On Tue, 3 Oct 2000 19:09:12 -0500, Chuck Hopf <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Aldora just dropped off my list.  .

Aldora dropped off my list LONG ago, NOT because it was not a good diving
operation, but because it was not cost-effective for ME (in my own cost-
benefit analysis).

I have always maintained that Aldora is ONE of the best in Cozumel.  It
still is, all things consider.  It's only when Aldora spammers insisted
that it IS THE BEST to the exclusion of all others (and failed to
provide reasons to justify their claim) that I gave my reasons
(occasionally accompanied by a CLUB to the heads of the Neanderthals
with very thick skulls) why it wasn't, and isn't, THE BEST, though
it is ONE of the best.

The reason I defended my position rigorously is that I like MANY of
the operator in Cozumel, for different reasons, and for different
types of divers.  To say Aldora is THE BEST to the exclusion of
others is doing a great DISSERVICE to the dive community of Cozumel,
as well as doing a great disservice to the diving TOURISTS -- for
some Aldora may be the worst.  :-)

The trouble is, the Aldora IDIOTS never grasped that point, and they
enjoy the mob mentality of attacking Bob.  Have I seen that kind of
behavior elsewhere?   :-)

I have always excluded Chuck from this class membership of "Aldora
IDIOTS", because Chuck always understood my point, and simply chose
to dive with Aldora because he felt it was cost-effective to HIM --
which is all that mattered.


>Three different stories yesterday and two
>this morning with the upshot being I didnt go diving today cause they
>screwed around with me til it was too late to go with anyone else

All dive shops screw up scheduling occasionally, especially around
the times of port closing and bad weather.  So, while I understand
how you felt about being screwed by Aldora <BG> (will Giovanni be
able to make a picture on THAT?), I would not consider the event of
bad-management in scheduling a "fatal flaw" of Aldora in the overall
scheme of diving matter.  Not until more consistent faults show up,
I'll just down rate it from "ONE of the best" to "ONE of the very
good" because of other known factors.  :-)

This is NOT the first time I've DEFENDED Aldora -- I was the FIRST
in rec.scuba to defend Aldora when the tank-rust incident broke out,
that they should be given time TO RESPOND before being convicted by
a mob in a kangaroo court!

Not many people noticed that.  But it's in the archives!  ;-)


>Tomorrow (based in at least some degree on Bob's recommendation - see Bob I
>do sometimes listen to you)

That shows there are some redeeming value in you afterall.  :-)  Actually
I SELDOM recommend any shop to anyone, but usually SEVERAL shops as
possible candidates (if I knew the diver), with a recommendation that
they look at and talk to the shops to do their OWN cost-benefit analysis.

>and Thursday AM I will be diving with pasquale

He is the ONE I could recommend to anyone, especially if you get to
dive with Pasqual.  Anyone whose name is "Fat Grouper" (Gordo Mero)
naturally gets my stamp of approval.

>and then Thurs PM- Sun AM with Ventura.

That's an unknown to me.  I may have to try it sometime given Crusty's
high marks.  BUT it is hard to judge a shop when you OWN the boat --
with a private group or one or two other divers who are with you.
In THOSE cases, of course any shop would treat you better than they
normally would in a "mixed group".

>Ventura would have been my first
>choice but I would have been the only person on the boat and he is
>a better business man than that.

That is in part your gift from the hurricane and a hungry shop.  :-)
Been thar.  Done that.  In fact, one time I was the only diver with
a crew of THREE.  Usually TWO divers will break even, and most shops
will go out with three, on a 6-pak.

Chuck, Ventura is just putting out some seed-money (chum) to attract
you to be one of their regular customers.  :-)  I would be interested
to hear your report about your experience with these two shops.

Back to you lament about a late start that kept you from booking with
another shop.  HOW LATE was it?  My current favorite, Caballito del
Caribe NORMALLY starts at 10 am, sometimes later.  Takes a surface
interval on the beach and gets back in the early afternoon.  There
are SEVERAL shops that have enough boats and sufficiently flexible
schedules that I find they can accommodate late starters at just
about any time of the day.

>Up to now, the most exciting diving I have done has been to a depth of 5FFW
>in the pool retrieving lawn furniture.  I did have to fight off a few
>hummingbirds so it was a death defying free dive.
>
>CH

I had the most exciting SPEARFISHING experience in 25 years today!
I spearfished a house!  :-)  I spent over two months lurking ... but
once the homework was done, the action was swift.  :-)  My mortgage
application was approved in less than 2 hours.  Then came the offer
to buy;  a counter-offer within 3 hours;  my counter-offer to the
counter-offer was accepted within the next 3 hours.  All in a day's
work.  :-)  Thanks to my Real Estate agent who was a grad student
in the Executive MBA program in Vanderbilt in which I taught during
my sabbatical year 1982.  So that was someone I could really trust
-- my MBA student who knew statistics, and is a realtor in this
area for 20 years.  :-)

On or before 10/16, I'll be a Chattanoogan with a house AND an
apartment in Choo Choo, either of which will be suitable for more
RUM tasting by Brotha' Jeff. or mini-RUM-of-beer NEDfest with anyone,
the rest of the year.

Y'all are invited to drop in when I am not in foreign country.  :-)

-- Bob.