Scuba Mag's Reader Ratings

[Fish_Whisperer]

I noticed that Hawaii always gets the same operators featured year after year.....

The same ones that have the biggest advertising budget and give the most money to Scuba Magazine, right?

 

[TheRedHead]

Here's the list. Editorial comments are mine since I started this thread with my disgust. I think the top dive operators in Cozumel are: Aldora, Liquid Blue, Blue XT, Living Underwater (not in any particular order) because they all offer diving more tailored to the diver's experience (including very advanced diving if they deem you capable), 3 of them offer larger steel tanks and I think Blue XT offers them on request (I'm sure Chirsti will correct me if I'm wrong), very long BTs, fast 6-pack boats, excellent DMs and captains, long SIs (usually at a beach club or beach). Price has nothing to do with my top choices. The fact that some of the best dive shops on the island were excluded bothers me.

1) Aldora (which is similar to the group in my original complaint)
2) Aqua Safari - big-azz boats and lots of newbies
3) Dive House - mostly big boats (I have spoken to divers who complain of short bottom times and baby dives)
4) Dive Paradise - mostly big boats, a few smaller ones
5) Dive with Martin - they have an Experienced Diver boat which might be as good as my top list, but they also have a lot of newbies on larger boats.
6) Papa Hogs - their small boats with twin Yammies are fast. They also have some big boats
7) Sand Dollar Sports - don't know anything about them
8) Scuba Cozumel - mostly big boats
9) Scuba Du - they have a good reputation.

 

[Christi]

...and I think Blue XT offers them on request (I'm sure Chirsti will correct me if I'm wrong)...

You are correct, however, I have AL 100's, not steel.

Interesting...With the exception of Aldora and Papa Hogs, all of the shops rated are affiliated with one of the big resorts and/or have ads all over the diving and travel magazines. These are the ops that have the packages with the resorts and get the travel agent bookings as well because they pay commissions.

I'm also surprised not to see Blue Angel or Deep Blue mentioned.

Aqua Safari - Cozumel Palace - been around forever....they were actually the 1st dive shop here

Aldora - many boats

Dive House - Fiesta AMericana

Dive Paradise - Hotel Cozumel

Sand Dollar Sports - Reef CLub and cruise ship operator

Dive with Martin - El Cid (sort of) - been around forever - many boats

Papa Hogs - Been around forever - many boats

Scuba Club Cozumel - All-inclusive dive resort

Scuba Du - Presidente

 

[scubawife]

Here's the list. Editorial comments are mine since I started this thread with my disgust. I think the top dive operators in Cozumel are: Aldora, Liquid Blue, Blue XT, Living Underwater (not in any particular order) because they all offer diving more tailored to the diver's experience (including very advanced diving if they deem you capable), 3 of them offer larger steel tanks and I think Blue XT offers them on request (I'm sure Chirsti will correct me if I'm wrong), very long BTs, fast 6-pack boats, excellent DMs and captains, long SIs (usually at a beach club or beach). Price has nothing to do with my top choices. The fact that some of the best dive shops on the island were excluded bothers me.

1) Aldora (which is similar to the group in my original complaint)
2) Aqua Safari - big-azz boats and lots of newbies
3) Dive House - mostly big boats (I have spoken to divers who complain of short bottom times and baby dives)
4) Dive Paradise - mostly big boats, a few smaller ones
5) Dive with Martin - they have an Experienced Diver boat which might be as good as my top list, but they also have a lot of newbies on larger boats.
6) Papa Hogs - their small boats with twin Yammies are fast. They also have some big boats
7) Sand Dollar Sports - don't know anything about them
8) Scuba Cozumel - mostly big boats
9) Scuba Du - they have a good reputation.

I would guess that the number of submissions they get per operator also factors into the selection. The list is pretty obviously the same operators that either advertise, are the in-house shop of hotels/resorts that advertise, and/or the shops used in hotel/dive packages sold by the dive travel companies that advertise.

All magazines with advertising are ad revenue driven and it will reflect to some degree in their articles. Divers who base their travel decisions on what they see and read in ScubaDiving or SportDiver I would think are, for the majority, the once a year package vacation types who are staying at a resort hotel and using the in-house operator or the operator that came with the best priced package. Nothing wrong with that if they like it and it meets their needs. When they submit their reader reviews they are rating their latest experience last year's resort and in-house shop in another destination.

For those of us who look for the smaller, personalized operations are not the majority. Even if we all submit a reader review to ScubaDiving after each trip to Cozumel we wouldn't come close to the numbers they receive for the larger operations. Think of the positive to that - our favorites will continue to attract like minded divers and we'll continue to meet great people and have great dives.

 

[TheRedHead]

Christi, frankly I've never dived with you because my buddy has a prodigious air consumption rate and needs a 120 to match my 100. *looking around to make sure he's not looking* I also love the bouyancy characteristics of the steel tanks. I hope you consider them in the future.

 

[TheRedHead]

scubawife, I've never noticed Aldora advertising, but I may be wrong. They've had a very vocal contingent of fan on the net since 1997, I think.

 

[Christi]

I would guess that the number of submissions they get per operator also factors into the selection. The list is pretty obviously the same operators that either advertise, are the in-house shop of hotels/resorts that advertise, and/or the shops used in hotel/dive packages sold by the dive travel companies that advertise.

All magazines with advertising are ad revenue driven and it will reflect to some degree in their articles. Divers who base their travel decisions on what they see and read in ScubaDiving or SportDiver I would think are, for the majority, the once a year package vacation types who are staying at a resort hotel and using the in-house operator or the operator that came with the best priced package. Nothing wrong with that if they like it and it meets their needs. When they submit their reader reviews they are rating their latest experience last year's resort and in-house shop in another destination.

For those of us who look for the smaller, personalized operations are not the majority. Even if we all submit a reader review to ScubaDiving after each trip to Cozumel we wouldn't come close to the numbers they receive for the larger operations. Think of the positive to that - our favorites will continue to attract like minded divers and we'll continue to meet great people and have great dives.

Excellent points!

 

[Christi]

scubawife, I've never noticed Aldora advertising, but I may be wrong. They've had a very vocal contingent of fan on the net since 1997, I think.

Aldora is a quality shop, no doubt about it. They've always been mentioned in the Rodales, now Scubadiving publications. They deserve the ratings, but there really is more to it than reader reviews.

 

[TheRedHead]

I forgot about Deep Blue. They're on my list for shops to try. I'm getting tired of diving the same profiles with the same DMs. I want to know WHERE Aristeo is working. I had the single best dive of my life with him at Columbia Deep. I love the fact he is the only DM on the island (to my knowledge) in force fins. Aristeo, where are you???

 

[scubawife]

scubawife, I've never noticed Aldora advertising, but I may be wrong. They've had a very vocal contingent of fan on the net since 1997, I think.

I haven't really seen them advertise either, but they were the first to offer the that type of service so I guess that get's noticed too. When I tell people who haven't been to Coz (or haven't been in a lonnng time) about the shop I dive with and describe the features and service, etc., I have often gotten the response, "I thought Aldora was the only one who offered that."

I agree with you about the steel tanks. Air consumption wise I do just fine with an AL80, but the steel 95's or 100's are much more comfortable for me. The extra air is a nice bonus.