Aldora Divers trip report

[MXGratefulDiver]

Bob, I never inferred you were either of those.

My replies to Lynne were not intended to be friendly yet I didn't intend for them to be offensive or nasty. I still don't think they were either of those. Pointed yes. Intentional or not I thought her original post was insensitive to the plight in the aftermath of Wilma. Insentitive to the large numbers of people currently posting here and planning trips and activities in Coz. I seriously doubt diving there today is typical of the diving before Wilma.

Don, with all due respect ... Cozumel doesn't have a "plight". There were thousands of people out there diving every day. Our night dive on Paradise resembled an underwater city with all the lights down there.

And ignoring the diving, the place hosts 15,000 to 20,000 cruise ship passengers every day ... day in and day out. Those folks visit Coz for the express purpose of leaving some money behind ... and the place doesn't disappoint. At $45 a head, just those visiting Playa Mia every day were providing a healthy boost to the local economy.

I wouldn't be too worried about Cozumel if I were you ... the place took a hit from a hurricane. So did lots of other places. Coz seems to have recovered faster and better than most. They don't need sympathy points ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[diver 85]

I agree, some people go out of their way to find offense in something. TSandM's trip report was not a negative in any way, nor did it dispaly any ego. It simply said, it was good, OK, but not great. That is totally acceptable by any reasonable person's standards. You like other places better? Fine. Where is the problem? I agree that Coz is not what it was pre Wilma but I still rate it above Bonaire, both AW & UW.

It is all subjective so there will always be a wide range of evaluations of any give dive site. As an example, I will not go to Grand Cayman because of what I've read on this Board, and what I've heard from other divers,: it is expensive-for what you get, crowded, over-dove, restricitve- as to doing your own profile, reef damage due to storms, not a lot of marine life. The whole picture does not sound inviting to me.

I think it's great that we all don't think alike like a bunch of dive ants. Vive de la differe'nce

After 10 trips there, the last one in '93 I believe, I will continue my ways, ie NO MORE GRAND CAYMAN.........

 

[djanni]

Don, with all due respect ... Cozumel doesn't have a "plight". There were thousands of people out there diving every day. Our night dive on Paradise resembled an underwater city with all the lights down there.

And ignoring the diving, the place hosts 15,000 to 20,000 cruise ship passengers every day ... day in and day out. Those folks visit Coz for the express purpose of leaving some money behind ... and the place doesn't disappoint. At $45 a head, just those visiting Playa Mia every day were providing a healthy boost to the local economy.

I wouldn't be too worried about Cozumel if I were you ... the place took a hit from a hurricane. So did lots of other places. Coz seems to have recovered faster and better than most. They don't need sympathy points ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I dove Coz before Wilma. I didn't realize you had too. I've heard Coz, above water, is recovering quite well and in some cases improved. Underwater... well, I'll see for myself next week.

 

[ggunn]

I dove Coz before Wilma. I didn't realize you had too. I've heard Coz, above water, is recovering quite well and in some cases improved. Underwater... well, I'll see for myself next week.

Underwater is a mixed bag. A lot of of the lush shallow stuff, especially north of the main part of Palancar, is just -- gone. The deeper reefs fared better, as did the more southerly reefs. I'll be down there for my third post-Wilma visit in a little less than 4 weeks.

 

[pilot fish]

After 10 trips there, the last one in '93 I believe, I will continue my ways, ie NO MORE GRAND CAYMAN.........

I heard it was a great place to dive back in the early and mid 90s?

 

[diver 85]

I heard it was a great place to dive back in the early and mid 90s?

It was, but when we woke up one morning & there were 4(I believe) cruise ships parked @ Georgetown & you couldn't get thru it to go toward 7 Mile Beach( we were actually getting ready to pull the trigger on a condo @ Bonnie's Arch), wife & I said no thank you.....We went to Roatan 6 months later & bought a house on the water @ Sandy Bay, mile or so East of AKR.....btw, 1st time we dove Grand Cayman was spring of '86, kept going till '93 & said no more.....

 

[pilot fish]

Those cruise ships did you a favor. back in 86 it must have been almost virgin ?

It was, but when we woke up one morning & there were 4(I believe) cruise ships parked @ Georgetown & you couldn't get thru it to go toward 7 Mile Beach( we were actually getting ready to pull the trigger on a condo @ Bonnie's Arch), wife & I said no thank you.....We went to Roatan 6 months later & bought a house on the water @ Sandy Bay, mile or so East of AKR.....btw, 1st time we dove Grand Cayman was spring of '86, kept going till '93 & said no more.....

 

[scubawife]

It was, but when we woke up one morning & there were 4(I believe) cruise ships parked @ Georgetown & you couldn't get thru it to go toward 7 Mile Beach( we were actually getting ready to pull the trigger on a condo @ Bonnie's Arch), wife & I said no thank you.....We went to Roatan 6 months later & bought a house on the water @ Sandy Bay, mile or so East of AKR.....btw, 1st time we dove Grand Cayman was spring of '86, kept going till '93 & said no more.....

Excuse my contribution to the thread hijack, but have you spent any time in East End? You would think you're on a different island both above and below the water. I stayed in the Seven Mile Beach area once because friends had booked a trip and talked us into tagging along. Once was too much. We didn't even last there the whole week.

I haven't been back post-Ivan since the place we loved to stay and dive was wiped out (Cayman Diving Lodge), but even as late as 2004 there were still on 3 dive operation on that side. Now I hear the East End is going luxury A Mandarin hotel going in. Cayman Diving Lodge is rebuilding and has dubbed its new incarnation as "luxury ecotourism." A real shame. I hope to get back there next spring and probably and stay on the east side at Compass Point, dive with Ocean Frontiers. Gotta get in a couple more trips to my favorite Caribbean walls before that side gets taken over by designer bathing suit set.

 

[djanni]

Lynne:

Having thought about it I want to apologize to you for suggesting your report indicated a pretentious or egotistical attitude. I should not have said that.

Don

 

[cheesehead]

Underwater is a mixed bag. A lot of of the lush shallow stuff, especially north of the main part of Palancar, is just -- gone. The deeper reefs fared better, as did the more southerly reefs. I'll be down there for my third post-Wilma visit in a little less than 4 weeks.

After diving El Cederal and Tormentos I would agree. Then in Febuary we dived Paradise several times hunting Sea Horses. In 15 years I haven't seen Paradise look this good. Don't write anything off, animal life in particular has its own mind.

This was taken on paradise during Carnival Week:

the rest can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/timmcenroe/

tim