Aldora Divers
Downtown Cozumel operator running six-diver boats on high-pressure steel tanks, with gear set up before divers board and cleaned after.
Last updated August 2026
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About Aldora Divers
Steel dive cylinders, not the aluminium 80 standard everywhere else on the island, are the first thing Aldora Divers puts on its boats. Divers get 80, 100 or 120 cubic feet of high-pressure gas, nitrox on request, and a cap of six divers per boat. Reviewers and community trip reports going back more than ten years credit the combination with 70 to 90 minute dives against a Cozumel average closer to 45 to 60.
Gear is handled valet style. Kit is set up on the boat before a diver arrives and comes back cleaned and dried at the end of a trip, a pattern named independently across reviews and trip reports over several years. Eight boats work the fleet, among them Aldora I, III, IV, V and VI, El Pescador and Falicity, each with its own captain, running from a downtown dock a short walk from the cruise terminal.
Training runs the full PADI ladder to professional level, badged as a 5-Star Instructor Development Center, plus specialties from wreck and sidemount to eagle ray and coral reef conservation. The full-day Aldora Adventures trip runs north and east, includes Hawaiian-sling lionfish hunting finished as ceviche on board, and stops at the Caves of the Sleeping Sharks. It is open only to nitrox-certified divers who have already logged dives with the shop.
What divers say
Guides get named individually and repeatedly across years. Fernando, Maja, Lucas and Amanda recur in reviews and trip reports as guides customers ask for by name, and all four are current instructors on the centre's own staff roster. That roster corroborates the praise; reviews alone could not have proved it. Long-time customers, including one who has dived with the centre since 2009, describe no drop in quality through a change in ownership, and repeat bookings across many years are the norm among regulars.
Complaints are rare. The one documented case, a solo cruise-ship diver whose pre-booked private guide fell through during a fully booked stretch, was met with a public apology from the shop's founder and a policy change to stop taking unknown cruise-ship bookings. Nothing similar turns up in the years since.
Dive Sites (5)
Facilities
Pricing
We do our best to show current pricing, but rates may change without notice. Last verified August 2026. Always confirm the latest prices on Aldora Divers's official website before booking.
View pricing details▾
Courses
Guided Dives
Other Services
Excludes 16% IVA tax and the $14/person/day marine park fee. A $150 non-refundable deposit applies to non-professional courses that include e-learning. The published $799 flat rate for a 2-tank private charter covers up to six divers on Aldora's own boats; a solo diver has reported paying more for a private charter run on a rented backup boat during a fully booked period.
Operating Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Aldora use steel tanks instead of the standard aluminium 80?▾
High-pressure steel is the shop's default, not an upsell. The 80, 100 and 120 cubic foot cylinders on Aldora's boats hold more gas than the standard aluminium 80, so a diver's own air consumption, not the tank, decides when a dive ends. Combined with the boats' multi-level dive computer requirement, that is the mechanism behind the shop's long average bottom times.
How big are the dive groups?▾
Six divers per boat, a cap repeated independently across years of community trip reports and forum threads, not just stated on the shop's own site. A guide can actually watch six people at once, and it is the reason regulars give most often for coming back.
What happens to my gear between dives?▾
Nothing you have to do yourself. Kit is set up on the boat before divers arrive, and comes back cleaned and dried at the end of a trip. For repeat divers on a multi-day booking, gear stays at the shop overnight instead of going back to a hotel room each night.
Has service changed since Aldora's ownership changed?▾
Aldora is now owned and run by Memo and Jerrad. A previous co-owner, Dave, kept the affiliated Villa Aldora property when he stepped back from the dive shop. Long-time customers, including one who has dived with the centre since 2009, describe no change in the diving itself through that transition.
Why might a private charter cost more than the published rate?▾
The published flat rate is $799 for a two-tank private charter carrying up to six divers, on one of Aldora's own boats. One solo diver who booked during a fully booked stretch and was moved to a rented backup boat reported paying more. Confirm the boat and the rate when booking a charter in peak season.
What does the Aldora Adventures trip include?▾
A full day, three-tank nitrox trip to the island's north and east sides, away from the standard two-tank reef run. Hawaiian-sling lionfish hunting is part of it, with the catch prepared as ceviche for lunch on board, and the day includes a stop at the Caves of the Sleeping Sharks. It is open only to nitrox-certified divers with a minimum group of four, and the shop wants a diving history with it first.
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