We used Amigos del Mar on our trip to AC last June and I thought they were pretty good. The great thing about Amigos is that they have a lot of boats, so if you have a decent sized group, you get a boat to yourselves (we had our own boat all week). Our group of 6 consisted of 5 relatively experienced divers and 1 brand new diver--first time even seeing the ocean! We made the arrangements through our hotel and when they picked us up the first day, the DM questioned our skills levels, # of dives, etc. The DM worked closely with our new diver, staying with him the entire time, helping him descend, etc. The rest of us were given the freedom to explore a little, as long as we kept the group in sight. The new diver usually came up ahead of the rest of us, but the DM would go up with him and make sure he got on the boat, then come down to re-join the rest of us until we were done. The DM we had was pretty hands off---not too good pointing out critters, etc, but we enjoyed the freedom they allowed us, so we weren't complaining. This was for the local AC diving. We also did a trip to Turneffe Elbow and this is where Amigos really shined. The boat was roomy and perfect for that 2.5 hour trip and the DM's on the big boat were really good at keeping an eye on everyone and pointing out interesting things underwater. So all in all I was happy with them and would definitely use them again. I hope this helps!