peterjmaerz
Guest
There have been plenty of reports of late on Aldora and Brisas (or whatever they're calling it this week!), including some from some of my fellow divers on my trip so I'll keep this brief (for me, at least).
Suffice it to say that the well worn addage, "you get what you pay for" could not be better applied when it comes to Aldora. To my mind, it's like having a custom dive op: one which caters to your individual needs and wants. Aside from the oft-mentioned benefits of the steel 120 tanks and two-hour-and-change surface intervals at the very pleasant Playa del Sol (allowing for unsurpassed depths and bottom times) , there's the sense that your divemaster is anxious to do whatever he can to make your experience everything you want it to be. That, to me, makes it well worth the extra money to dive with Aldora. Also, great to have all your gear handled by them from day one. All you bring to the boat is your wetsuit.
Of course, no dive op could survive by turning away potential customers (unless they're totally unfit, of course) or isolating every level of diver from every other--that would require a lot of boats running at much less than their capacity. Every effort seems to be made, though, to sort out the divers as quickly as possible according to their abilities and desires. Once grouped, divers tend to stay together as the days go by and there's plenty of relaxed, democratic discussion as to the destination for each dive. May have been a coincidence, but almost all my fellow Aldora divers were nice, friendly, engaging folks.
I did, though, experience one dive in which a diver (who had, apparently, urgently requested a booking at the last minute) was dragging his fins across the bottom, potentially damaging the reef and kicking up a lot of silt in swim-throughs. This same diver also bordered on belligerence when demanding a dive at a particular site (the very popular Devil's Throat) that other divers on board had just experienced the day before. But, after some laudably restrained and respectful conversation with this guy on the boat, DM Bill spent a good 45 minutes talking to him privately during our surface interval, earnestly explaining the neccesity of proper bouyancy and trim in the water and the need to take into account the other divers' wishes. The next day, this diver and his son were isolated on a boat with owner, Dave.
By the way, all DMs with Aldora carry a lengthy alternate that they offer to heavy breathers. it's a great way to keep from depriving more conservative breathers from the hour-plus-plus dives they can take advantage of with the big tanks.
The week of October 19th saw the first northerly winds of the season. Seas were just a tad choppy in the mornings and the vis was not the vaunted 120-foot quality I've read about, but still an excellent 80 foot-plus. Currents just a bit brisk at times (maybe a knot and a half max) but never disconceting, the reefs spectaculary healthy, bursting with hard and soft corals and loads of sponges. Saw all the requisite Caribbean fish as well as the celebrated Toadfish, both Splendid and otherwise and some killer nudibranchs. If you're a Filefish fan, you'll get your fill: they seem, along with Angel fish, to be the most prevalent species here (discounting the ever-present Grunts). Two very nice night dves (81 and 91 minutes, respectively) with loads of lobsters, large crabs, sea stars, shrimp, and Caribbean Octopi.
Brisas: perfect dive hotel. Very clean, if just a bit worn about the edges, all tile floors, plenty of towels, nice balconies with good-sized drying pegs, the famous, huge pool which seems to be the number one social hang for divers in the afternoons, a short tunnel to the beach and the boat dock from which all the local ops will pick you up. $69 a night, plus tax, in a deal arranged by Aldora.
The food at Brisas is nothing to write home about (with the exception of Barbeque Night) , but it is just a pleasant, 15-minute walk from town. San Miguel's a mega cruise ship town, from what I can see, with the waterfront area looking (and SOUNDING, with hoardes of literally and figuratively ugly Americans) more like Key West than Mexico, but the restaurants recommended in other threads here are all pretty good. El Morro was my favorite because of the absolute adoration of the staff for their customers (say "Hi" to Rey) and the excellent food (Shrimp on the wire is a must, as is the Sopa de Lima).
My advice: save up the extra dough for Aldora. And, if you're thinking about diving with one of their spawn (a few of their former ranks have started their own ops), remember to ask how many boats they're running: if they can't segregate their divers by ability, I'm sure it would be a different experience!
