Instant Reader Report
on Cayman Aggressor / [same] in
Cayman Islands / [N/A] on
2003/03
by
Bob Parks , LA, USA
Report Number 030411093204800

 Belize. Cozumel, Bay Islands Honduras, Saba, St. Kitts, Statia, Bonaire,
Los Roques, Fiji, PNG, Indonesia, Malaysia, Solomon Islands, Palau, and
Hawaii. 

Dive Conditions

Avoid going into deco and respect recreational depth limits.  Buddyless
diving permitted   

Spacious Camera Table. E6 processing. Dedicated camera rinse tank.  

Overall Rating

The daily schedule was typical of a liveaboard.  Breakfast, Site/Dive
briefing, Dive #1, Snack, Dive #2, Lunch (boat moves to new site during
lunch), Site/Dive briefing, Dive #3, Snack, Dive #4, Dinner, Night Dive. 
The boat would then move or move early in the morning.  Some guests logged
25 dives on this charter.

There are no guarantees that this boat will make the crossing from Grand
Cayman to Little Cayman.  Rough seas will keep the boat around Grand
Cayman.  Captain Tom mentioned that winter time was the worst as
northwestern fronts frequently come through.  Our charter made the crossing
although we did encounter some five to six foot seas while visiting Little
Cayman and Cayman Brac.  Was told that Summer weather usually brings about
calmer seas and excellent visibility.

Visibility varied from the worst of approx. fifty feet on a couple of
dives to over one hundred feet.  Most dives had some sort of suspended
sediment that was stirred up by some of the wind and rough seas that we
encountered.  Captain Tom did his best to put us on the best sites
available, given the conditions and wind direction that were present at any
given time.  

Bloody Bay Wall at Little Cayman is certainly some of the best diving in
the Caribbean.  Spur and Groove formations scattered throughout the walls
provide many swim thru tunnels, chimneys, and underwater (some are rather
large) canyons that lead to the steep wall drop offs.  Although I do not
carry a camera, the healthy Coral combined with spectacular wall allow for
some breathtaking wide angle photos.   Most dive sites begin and end in the
shallows so that multi-level diving is the norm (get a computer if you do
not have one) and even your safety stops are enjoyably scenic.

Some of the larger species I saw included lots of Hawksbill Turtles,
Spotted Eagle Rays, Gray Caribbean Reef Sharks, Tarpon, Barracuda, Nassau
Groupers, and Southern Stingrays.  Other typical fish included Parrotfish,
Spade Fish, African Pompano, Trumpet Fish, Needle Fish, Sergeant Majors,
Blue Chromis, Squid, and Spotted Drum to name a few.  Little critters
included Pederson Cleaning Shrimp, Red Banded Shrimp, Lettuce Leaf Slugs,
and gobies.  The health of the corals was good overall and no coral
bleaching was noted.  In a few places, storm damage was evident in the
shallows which is typical of the hurricane belt.

Unlimited Nitrox available ($100US).  Visa and MC accepted for any
on-board purchases and crew gratuities. Hot tub on sun deck.  Two Showers
on dive deck. Limited dive gear available for rent should your gear not
make it with you. Camera rental (including a digital camera) and video
camera rental were available. 

Guests who are sensitive to noise from the generators and engine room in
general should avoid Cabin #9.  Cabins 8 & 9 share a head.  I was in
cabin 8 and was never bothered by the noise (although you certainly noticed
it), and the sharing of the head was not a problem.  There are decent
reading lamps over your pillow in the bunks.

Try to get a center dive locker and hang your scuba/swimwear over the
center dive lockers as water from the hot tub on the deck above will spill
over to the deck below.

Overall: Great Crew/Good Boat
 

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