Drift Diving with Aldora Divers

Page 173 of the PADI Divemaster manual clearly states that in drift diving, the group should descend, dive and ascend together. This is a serious safety concern, especially in Cozumel where the dive sites are also the high speed routes for the dive boats. That means that everyone in the group must come up together, hopefully lead by a divemaster that has deployed an inflatable marker.

THIS IS IMPORTANT: If one is diving tables, the group must ascend when the table time is up, no matter that your computer tells you that you have 20 minutes more dive time left. Same thing with air. If one in the group runs low on air 20 minutes in the dive, it is "everyone out of the pool", even though you may have 2000 psi left! What drift diving does is make the whole group your buddy, and if any of your buddies runs out of air or bottom time, so do you! 

Drift diving in Cozumel with Aldora Divers is different. We at Aldora have worked hard to recognize and define those differences, and have employed several innovative equipment and procedural techniques to address the buddy group problem.

First we use high pressure steel tanks of 80, 100, and 120 cf capacities. That allows us to put 40% more air on the heavy breathers and smaller more comfortable tanks on the light ones. An added benefit of the steel tanks is that they are never positively buoyant like the aluminum 80s and most divers can immediately take 4 lbs off the weight belt. Computer guided multilevel diving is a well proven and safe way to enjoy long dives, even to considerable depth. At Aldora Divers we require the use of computers and if the diver doesn't have one we provide it free of charge as well as above and below the water instruction in its proper use.

In addition, many operations restrict the second dive to shallow depths for short periods, mainly so that only a short surface interval is required. Also, it is not a lot of fun bobbing around in a boat for the hours needed to really blow off the nitrogen. Aldora divers spend a two hour surface interval on the beach at Mr. Sancho's Beach Club or Playa del Sol, enjoying a reasonably priced late breakfast/early lunch while enjoying the camaraderie of the other divers, or just basking in the sun on a very pleasant beach. With such a long surface interval it is entirely possible to go back out and do a dive that the other operators use for a first like Palancar or the Santa Rosa Wall. We also don't like to see other groups underwater. With fast boats we are always alone on the first dive, and since we are doing second dives at sites that others use for a first dives, we don't see other groups then either.

Depending entirely on word of mouth referrals and reservations made on line, we try to provide private charter-like service to limited groups of similar divers. That means we work really hard to make sure that all divers in a group (max 6) have the same skill levels, air consumption and interests. A semi-private charter is an appropriate name for what we do. In that endeavor we attempt to provide services way beyond the norm.

Using these techniques our divers average over 1 hour per dive, and that includes dives to 100 plus feet such as Columbia or the Devil's Throat at Punta Sur. Comparison to others suggest about 75 to 100% more dive time is achieved using the Aldora way.

Personalized service is also part of  experiencing "Only the Best of Cozumel". Our clients don't have to lug their gear back and forth to the boats. Just leave it on board and our crew will clean, dry, store overnight, and have it set up the next morning - just slide into it and go diving. Problem with your gear? We carry complete spare dive gear, as well as the world's biggest "save a dive kit and tools." Don't like long boat rides? The Aldora diveboats will zip you to even the farthest dive sites quickly and comfortably. Our fast boats also allow us to pick the best dive site for the occasion and desires of the group. Distance is just not a factor with a 40 mph boat..

Now for the bad news. Aldora Divers charges about $10 more than the mainstream competition on a two tank dive basis. But for those that care about their dive time the cost per hour is the least expensive on the island. That is why Aldora Divers was in rated in 2002 by Rodale Scuba Diving Mazagine Reader’s Choice Awards the top worldwide dive operator in the category “Best Value for your Dive” 

To provide those services Aldora must work on a system of reservations. To make a reservation or get more information, contact us today!