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Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet/Bandos Island in
Maldives

Aggressor Fleet/Bandos Island, Aug, 2012,

by David Schwab, AE, US (Contributor Contributor 14 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 6658.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 4 stars
Snorkeling 4 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Flight on Condor Frankfurt to Male' was relatively inexpensive. Pick up at the airport went smoothly. I stayed at the Bandos Resort for four days before boarding the Maldives Aggressor. Bandos is very close to Male' and the airport. Very clean, lots to do, good service. Don't sign up for the meal plan . . . choose a la carte. Good dive centre; first place I have dived where they really did a serious check out dive . . . on that dive (a shore dive) we saw a squadron of Mantas (6 or 7)! Too bad I was giving my camera housing a check out dive, too, and left the camera on shore. Timely pick up by Aggressor in their dhoni. Aggressor boat is roomy and comfortable; I am not a fan of top bunks, but I survived; large shower/toilet area. My cabin was amidships; I was told cabins in the bow were not as comfortable. Crew was the best; two hosts always providing service . . . drinks, snacks, etc. Excellent dive briefings; dhoni crew very professional. Meals were good and plentiful; some chicken a bit dry, but fish & red meat were good. Presentation would make Gordon Ramsay proud of this chef. Nice variety of dive sites; a couple had strong currents; on a couple of dives we waited patiently for Mantas that did not appear. On a night dive most divers surfaced to find the dhoni gone . . . had we misunderstood the dive plan? We were on the surface for about 30 minutes before we were picked up. I liked diving from a dhoni . . . all the dive equipment remained on the dhoni; the crew carefully moved cameras back to the main boat. After the last dive the crew took care of cleaning and drying equipment. This boat does not have a hot tub . . . probably no room for it. Air and water temps were pretty constant at 30-31 degrees C. Very comfortable weather; very FEW insects (I expected mosquitoes). Overall, this was a worthwhile trip . . . a very hospitable crew (mostly Maldivian) . . . super diving conditions . . . very comfortable boat. I recommend it with a few days at a resort before and/or after (Aggressor can made arrangements for you).
Websites Aggressor Fleet   Bandos Island

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Caribbean, Norway, UK, Egypt, Med, Thailand, Burma
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 30-31°C / 86-88°F Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 10-30 M / 33-98 Ft

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Depth limits; time limits.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins None Whale Sharks 1 or 2
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Boat crews handled camera equipment with great care; separate bucket to wash down equipment. Aggressor had a nice table and charging station.
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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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