Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in
Costa Rica/Cocos Island

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Aggressor Fleet: "Best diving I have done in a few years!", May, 2023, by Karen Woods, TX, US ( Sr. Reviewer 9 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 12424 has 1 Helpful vote.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I have done many liveaboards over the last 20 years, and I must say this was one of the best trips. The diving was awesome, sharks everywhere, which is what we had hoped for. Additionally, the boat is brand new. We were the fifth group to take the trip out to Cocos Island’s on this new Aggressor. To start from the beginning, the trip from San Jose to Puntarenas was a pleasant one and a half hours with a very nice driver who gave us a running commentary on the history of the various areas that we were driving through. We stopped at an open air market and could purchase local alcohol, souvenirs and fruit. When we arrived, the boat was ready for us. We were transported by panga to the boat. We were asked to set up our dive gear and then shown to our rooms. The rooms are very spacious, especially compared to most Liveaboard‘s. There was ample storage in two bedside tables, a closet space, and several drawers under the closet. I always pack light because there’s very little storage on most boats, but there was plenty of room here. Each room was climate controlled so we had it set comfortably for us. It was particularly nice because there was a separate room for the toilet, and then a separate room for the shower with the sink separating the two in the open space. The shower was extremely roomy for a Liveaboard. I wasn’t hitting my elbows, every time I moved my arms. They did not yet have the nice Aggressor robes or blow dryers in the rooms. Nice liquid soap and shampoo, no conditioner. Towels changed once while there. Service by the staff was awesome and chef was great. The 36 hour trip to Cocos from Puntarenas was smooth but can be rough. While in transit, food service is all buffet for the first 2 days and not as fancy as usual. Once we arrived food was spectacular. Buffet breakfast with made to order eggs etc. Lunch buffet hot entree, salad, fresh bread and desserts. Dinner plated and served and varied from beef, fish to even Sushi night ( which was AMAZING). Dietary requests were honored. Safety briefing was adequate but we did not have a practice bringing life jacket to muster station. Every room with life jackets and fire extinguisher. No charging in room when you are not there. Good large charging station on main deck for photogs. Manuel took care of our needs on board and was outstanding. Warren was lead dive master and photographer and great at his job. Captain Mauricio was very experienced and safety conscious and dove with us several days. The boat had a sat phone but of course no Wi-Fi or intenet access for the 10 days. They have a full medical kit that can be accessed from the captain if needed but only a medical professional can prescribe the drugs in the kit. As a physician I was pleased with the kit and able to treat several different ailments on the boat. Supplemental oxygen is freely available if needed. Diving is from the Pangas. 10 divers per boat with one divemaster in the water with the group. Park ranger rules only allow three dives daily, but each last between 50 and 60 minutes, and the profile is followed by the group. You are allowed to go up on your own if you have a reason to, but generally we all stay together.. Dives are deep generally 90 to 100‘ with a slow ascent for offgassing. Nitrox is mandatory in my opinion. There is fast current at most of the great sites (Alcyone and Dirty Rock). Due to depth and current, this is not for inexperienced divers. Water temp for May was 81-83. Us girls were very happy and never cold in a 5ml. Most men were comfortable in 3 ml. There are thermoclines where temp can drop into the 70s. Park ranger dove with us several times monitoring shark numbers and activity (and I am sure monitoring our diving). We were allowed to go ashore on several occasions, hiking to a lovely bridge and waterfall. We rode pangas around the island at sunset which was lovely. Every dive encountered sharks. Schools of hammerheads, jacks, trevally. Many large Galapagos sharks swimming together. An occasional giant Manta. Too numerous to count white tips. Encountered one pregnant tiger shark in blue water who came very close, but fortunately decided we were not interesting and turned away Saw a turtle, many eels, schools of butterfly fish, and plenty of other small things when in shallow waters. Getting in and out of Pangas could be difficult with surface chop and steep ladder. If you are older or have back/knee issues i recommend a BCD with removable weights to dump before climbing aboard or removing BCD in water and staff will not complain about lifting it into boat. This was such a good trip that we have booked to go back in December. I will attach some photo/video. None of the underwater stuff is mine. Our fellow divers freely airdropped great video and photos but unfortunately I don’t have their names to give tribute. But thank them for their generosity and hope the photos/videos excite you to take this awesome trip!
Websites	Aggressor Fleet
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Hawaii, Cayman Islands, Bonaire, Curacao, Maldives, Cozumel, Costa Rica, Utilla, Belize, Solomon Islands, Saba, Roatan, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, Cabo, Palau
Closest Airport	San Jose	Getting There	Non stop Houston to San Jose 3.5 hours. Easy flight
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy	Seas	calm, currents
Water Temp	80-83°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	60-70 Ft/ 18-21 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Come up as a group at 50-60 minutes depending on dive site and depth
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Although I did not take a camera on this trip, the photographers had a large indoor charging area with both 110 and 220 plugs. Storage cubbies for charges and little stuff and padded area for leaving cameras indoor.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in Costa Rica/Cocos Island

Aggressor Fleet: "Best diving I have done in a few years!", May, 2023,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 Aggressor Fleet in
Costa Rica/Cocos Island