Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in
Belize

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Aggressor Fleet: "Fabulous week post COVID", May, 2021, by Ellen Marie Smith, MN, US ( Sr. Contributor 26 reports with 13 Helpful votes). Report 11535.
No photos available at this time
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	We boarded the Belize Aggressor IV for a much anticipated (and put off for a year because of COVID) trip on May 27, 2021. In May 2021 was no PCR test requirement to enter Belize with a Vaccination card and our trip went without a hitch as our group of 4 had all been vaccinated. We presented our cards at the airport upon arrival and had no issues. Masks were required everywhere we went on land. After the first meeting with the group on the Aggressor IV, COVID protocol was made clear to us – if you wanted to wear a mask you were welcome to do so but if you were vaccinated staff wasn’t going to enforce mask-wearing. However, if the boat was boarded by authorities then EVERYONE must quickly put on a mask or be fined. The boat was full of American divers and by the end of the first evening, no masks were to be seen. It was liberating! I personally didn’t feel that I was taking a risk not wearing a mask. Some of the crew members still chose to wear masks, some did not. We did not get boarded during the week and put our masks back on upon return at the dock. Now for the good part - we got wet and blew bubbles! What a happy moment for me – the longest period I’ve had out of the water since I got certified. I’m sure other divers understand this feeling! The water temperature averaged 80.6 for the trip. A bit of wind but the seas weren’t too rough. We dove at Turneffe (where we made friends with an extremely friendly nurse shark) on our way to Lighthouse Reef where we spent the bulk of the week. Beautiful dive sites with all the usual Caribbean critters – reef sharks, lobsters, squid, and octopuses (you get the idea!). The reef fish weren’t abundant but we did see some schooling. Lionfish have been hunted as is evidenced by the many friendly sharks, grouper, and snappers. Lots of conches! Stony coral disease is evident and the brain corals are mostly dead or dying. The soft corals were exceptional. The new COVID protocols for checking nitrox involved having a dive team staff member checking your gas mix with you watching (I guess they didn’t want everyone touching the analyzer?). This made a lot of extra work for them but as usual, the staff got things done with a smile. Getting off the boat is easy peasy with fin service provided so you can stay upright on the dive deck. I noticed the dive team checking that everyone’s tanks were open and that all equipment was in place. Cameras were handed down when you were in the water. Divemasters were in the water on each dive but it isn't required to follow them and they were mostly busy taking photos and videos. The Aggressor IV has a nice “hang bar” where one can do a safety stop easily. Getting back on the boat is also “fin-tastic”, as they take your fins off for you before you head up the ladder. The boat swings on the mooring line (sometimes a long way!) and one time I passed it by riding a slight current -- lesson learned! The crew picked us up in the dingy and teased us mercifully (all in fun). The boat is loud so missing it isn’t easy! The Aggressor IV dive deck is very comfortable – we had 20 divers (the boat was full) and it never felt crowded. The showers on the deck were warm and everyone was encouraged to shower there. The water there was lukewarm in the room shower so we never used it. The rooms are a nice size and are located on the dive deck. Very convenient! The camera table was roomy but the charging had to happen against the wall in a tower. The compressed air didn’t work and after complaining for 3 days, I finally got it turned on. The compressed air made it easier for me to get things dried off and charged. Lastly, we were to dive the famous Blue Hole on Thursday but were told that the winds were too high for the boat to get in and moor safely. The Aggressor IV is much larger than the III so keep that in mind when booking if you really want to see the Blue Hole. This seemed strange to me as there didn’t seem to be much wind, but I accepted this explanation as I’m not the Captain (and responsible for the boat). However, a crew member later told a member of our party that the real reason was engine trouble. I did notice that upon docking men were working in the engine room. I’m still not sure why we didn’t dive the Blue Hole but having done it before I wasn’t overly upset. However, the boat was full of quite upset people who would have been “steamed” to find out that we weren’t told the truth if that was the case. The food on the boat was adequate and plentiful and the food was plated (COVID protocol) instead of cafeteria-style. This made for a lot of work for the steward (who was fabulous) as well as quite a bit of wasted food as we couldn’t convince them that we ate small portions. I would recommend booking an even side cabin if you are given the choice as the rooms on the odd side get very hot while the boat is docked. The Aggressor III docks the opposite way so maybe reverse that if you book the III. The crew works hard to meet every need and request. We had a fabulous week and appreciated all the hard work they put in to make it so wonderful for us. I would definitely go on this trip again and recommend that you get back in the water with this great trip!
Websites	Aggressor Fleet
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Red Sea (North and South), Galapagos, Hawaii, Caribbean (Cozumel, Belize, Turneffe, Utila, Turks & Caicos, St. Martin, Nevis & St. Kitts, Roatan), California (Catalina), False Bay (South Africa), Cocos Island, Socorro Islands, Baia & Ustica (Italy), Yap, Palau, & Truk, Thailand (Surin Islands).
Closest Airport	PGIA (Belize City)	Getting There	Thru Atlanta (Delta Airlines) or Dallas (American Airlines)
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	79-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	100-150 Ft/ 30-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	We were asked to keep our dives to an hour.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		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	Plenty of room on the camera table. Nice size rinse tanks. Staff handled cameras carefully. Charging area away from the wet table. Night watch so I didn't worry about fire.

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Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in Belize

Aggressor Fleet: "Fabulous week post COVID", May, 2021,

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
Belize