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Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet/Maldives Aggressor in
Maldives

Aggressor Fleet/Maldives Aggressor, Mar, 2010,

by bob kopki, VA, US (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 5414.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments The Maldives Aggressor is a wonderful 117 ft spacious steel hulled diving sailing ship.We had 20 divers on board and there was plenty of room for all to spread out. The ship is only one year old so all facilities are new and in great condition.Diving is conducted from a separate 40 ft diving Dhoni, a traditonal local vessel outfitted for diving, which worked well as a diving tender. Feb and March are dry months on the Maldives & we has sunny skies & flat seas the whole time.

Generally, 4 dives per day were conducted. I had read some prior reports about coral bleaching damage in the Maldives, and was concerned about this. However the majority of the reefs we dove were in great shape with magnificient hard & soft coral. There were a few sites where the old bleaching damage was evident.The variety & abundance of tropical fish was just fantastic. There were many local Indian Ocean tropicals that I had not seen elsewhere that were just wonderful, with fantastic colors.Also, fish common in the Caribbean, like groupers & surgeonfish, had brilliant new colors in the Maldives. We did two Manta dives at cleaning stations & got up close to 4 mantas at a time. There were also 3 dives at sites frequented by sharks & we saw several white tips, grey reef sharks, black tips, and a few large Napoleon Wrasses.We were unsuccessful at locating a whale shark on our trip. Supposedly, they are plentiful at other times of the year.

Visibility was a disappointment, averaging 30-50 ft. Currents were generally moderate, but on one or two dives they were quite strong in sections and made it difficult to enjoy those areas.

The crew was very friendly & most accommodating, led by the personable ship Manager Belinda. Food was plentiful, but just average quality overall. Breakfasts were varied & great. But lunch & dinner quality was hit & miss. Some were great, others fell short on quality. The cook had a tendency to overcook meats & fish. Lots of fruit & veggies on board, plus fruit drinks. No charge for alcoholic beverages.

It's a long trip to get to the Maldives. For me, a 7 hr flight to London,an overnight layover, and then a 10 hr direct flight from London to Male.

I'd go back in a heartbeat. Recommend the dry months of Feb & March.
Websites Aggressor Fleet   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving palau, yap, sea of cortez, hawaii, little cayman,
turks & caicos, bahamas, most of caribbean, cozumel
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm, currents
Water Temp 80-81°F / 27-27°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 30-50 Ft/ 9-15 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions 100 ft max ( Maldives local restriction)
no deco diving
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Camera table on main ship & dive vessel. Charging table on main ship
fresh water rinse barrels on dive vessel.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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