Thoughts on Tres Pelicanos vs Aldora

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Janie88

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Location
Columbus OH
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200 - 499
For any of you who have been diving with Aldora and/or Tres Pelicanos, appreciate feedback on which you prefer and why?

I've narrowed it down to these two dive ops in Cozumel. A third choice possibly is Blue XT Sea.

My husband and I will probably stay at Casa Mexicana based on all the reviews and the fact it is in town, which I like.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Janie
 
Those are all well known shops with very good reputations. I only dive with Aldora and the biggest difference is they use large steel high pressure tanks for longer bottom times. Expect 80+ minute dives. The Aldora office for check-in is right around the corner from CM and the pier for pick up in the morning is 3 blocks from hotel.
 
I have dove with Aldora and Tres Pelicanos. I liked diving with both of them for different reasons. Their offices are on the same street and in the same block. I prefer TP for the following reasons:

A sixty minute dive is sufficient for me,
I like being able to surface by myself if I decide to do so.
Aldora tends to herd divers in a group and insist all surface at the same time. Tres Pelicanos DMs allow you a little more freedom to explore.
 
For any of you who have been diving with Aldora and/or Tres Pelicanos, appreciate feedback on which you prefer and why?

I've narrowed it down to these two dive ops in Cozumel. A third choice possibly is Blue XT Sea.

My husband and I will probably stay at Casa Mexicana based on all the reviews and the fact it is in town, which I like.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Janie

Those would be my three alternatives, too! My wife and I have dived with Aldora and Blue XTSea, and have simply not gotten around to giving 3Ps a try. When we combined Aldora with Suites Bahia, and had breakfasts over at their sister property Casa Mexicana before rushing to the boat, we felt there wasn't enough time. We wished the breakfast buffet were open a little earlier. Next trip we stayed at Villa Aldora, made our own breakfasts, and that made all the difference. The Villa is a bit expensive, but you're paying for the convenience.
 
I have dove both and stayed at Casa Mexicana. In fact I am here right now.

Our first trip we dove with Aldora. Very good shop and boats, just not for me. Operation too large for that personal touch. 3 P’s is a smaller more personal op but also very good boats and crew. Aldora does dive as a group. All descend and ascend together. Tres Pelicanos gives experienced divers freedom to dive their tanks and computers. If you prefer group guided, Aldora. If you are comfortable planning and executing dives independently, 3 P’s.

If you or your buddy are an “air hog” Aldora has steel 100’s and 120’s. Tres Pelicanos has al 80’s and some 100’s on request. With Aldora we averaged about 80 (usually 65 to 90) minutes. With 3P’s 60 to 70. We just finished an 80 minute dive this morning but that is a bit unusual as they typically asked you to limit to 70 since they do morning and afternoon dives.

Both offices are right around the corner from CM. For 3 P’s you will head from breakfast to the shop to be transported to the marina and the boat. Get to breakfast about 6:55 and start with coffee, juice, fruit, cereal. The full buffet starts about 7 and its just a short walk to the shop. You need to be there by 7:40. Its a good little walk to the pier and Aldora and they wanted us there by 7:30. This does make for a very rushed breakfast for Aldora.

You will get back a bit sooner with 3 P’s giving you more time for a leisurely lunch then siesta. Or time shopping, site seeing or on the beach. With 3P’s you can also have the option of afternoon dives if you prefer and set them up ahead of time. Or even do morning and afternoon dives as we sometimes do.

I actually did a thread some time ago comparing the two. I will see if I can find it.

Got it...

Aldora and 3 P's Reviews
 
I've dove with both. I have numerous gripes about both ops, but Aldora has been the one I stay with, mostly due to the steel 120s and the DMs.

Another op you might consider is Living Underwater. Jeremy only has one boat, but it's really nice and he also uses steel 120s (LPs).
 
You can't go wrong with either shop but they are different. It is hard to get an unbiased opinion because everyone dives with their favorite shop.

Aldora leaves from down town and will pick people up along the way. 3P's will drive you from downtown to the Marina.

3 P's will let their divers do their own thing if they are competent. Aldora does a good job grouping their divers by experience.

