njcfm
Contributor
We arrived on 11/6 in Playa Del Carmen, went to our hotel (Viva Wyndham Maya) and scoped out the on-site dive shop. After seeing their operation and talking to their dive masters we decided to find a place in town, we attempted to call GeoFish divers but the number on their website would not work. So we ended up calling DiveMike ( www.divemike.com ) they were able to accomidate us quickly and setup some diving for the very next day. We did 2 dives with Anna, she was a great DM and they run a very professional operation, unfortunately the diving was not up to par in Playa Del Carmen. To many dive ops, too few dive sites and way to little to see at the sites.
At this point we attempted to Dive with ScubaMau but unfortunately things just didn't work out, we didn't hear from them in time to catch the ferry over to Cozumel (The port had been closed every day up to this point 11/8/10). We ended up calling DiveMike again and arranged for a Cenotes dive. We met up with our DM Manuel at the dive shop and we promptly made our way to chicken-ha. Did 2 40ft dives in the Cenotes and while it was cold (even with 2 wetsuits) it was a gorgeous dive and a totally new experience.
At this point we decided we had to dive Cozumel so we called/emailed a few shops and Aldora came through as the winner. They were able to accomidate us and allowed us to stay on Cozumel for a night so that we did not have to take the ferry back and forth. The ferry ride is BRUTAL!
We arrived in Cozumel and walked to the dive shop (3 blocks from the ferry port) signed in, where they took our gear and got us setup with BCDs and Regs, they put everything in labeled bags so there is no confusion what-so-ever on where your gear is or which gear was yours. I felt this was a GREAT system and I'm surprised I haven't seen it used before.
We met our DM David at the dock and were off on a smaller boat that had shade, plenty of water, jackets in-case we were cold, and was very fast. The captain did a great job of dealing with the other boats on the water and the waves, motion sickness is pretty easy to get for my fiancee and she was fine.
It took a bit to get used to the larger tanks, but by the 2nd dive we both had our weight down perfectly and were loving every minute of the long bottom times. We went to a large reef and then a long drift dive, both were great sites with lots of life. We spent our surface time at Mr. Sanchos which is a little to touristy for me but whatever it was some food and a solid way to kill some surface time.
After the dives they brought us directly to the Villa (www.aldoravilla.com) and we met the property manager Steve, he was super nice and very helpful in answering any questions and resolving any problems. He even gave us a few beers to celebrate with after the day of diving, as simple as this is it just shows how friendly Aldora really is.
We did some night snorkeling off of the dock at the villa and saw some nice sealife, ran into another couple that was doing a night dive off of the dock as well. After that we took a ride into town and ate dinner, after dinner we walked back to the villa (very short distance, roughly 1/2 a mile)...
We felt safe the entire time and the security at the villa was top notch, locked gates in and out and everyone looked out for each others equipment.
The next morning we woke up and the boat picked us up at the villa, we did 2 more dives with David from Aldora. Another large reef and another long drift dive, both had lots of life were terrific dives. After the dives the boat brought us back to the villa and we got cleaned up, at this point we went back to town for some food and to settle our bill with the dive shop then hoped on the ferry back to Playa Del Carmen.
The next day we rented a car and drove to Coba and Tulum, then it was home the following day.
Overall I just want to thank Aldora Divers ( www.aldoravilla.com and www.aldora.com ) for providing use with superb A+ service, some great dives, an awesome place to stay on cozumel, and DiveMike (www.divemike.com) for great service in Playa Del Carmen.
Here are a few pics from the trip:
The view from our room @ Aldora Villas
Cozumel
Cozumel
From the Cenotes
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask
At this point we attempted to Dive with ScubaMau but unfortunately things just didn't work out, we didn't hear from them in time to catch the ferry over to Cozumel (The port had been closed every day up to this point 11/8/10). We ended up calling DiveMike again and arranged for a Cenotes dive. We met up with our DM Manuel at the dive shop and we promptly made our way to chicken-ha. Did 2 40ft dives in the Cenotes and while it was cold (even with 2 wetsuits) it was a gorgeous dive and a totally new experience.
At this point we decided we had to dive Cozumel so we called/emailed a few shops and Aldora came through as the winner. They were able to accomidate us and allowed us to stay on Cozumel for a night so that we did not have to take the ferry back and forth. The ferry ride is BRUTAL!
We arrived in Cozumel and walked to the dive shop (3 blocks from the ferry port) signed in, where they took our gear and got us setup with BCDs and Regs, they put everything in labeled bags so there is no confusion what-so-ever on where your gear is or which gear was yours. I felt this was a GREAT system and I'm surprised I haven't seen it used before.
We met our DM David at the dock and were off on a smaller boat that had shade, plenty of water, jackets in-case we were cold, and was very fast. The captain did a great job of dealing with the other boats on the water and the waves, motion sickness is pretty easy to get for my fiancee and she was fine.
It took a bit to get used to the larger tanks, but by the 2nd dive we both had our weight down perfectly and were loving every minute of the long bottom times. We went to a large reef and then a long drift dive, both were great sites with lots of life. We spent our surface time at Mr. Sanchos which is a little to touristy for me but whatever it was some food and a solid way to kill some surface time.
After the dives they brought us directly to the Villa (www.aldoravilla.com) and we met the property manager Steve, he was super nice and very helpful in answering any questions and resolving any problems. He even gave us a few beers to celebrate with after the day of diving, as simple as this is it just shows how friendly Aldora really is.
We did some night snorkeling off of the dock at the villa and saw some nice sealife, ran into another couple that was doing a night dive off of the dock as well. After that we took a ride into town and ate dinner, after dinner we walked back to the villa (very short distance, roughly 1/2 a mile)...
We felt safe the entire time and the security at the villa was top notch, locked gates in and out and everyone looked out for each others equipment.
The next morning we woke up and the boat picked us up at the villa, we did 2 more dives with David from Aldora. Another large reef and another long drift dive, both had lots of life were terrific dives. After the dives the boat brought us back to the villa and we got cleaned up, at this point we went back to town for some food and to settle our bill with the dive shop then hoped on the ferry back to Playa Del Carmen.
The next day we rented a car and drove to Coba and Tulum, then it was home the following day.
Overall I just want to thank Aldora Divers ( www.aldoravilla.com and www.aldora.com ) for providing use with superb A+ service, some great dives, an awesome place to stay on cozumel, and DiveMike (www.divemike.com) for great service in Playa Del Carmen.
Here are a few pics from the trip:
The view from our room @ Aldora Villas
Cozumel
Cozumel
From the Cenotes
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask
