Considering Aldora? Check this out:

[originaljonathan]

I was exchanging e-mails with friends in Cozumel after Dave's offensive rant and learned that Michaela, who is a very bright and witty person, has been answering the phone at Liquid Blue in Cozumel, "Liquid Blue Divers, the Great Pretenders".

WHAT A GREAT BUNCH OF PEOPLE!

Anyone really curious about the quality of LB's services is invited to read the review on their website that DocVikingo had me write up for the Experienced Divers Group, which he assembled in 1998 off of the RSD Board and which has met in Cozumel each successive Thanksgiving, based on our wonderful experience diving with LB last Thanksgiving.

I also went to Coz a few days early to dive with Christi's Blue XT Sea Diving before the EDG arrived and wrote up a review on RSD that can be accessed in its Archives, and I repeated with BXTS this past May, and I think, but cannot swear (age-based memory loss), that I posted a review of that excellent experience on RSD as well.

This has been said elsewhere, but:
PRETENDERS RULE!

<')///><

 

[ggunn]

Hmm, forgive me for being ignorant here, but I fail to see anywhere on that post that mentions any names. Unlike the posts here that are very specific. If I were to read that post first I would take it as a very generalistic point of view. However after reading the posts here, I now have names to associate with it whether these are the people Dave is refering to or not.. I have never met the man. I have never been to Cozumel (yet) and I am actually planning on diving with Aldora when I do go. To be quite honest, this thread seems to be more of a bashing thread against Aldora than Dave's post was about whom ever he was refering to.. just my opinion..

Jim

Well, to anyone who has spent any appreciable time diving Cozumel, there is absolutely no doubt as to whom he was referring in his rant. It wasn't a particular operation so much as it was the class of small independent operators who are his competition; the fact that he did not name specific names is not particularly relevant.

Above that, the arrogant tone he takes, that he somehow invented something on Cozumel that others are exploiting to his detriment, is, IMO, the height of hubris. He himself is an outsider who has come in to an established economy and exploited it. I'm told that he has even had the audacity to try to name a particular swimthrough on Palancar Reef after himself.

I already had several reasons not to use his operation; with this latest post he has merely made me more determined to support the so-called Pretenders. Long may they wave!

 

[ggunn]

FWIW, Dave's "will one boat make it" post appears to have been removed from that server. Astute move; I was just going to turn the maniacs over on rec.scuba loose on it... ;^)

 

[ronrosa]

FWIW, Dave's "will one boat make it" post appears to have been removed from that server. Astute move; I was just going to turn the maniacs over on rec.scuba loose on it... ;^)

My experience with Aldora was wonderful. As a matter of fact, I wrote a positive review on the Scubadiving board and Aldora linked the review on their website (unknowingly to me). Much of the positive experience had to do with Aldora segregating 10 divers onto 3 different boats.

I've been to Cozumel 3 times. Dove with Living Underwater, Paul's and Aldora. I was happy with LU and Paul's, but I did not get to dive some of the advanced sites because of inexperienced divers on the boat.

Aldora having multiple boats does give them more flexibility in segregating divers over operations that have 1 boat. IMHO, Dave does have a good point, but worded it poorly.

I'm a satisfied Aldora customer, but I would like to try Blue XTSea and Liquid Blue on my next trip to Coz.

 

[parrotman]

I guess that from my point of view this whole thing is sort of like the republicans making a big deal out of Michael Moores movie. The bigger the fuss the more people go see it. If I had never read this thread I would never have thought anything about it but now that I have read this post It makes me wonder why the "pretenders" are so defensive. After all, remember the quote " me thinks thou protest too much".....

Jim

 

[Texas Diver]

Can anyone confirm what I am hearing about this guy Al Dora and his operation? First, unnamed sources on the island report that while the ‘Pretenders’ offer several brands of chilled bottled water and various kinds of juices, Al has equipped each of his boats with a desalination plant, ice machine and Smoothie King franchise. Second, while the ‘Pretenders’ offer nice snacks including crackers and cookies between dives, Al has installed a gourmet chef and six burner stove on each boat. Finally, Al is about to make the back flip entry obsolete by offering a skydive entry from his airplane to those divers who hold the prestigious AOW certification. Is anyone else hearing any of this? Inquiring minds want to know! Who is this guy Al Dora, anyway?

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

The link doesn't work any more so I can't read what you all read. It sounds like it was in poor taste to say the least.

 

[ggunn]

I guess that from my point of view this whole thing is sort of like the republicans making a big deal out of Michael Moores movie. The bigger the fuss the more people go see it. If I had never read this thread I would never have thought anything about it but now that I have read this post It makes me wonder why the "pretenders" are so defensive. After all, remember the quote " me thinks thou protest too much".....

Jim

Did you read the article that Dave D posted (and has now apparently retracted)?

 

[scaldwell]

Is the actual diving experience better with Liquid Blue than Aldora? Or Living Underwater?

 

[ggunn]

Is the actual diving experience better with Liquid Blue than Aldora? Or Living Underwater?

As long as the dive op puts you accurately on the reef (which most of them can do), IMO the quality of the actual diving experience has more to do with the diver than the dive op. YMMV.