We spent a month on Isla in 2001 and dove with both Sea Hawk and Coral. We only dove once with Sea Hawk becaue it was so awful (at that time, who knows now). The guy running it seemed so inconvenienced by the divers, that it was amazing he selected this line of work--he seemed annoyed by questions, did not explain procedures, e.g., where the boat was. He quoted a price for two tanks but after the first one, he started heading back to the shop--when we asked about the second tank he indicated that that was an unusual practice, that most people just dive one and we'd be going back now. We figured it was just as well because he was so sour. As I recall the rooms were above the shop, maybe three blocks from the beach. By contrast Coral was a very positive experience. They usually have a couple of boats going out each day, with 8-12 people in each, and the divemasters are generally enthusiastic and did a great job. They give you a warm welcome and a clear idea of what is going on. We probably did 25 dives with them. I don't know about hotels, we rented an apartment a bit out of town--it was actually quite cheap, but required a taxi to town. Good for a month stay but maybe not so for a short vacation. If you are interested I can dig up the email of the guy who owns it. Have a great time--and on Sun night go eat the cheapest and most delicious meal ever--local families chef up on the main square and sell their goodies.
