Dive Review of Belize Aggressor in
Belize

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Belize Aggressor, Feb, 2008, by Mel Murray & Tara Chronister, NC, USA . Report 3904.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Our 7th liveaboard and 5th Aggressor trip. This was our 2nd time on the Belize Aggressor (previously in 1997). Best service to date! Great trip. We were met by an Aggressor dive master at the airport on Saturday and then transported to the boat by bus. We arrived about one hour before boarding so they took our luggage and we had lunch at the Radisson near the dock. At 2pm we boarded and were shown to our cabin on the upper deck (worth paying extra for if it is available). We left for Lighthouse Reef, about a 3 hr trip, later than usual on Saturday evening due to a late arriving flight of one of the passengers. We had a mixed group with a couple from Canada, a single diver from Germany and a dive group from Mexico. All were experienced divers diving NITROX. Accommodations: Ours was a larger cabin on the upper deck with one double bed. Cabins on the lower deck had a double and a twin bed. There were some complaints regarding plumbing issues but these were dealt with promptly. Storage was adequate, and probably better than most liveaboards. The salon had a TV and DVD player, which was used for nightly presentations by the crew (fish ID, etc). DVDs from the DVD library could be taken to your cabin and watched on your own TV. Each cabin had its own climate controls. The salon also had a paperback book library, along with fish ID books and books about Belize. Upper decks had lounge chairs, a hot tub and a BBQ grill that was used for some meals during the week. The uppermost deck was good for stargazing. Crew/Service: Captain “Gordon” was Canadian and younger than captains we have had in the past but highly efficient and personable. He was also on many of the dives and took pictures. Two dive masters Johnny and Juan were extremely competent and helpful and served as dive buddies when needed. Early on the trip they were very helpful to individuals who needed extra assistance and always seemed to be available to give just the right amount of guidance. Cabin/kitchen staff Randy, Lourdes and Anna were always ready with snacks after every dive, hot chocolate after night dives, well prepared meals and accommodated requests with a smile. The boat was always clean. Food: Food was always plentiful with cold breakfast available as early as 0530 to 0600 and then hot breakfast of eggs, pancakes, etc. at 0700. A hot snack such as cookies or muffins was served after the first morning dive. Lunch was served after the second dive with soup and sandwiches, pasta, etc. Another snack of wings, etc was served after the first afternoon dive. Dinner included fish, chicken, turkey etc. Alcohol was available all day, but once you imbibed you were finished diving for the day. Cookies, chips, microwave popcorn, Kool-Aid, sodas etc were available 24 hours a day. Diving: We dove many sites off Lighthouse Reef and the Turneffe Islands. Each diver had their own locker. You set up your gear on your tank when you arrived and then your tank was filled in place with you not having to do anything else for the remainder of the trip. There were separate rinse buckets for masks and cameras plus a large bucket to wash wetsuits in. Entry into the water was by giant stride off the dive platform. There was a hang bar at 15 feet with an air regulator if needed by anyone. A dingy was available to retrieve any divers who couldn’t make it back to the boat. It wasn’t needed. All divers were checked off entering and exiting the water by a crew member as well as depth and time recorded upon return. A storm came in at the end of the week which made climbing the ladder and timing your safety stop with the current a challenge. The storm was bad enough that a couple of dives were cancelled. Most days 5 dives were offered – two each morning on the same sight, then two each afternoon on a different site then a night dive. The blue hole was a guided dive. That day a second morning dive wasn’t made. Instead a tour of Half Moon Caye with a bird sanctuary was offered and worth the trip. Hot fresh water showers are available on the dive deck for after diving. Grouper, barracuda, and tarpon were seen on most dives. Spotted eagle rays were seen on many dives and turtles on a few dives. Dolphins were seen while the boat was in transit but not during diving. Juvenile fish were in abundance. Spotted toad fish endemic to Belize were seen. Night dives early in the week were very good with all the usual creatures - octopus, squid, lobsters, crab, etc. As the weather turned bad the night diving was not as good. Fresh towels were provided after every dive and were hot from the dryer after night dives. A single dive is offered Friday morning then you make the trip back to Belize City. Tours are offered in the afternoon or you can lounge on the boat. Transportation arrangements are made for you back to the airport on Saturday.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Palau, Truk, Cayman Is, Bahamas, Roatan, Turks & Caicos, Cozumel, Bonaire
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	79-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	70-100 Ft/ 21-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Except for guided dive at the blue hole the only restriction was to dive with a buddy.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Belize Aggressor in Belize

Belize Aggressor, Feb, 2008,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Belize Aggressor in
Belize