higher capacity tanks, fast boats, highly trained crews, and AMERICAN MANAGEMENT and safety standards.
Cons: You may have to get on a waiting list.

I am an SSI Instructor that dives the world. My lifestyle allows my family to live in Asia and the US. We dive Asia and dive often. When we go home to the USA, we often travel down to Cozumel to dive with Dave Dillehay's Aldora Divers. It is just superb. 3500 psi tanks, fast American designed boats, and American managed facilities. After ten years of diving with Dave, I have finally figured out that the reason everything is so darn good is because its his hobby and he does this for fun. The passion he has for Cozumel and diving makes this diving experience the best in the world.

Pros: I am spoiled...
Cons: I am spoiled....

Our group dove with ALDORA on a week long trip to Cozumel and I literally had the best days of my life! Artisteo was our guide and went out of his way to guide us through the reefs. I am very conscious of conserving marine environments so I was even more impressed when he and Angel stopped the boat to pull garbage from the water and replant life that was uprooted by currents on several occasions. He did this without interruption of the dives. The dives themselves were packed with life, and Artisteo could spot a hiding octopus or a scorpion fish from several yards away. I think we met all the creatures we possibly could hope to meet! At the end of one dive we were even greeted by a small school of dolphins. Amazing! I never want to dive with anyone else!