Suffice it to say that the well worn addage, "you get what you pay for" could not be better applied when it comes to Aldora. To my mind, it's like having a custom dive op: one which caters to your individual needs and wants. Aside from the oft-mentioned benefits of the steel 120 tanks and two-hour-and-change surface intervals at the very pleasant Playa del Sol (allowing for unsurpassed depths and bottom times) , there's the sense that your divemaster is anxious to do whatever he can to make your experience everything you want it to be. That, to me, makes it well worth the extra money to dive with Aldora. Also, great to have all your gear handled by them from day one. All you bring to the boat is your wetsuit.
Of course, no dive op could survive by turning away potential customers (unless they're totally unfit, of course) or isolating every level of diver from every other--that would require a lot of boats running at much less than their capacity. Every effort seems to be made, though, to sort out the divers as quickly as possible according to their abilities and desires. Once grouped, divers tend to stay together as the days go by and there's plenty of relaxed, democratic discussion as to the destination for each dive. May have been a coincidence, but almost all my fellow Aldora divers were nice, friendly, engaging folks.
I did, though, experience one dive in which a diver (who had, apparently, urgently requested a booking at the last minute) was dragging his fins across the bottom, potentially damaging the reef and kicking up a lot of silt in swim-throughs. This same diver also bordered on belligerence when demanding a dive at a particular site (the very popular Devil's Throat) that other divers on board had just experienced the day before. But, after some laudably restrained and respectful conversation with this guy on the boat, DM Bill spent a good 45 minutes talking to him privately during our surface interval, earnestly explaining the neccesity of proper bouyancy and trim in the water and the need to take into account the other divers' wishes. The next day, this diver and his son were isolated on a boat with owner, Dave.
By the way, all DMs with Aldora carry a lengthy alternate that they offer to heavy breathers. it's a great way to keep from depriving more conservative breathers from the hour-plus-plus dives they can take advantage of with the big tanks.
The week of October 19th saw the first northerly winds of the season. Seas were just a tad choppy in the mornings and the vis was not the vaunted 120-foot quality I've read about, but still an excellent 80 foot-plus. Currents just a bit brisk at times (maybe a knot and a half max) but never disconceting, the reefs spectaculary healthy, bursting with hard and soft corals and loads of sponges. Saw all the requisite Caribbean fish as well as the celebrated Toadfish, both Splendid and otherwise and some killer nudibranchs. If you're a Filefish fan, you'll get your fill: they seem, along with Angel fish, to be the most prevalent species here (discounting the ever-present Grunts). Two very nice night dves (81 and 91 minutes, respectively) with loads of lobsters, large crabs, sea stars, shrimp, and Caribbean Octopi.
Brisas: perfect dive hotel. Very clean, if just a bit worn about the edges, all tile floors, plenty of towels, nice balconies with good-sized drying pegs, the famous, huge pool which seems to be the number one social hang for divers in the afternoons, a short tunnel to the beach and the boat dock from which all the local ops will pick you up. $69 a night, plus tax, in a deal arranged by Aldora.
The food at Brisas is nothing to write home about (with the exception of Barbeque Night) , but it is just a pleasant, 15-minute walk from town. San Miguel's a mega cruise ship town, from what I can see, with the waterfront area looking (and SOUNDING, with hoardes of literally and figuratively ugly Americans) more like Key West than Mexico, but the restaurants recommended in other threads here are all pretty good. El Morro was my favorite because of the absolute adoration of the staff for their customers (say "Hi" to Rey) and the excellent food (Shrimp on the wire is a must, as is the Sopa de Lima).
My advice: save up the extra dough for Aldora. And, if you're thinking about diving with one of their spawn (a few of their former ranks have started their own ops), remember to ask how many boats they're running: if they can't segregate their divers by ability, I'm sure it would be a different experience!
