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Dive Review of Socorro Aggressor in
Mexico (Western)/Guadalupe

Socorro Aggressor: "Sharks & Staff Great, Boat Needs Upgrading", Oct, 2019,

by Susan, FL, US ( 2 reports). Report 11193.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments The great white sharks didn't disappoint, although days 1 and 3 were much better than day 2. The crew stopped using the submersible cage middle of 2nd day and all 3rd day due to currents per the explanation. However on my 2nd dive in the submersible cage (at about 25 feet depth or so), a weird incident happened in which all 3 of us divers and the divemaster simultaneously had to use the two emergency cylinders, each carrying 2 regulators, when the air supply suddenly dwindled to nearly zero over a period of a few seconds. Fortunately, all 4 regulators worked or we would have had some issues. The divemaster tugged on the line to have the cage raised and I assumed it would be the end of the dive. However, he stuck his head out and talked to the other crew and then motioned for us to try the hookah rigs again, which worked now. Then we descended and carried on as though nothing had happened. The divemaster said he didn’t know what had happened or why. I found this a bit concerning. And would recommend an additional cylinder in case one of the four regulators didn’t function. An out of air situation with 4 divers simultaneously was a strange experience.

Some divers seemed to get more cage time, particularly the photographers with big rigs. It seemed to be a situation where if you pressed aggressively for more time, you tended to get it.

The staff were all friendly and offered good service. They ended up giving me my own room, since an extra was available, which was great. After being in the cage, getting towels warm from the dryer was appreciated. The food was plentiful and filling, although characterizing on the website “homemade” desserts, cookies, cinnamon rolls, breads, etc. was a bit misleading. The cakes and dessert items in their plastic containers appeared to have come from Costco. I never went hungry, however, and the chef did cook some nice dinners.

The boat was fairly shabby. As my first Aggressor experience I didn’t know what to think but other more experienced travelers told me it was not up to the usual Aggressor standards. The carpets were ratty and the floor belowdecks seemed like it would cave in when walking to my room. There were at least 4 air fresheners in my room and the chemical smell was overwhelming in an effort to cover up other types of smells. The head sometimes smelled horrendous but it went away. Other websites I had looked at had said there was a hot tub on the boat so I was disappointed to find out that was not true.

The boat ride was reputed to be rough and while the ride out was fairly smooth, the ride back was no picnic. Twenty hours of pitching and rolling left some sick and me glad about taking medication. The water was about 68 degrees and I felt fine in a 5 mm suit with hooded vest until the last dive of the day, which was a bit chilly. I stopped wearing gloves about halfway through the trip and didn’t miss them.

There was a biological monitor from an organization aboard who offered information on the sharks and did a presentation. I had also read that there would be a photo pro on board who would make a video of the trip for sale at the end of the trip. There wasn’t; however, the staff made a simple slideshow presentation that did include at least one photo of each person on board.
Websites Socorro Aggressor   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Caribbean, Philippines, Hawaii
Closest Airport SAN Getting There Van to Ensenada, Boat to Guadalupe

Dive Conditions

Weather dry Seas calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp 68-°F / 20-°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 50-70 Ft/ 15-21 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile ?
Enforced diving restrictions Cage diving in 45 min. segments
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? no

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals N/A Tropical Fish N/A
Small Critters N/A Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

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

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments There were 2 tables to put cameras on and an area to charge electronics. That's about it.
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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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