Socorro Aggressor, Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico: Undercurrent 03/2020

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Dear Fellow Diver,

I've had a lot of great experiences on Aggressor boats, and I looked forward to diving with the big stuff around Mexico's Revillagigedo Islands. After all, having dived on Belize Aggressors twice, as well as Bahamas, Palau, and Indo Aggressors, I figured I could count on them.

MY. Socorro Aggressor Actually, this was my second attempt to travel with Socorro Aggressor. After boarding the boat last May, the ship had engine problems, and the next day the cruise was canceled. We all received refunds and vouchers for another trip. I rebooked, and the day after Christmas, my son and I headed off to the airport, but after an unscheduled stop in Oklahoma City due to bad weather and a 6-hour wait, we had no chance to make our connection. I called American; the only flight that would get us to Cabo San Lucas in time to board the Aggressor the next morning had but one seat remaining. Begrudgingly, I took it, and my son, an awfully good sport, returned home.

The next morning at 7:45 a.m., I rolled my bags down to the pier, boarded the vessel with a diverse bunch from France, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany, and the U.S., got my stateroom assignment, and was ready to go ... but the ship wasn't. Three hours later, the Aggressor finally began a slow departure, stopping soon to lift and load their three tenders. As they started using the Aggressor crane, a hydraulic line blew. My reaction was "oh my ... here we go again." It took awhile to repair the crane and get the tenders loaded. Just before 2 p.m., we started our 24-hour journey.

The Socorro Aggressor joined the Aggressor family in early 2019, after serving in the Red Sea as the MV Cassiopeia. Built in 2006, it had a major restoration in 2012. Once a 5-star luxury yacht, today it's worn and tired, with signs of rust everywhere: the wooden decking on the bottom dive platform was gone, leaving only rusted painted steel; duct tape held power cords together and secured connectors on the high-pressure hoses used to fill the tanks, and carpet runners covered the worn carpet in the below-deck hallway....

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