3p's is cheaper. Aldora offers longer dives.

3 P's uses AL tanks, Aldora uses 120 and 100 steel tanks, less lead required.

Aldora had 6 or 7 boats, 3 P's had 2.

I have several more dives with Aldora than 3P's. The "herding " comments about Aldora might be with newer divers, or new to Aldora but the same can be said about 3P's. The surfacing as a group thing has never been an issue for me and I have seen several divers surface earlier than the rest of the group.
 
. . .
Our first trip we dove with Aldora. Very good shop and boats, just not for me. Operation too large for that personal touch. 3 P’s is a smaller more personal op but also very good boats and crew. Aldora does dive as a group. All descend and ascend together. Tres Pelicanos gives experienced divers freedom to dive their tanks and computers. If you prefer group guided, Aldora. If you are comfortable planning and executing dives independently, 3 P’s.
. . .

If @Janie88 hasn't found them, there must be several threads on this topic of the relative merits of staying in a group as Aldora prefers, versus diving the way 3Ps apparently does. As I see it, the bottom line is that Aldora groups divers on their boats by experience level, and if you're grouped with other experienced divers the DM will treat you as such. Yeah, you'll have to ascend together--more or less. I'll take diving with a small group of similarly experienced divers any day.

As far as Aldora being "too large for that personal touch," the size of Aldora's operation as a whole is transparent to most of us, because all we see is the boat that picks us up, and there are a relatively small number of divers on that boat with you, no doubt just like 3Ps and the other small-boat ops. From the individual diver's perspective, the world is just you, your new fellow diver friends, and the DM. And now that I think about it, I believe Aldora really can provide a personal touch: We were in our room chilling when Aldora called and asked if instead of the normal routine the next day, we would like to do a special 3-tanker adventure up north. We jumped on it. I imagine that "frequent divers" who become known to the operator would get even more of that kind of thing. For us, it was a taste, and it made an impression.

I'm not in love with Aldora; I'm just trying to provide an alternative perspective. As I said, I'm looking forward to giving 3Ps a try someday.

I think the OP would be happy with either operation.
 
I have dove both and stayed at Casa Mexicana. In fact I am here right now.

Our first trip we dove with Aldora. Very good shop and boats, just not for me. Operation too large for that personal touch. 3 P’s is a smaller more personal op but also very good boats and crew. Aldora does dive as a group. All descend and ascend together. Tres Pelicanos gives experienced divers freedom to dive their tanks and computers. If you prefer group guided, Aldora. If you are comfortable planning and executing dives independently, 3 P’s.

If you or your buddy are an “air hog” Aldora has steel 100’s and 120’s. Tres Pelicanos has al 80’s and some 100’s on request. With Aldora we averaged about 80 (usually 65 to 90) minutes. With 3P’s 60 to 70. We just finished an 80 minute dive this morning but that is a bit unusual as they typically asked you to limit to 70 since they do morning and afternoon dives.

Both offices are right around the corner from CM. For 3 P’s you will head from breakfast to the shop to be transported to the marina and the boat. Get to breakfast about 6:55 and start with coffee, juice, fruit, cereal. The full buffet starts about 7 and its just a short walk to the shop. You need to be there by 7:40. Its a good little walk to the pier and Aldora and they wanted us there by 7:30. This does make for a very rushed breakfast for Aldora.

You will get back a bit sooner with 3 P’s giving you more time for a leisurely lunch then siesta. Or time shopping, site seeing or on the beach. With 3P’s you can also have the option of afternoon dives if you prefer and set them up ahead of time. Or even do morning and afternoon dives as we sometimes do.

I actually did a thread some time ago comparing the two. I will see if I can find it.

Got it...

Thanks so much for posting your review below. Very informative!

Aldora and 3 P's Reviews
 
Last November when I was in Coz diving with 3P, I spent one surface interval tied up with an Aldora boat (which was tied to the dock) and the Blue XT Sea boat was tied to us. This has happened more than once.

That is when I realized that people are each going to the same high end restaurant and then ordering their favorite dish.
 

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