Diving with Aldora report from early June

[Lorenzoid]

Sort of... their reservation page asks for the diver's number of logged dives and says:
This is important for us to be able to group divers with same skill level and experience

My observation is also that the DM's judgement of the diver's comfort and ability and air consumption guides the grouping on each boat.

Oh, and Aldora's FAQ states:

Divers that have been out of the water within the last 2 years are strongly encouraged to take a refresher course.

Yeah, I suppose the information the diver provides in advance helps give Aldora a starting point. They will try to adjust from there if necessary.

 

[ChuckP]

and no silly safety Nazi blanket rules, allowing you to get max bottom time

That right there tells me a lot!!! You should try some cave diving, maybe some deep tech diving and see where that attitude gets you........

 

[diversmith]

You went from a counter person that was doing his job to a counter person that maybe wasn't.

I remember the day they put a one day super experienced diver on our boat going to Barracuda y San Juan - worst dive ever - but hey, the guy said he had all this experience.... I also remember a few instructors that had next to zero buoyancy control, a few that probably haven't taught in years, a few that looked like pool specialists......

You want to talk about the "AOW" certed divers I've seen??? The conversations I have overheard with "nitrox certified" divers? There is both terrible instruction and terrible absorbtion out there in the world.

Why did Pro Dive want you to get in the pool? Because they work out of a resort, they have a pool right there, it's quick and easy. Because you haven't dove in four years, I don't care who you are, they don't know you. They must not have a policy about private DM being standard for divers that have not been in the water, they probably don't have that policy because they have the pool. You know the other big red flag for me, you are not even nitrox certified - how can you be an instructor for so long and not nitrox certified? I don't understand how you don't see the value in teaching that to others? You have this old trust worthy computer, great, but it's 2023 and as an instructor, I would think you would want keep abreast of the real world and to pass that knowledge onto new students.

Pro Dive is a big operation that has bunches of happy customers that like to dive that way. They also run bare minimums so there is no extra DM to help you deal with any problems on descent, which now that you have dove here, maybe you understand those potentials. The big operations, Pro Dive, Dressel, Scuba Du etc.. get hammered locally all the time about their operations, divers and DM's - I applaud them for doing the right thing in screening divers.

How do we and virtually all other operators handle a situation like this? It's either a refresher or private DM. Because I'm too nice of a guy, if we had a full boat, I would have went along as an unpaid DM to see how the first dive went. Let me explain a little bit about here in Cozumel - everyone is so afraid to have a potential customer walk away, some are willing to cut any corner to get you on that boat, in that rental car etc....

So what did Aldora do? Either the front desk guy had no clue, didn't care OR which happens there: He/she knew there was a boat with two something DM''s or maybe even a boat with long time customers and they put you on that boat. Aldora does not work their DM and Instructor candadites but at times, it's nice to have them there as any extra set of hands/eyes and often the customer has no idea...... They also have boats with people that have 100's of dives with them, people that are well known. The odds are very great that you had someone there in case of a problem.....

As a fellow dive professional, I would expect a whole lot more respect from you for those in the dive industry. We are supposed to be leaders in the way we act and especially with safety - nothing we do is above anyones rules or policy.

I just don't know where to start. You obviously haven't read everything I've posted, or reading comprehension just isn't your strong suit. I've already stated I'm a former instructor. I've been a fireman for going on 25 years. Obviously I know the difference between being safe and using common sense, and crossing the line into safety nazi territory. I gave up my cert after certifying my wife when we were getting married almost 16 years ago (didn't want to keep paying for an instructor cert I rarely used at that point). Nitrox wasn't as popular back then and I had no personal need to get a nitrox cert. Firefighting has been my career for a long time, not actively teaching scuba. But I have been a consistently active diver for just over 40 years now in a large variety of locales and conditions. I obtained my PADI basic open water as an option for high school PE class just after turning 15. I have a very strong skills foundation coming up through the ranks and attending the PADI International College, getting all my certs in SoCal doing surf entries and diving in less than ideal conditions, not just falling off a boat into nice clear water. If a counter person wants to give me an attitude, screw him, I'll take my business elsewhere. Aldora trusted my cert and experience level that I listed on their questionnaire. No different than believing Joe Blow when he has an OW card and said with nothing to prove it, that he dived the Keys 6 months ago. Do you honestly think there isn't total irony in how things are operated when all you have is a diver's word? Should a guy who walks into a dive shop to rent a tank have to do a questionnaire and a pool dive? What about renting tanks for a shore dive in Curacao? I need a pool dive but the lard a$$ who can't put on his own fins is allowed to dive? He's a cardiac arrest waiting to happen and I've seen plenty of them at different ops, but go ahead and let him keep diving...that's ok with you? Aldora had one DM on the boat, and he didn't babysit me. Simply amazing we all lived!!

And no thanks, you can have your cave diving and deep tech diving...I want to deal with minimal gear and see lots of cool marine life on reefs. Doesn't seem like fun to me, but to each their own. lol

Maybe you want to fill me in on which dive op you work for? You seem to sing the praises of all the cattleboat ops. You say they have so many happy customers...most of whom are very inexperienced from what I saw getting on and off their boats day after day! So there's that!

 

[diversmith]

That right there tells me a lot!!! You should try some cave diving, maybe some deep tech diving and see where that attitude gets you........

So you want to compare rec to tech?? lol
Sorry, I don't want/need a babysitter and I want to dive my own computer and not be restricted on bottom time with blanket rules tailored to the lowest common denominator. I am most certainly NOT unsafe! Is that what you're implying?

 

[rmssetc]

@diversmith,

I noticed that you haven't posted to the various "Roll Call" threads about who's coming to Cozumel at different times, who they are diving with, where they are staying, etc.

Maybe before your next trip, add to the upcoming roll call.

While you had a good time with Aldora, there are other companies running similar operations -- you might get some good suggestions for alternatives, places to stay, and people could meet in person instead of from behind a keyboard.

 

[mediumone]

@diversmith

May I be the first to acknowledge that you are, in fact, a stud.