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I realize you’ve just booked a trip to Bonaire, but let me offer a slightly different perspective. A Cozumel experience can vary significantly depending on who you are diving with, where you stay, and where you go topside. I’ve been there over 20 times. On trip number 4 or 5, I told my wife I...

Thanks, Dave! I always stay at the Villa, so I will be taking advantage of this extra benefit.

Things may have changed, but when I first started staying at the Villa, you had to be diving with Aldora to get a room there. I have stayed there at least twelve times and have never seen any other dive boats there. The shore dive is nice. It’s very shallow, but you may be surprised at what you...

No food service on-site or very close. Nobody really opens early enough for a 7:30 pickup anyway. All of the rooms have at least a fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. Several have full kitchens. I always fix my own breakfast. Sometimes yogurt and granola, sometimes eggs, sometimes breakfast...

Consider Villa Aldora. You will get picked up right there. Like so many other places, it’s ironshore, but they have built a beach with a nice palapa. There are steps and a ladder to access the water. Because it’s ironshore, there is good snorkeling out front and they keep tanks on-site for shore...

There’s an HSBC on the square and several other banks in easy walking distance, maybe a BanaMex and a ScotiaBank. I always use the ATM at a bank, not the free-standing ATMs b

I would recommend Aldora for newer divers as well as experienced divers. With seven boats, they can do a good job of matching divers of similar experience and interests. A few times when I wanted to dive in the afternoon or at night, they’ve only had enough divers for one boat and have asked if...

I used Isis for years, including a couple of trips after Margarita passed away, but switched to Fiesta for my last trip. I got a newer car in better shape for about the same price. The service was good and they met me at the ferry pier. I could recommend either, but would probably go with Fiesta...

Mega (and Chedraui) require customers to check any bags (backpacks, tote bags, etc.) they bring in, so there is definitely a place to check things. I have no idea how accommodating they would be for your luggage. I guess that depends on what you have. Personally, I don’t know how to pack light...

This may just be piling on at this point, but I have a slight preference for Mega. I stay north of town and always rent a car, so distance doesn’t mean much. Mega looks nicer, has better lighting, etc., which, admittedly, doesn’t make the food any better. Mega does have a more interesting beer...

Sorry, I don’t know the exact weight/buoyancy difference between the 120s and 117s. I‘m sure someone will chime in. I know that I use no weight with either one, and I wear a 5 mil suit, plus a hooded vest, plus a 1 mil shirt.

Aldora still has 120s and 100s. They added the 117s to the mix. I’ll still use the 120s, but much prefer the 117s. It’s easier to gear up with the shorter tank and to manage trim.

Thanks to all for the responses. This is all very helpful.

I am thinking about new Shearwater computer, air integrated. I am an experienced open water diver, nitrox but nothing more exotic. No tec, rebreather, no trimix. What would be the advantages of a Perdix, Petrel, or Teric? I’m old enough to need readers, do a big clear display is a plus. Thanks...

67, certified for 25 years. Been diving regularly (if not always frequently), other than the year I got married (just a little too busy). Even managed some diving in 2020 (a week before everything shut down) and 2021 (driving up to the Straits of Mackinac).

It was hard to find Sol for a while. I don’t know if there have been production issues or things just aren’t making it to the island. The shelves generally seem to be well-stocked, except for the odd shortage. I have found some more interesting beers at Mega, including some decent IPAs.

Aldora has HP steel 100s and 120s. I aspire to be able to use a 100. I’m getting close, but there’s always that one dive I make it back with just barely 700 and lose the confidence. Lately, they’ve been getting some 117s. Really nice tanks. A lot shorter than the 120s with a neglible difference...

Lots of places don’t take credit cards, so you’ll want pesos. They will probably take USD, but not at a good exchange rate. At the fancier restaurants that take cards, it depend on you card. Do they charge foreign transaction fees? Exchange rates on cards are usually pretty good, but make sure...

Actually, sharing air with a diver low on air is standard for Aldora. The purpose is to avoid cutting the dive short, because Aldora does have the policy that the entire group has to surface together. Air-sharing really only works when one diver is lower on air than the others. When a second...

Can your wife teach classes at a Divi resort? That would being Bonaire into play, which is great diving. If you want a comparison of St Lucia diving and Cozumel diving, here’s what I can tell you based on one trip to St Lucia and over 20 trips to Cozumel. Visibility isn’t nearly as good at St...