Belize Aggressor IV Grounds on Reef

All 17 passengers and 8 crew of the 138-foot Belize Aggressor IV (formerly called Sun Dancer II) were rescued unharmed after the vessel's mooring line broke and the wind wedged the boat into the reef at the Aquarium dive site, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, on November 16.

Except for one woman, whose cabin was below the water line, the passengers' possessions were recovered. Some crew members had items damaged as the water was waist-deep in the damaged hull.

Contrary to initial reports, passengers were ferried to nearby Itza resort, in some cases by the co-owner and dive instructor at Frenchie's Diving.

Apparently, the Aggressor was moored in shallow water close to the reef (probably with the mooring pin as little as 16 feet deep under the hull) to stay safely in the lee of deteriorating weather. Undercurrent saw reports that the captain of Belize Aggressor IV was guiding a dive and John Garraway, second-in-command, was at the helm. It's common for a diving captain to act as an occasional divemaster, giving the regular divemaster a welcome break from multi-dive days.

An unidentified passenger stated at the time, "We were moored in shallow water, shallow enough that the hang bar was not lowered. The captain had scrubbed the previous night's dive due to conditions and seemed to think that the Aquarium would be a good spot to start the next day, with five dives planned on a compressed schedule. The first dive of the day was uneventful. The captain, who was behind us in the water as divemaster, swam past at high speed, chasing the line. In 43 years of diving, I've honestly never seen anyone swim so fast underwater."

The closeness of the reef and limited maneuverability of the vessel, hampered by divers in the water, meant that the crew had little strategic depth in which to save the boat from running aground. At the same time, divers were attempting to board, with crew members anxiously telling them to stay away. One of the dive ladders broke when it hit the reef.

The stricken vessel was successfully refloated and towed in to port for inspection a week later and a team composed of officials from several Belize government agencies began an assessment of the damage to the coral reef. They may impose a fine for damaging the reef. In February 2020, the government of Belize reportedly issued a US$74,000 (equivalent) fine to the operators of a motor yacht called Samahdi after its anchor damaged the same reef. Aggressor Adventures continues to take future bookings for Belize Aggressor IV.

- John Bantin