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Dive Review of Belize Aggressor III in
Belize/Lighthouse Reef

Belize Aggressor III: "Belize Aggresor III: Good crew, stressed reefs", Aug, 2018,

by Joe S., TX, US ( 1 report with 3 Helpful votes). Report 10485 has 3 Helpful votes.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments I had not been on a live aboard before and was really looking forward to this trip on Belize Aggressor III. I had heard and read good things about the operation and that vessel in particular. Generally, I was only slightly disappointed, largely because my expectations were reasonable. Crew and vessel were good, though BA III is showing its age. Food was dependably very good.
Here’s where I have some problems: choice of dive sites and condition of reef systems. Admittedly, they cannot do much about the current condition of the reefs in Belizean waters—stressed, depleted of fish, rich in algae and dying corals—but they can get to more dive sites. My impression was one of laziness because of the tendency to repeat sometimes up to three—that’s right, three—dives at the same site. I wanted more variety and to see more dive sites. Staying at the same location for two day dives and the night dive was just plain boring. And what happened to the early morning dives for which liveaboards are supposedly well known? We had only one of those to fit in three dives on the last day before most of us were flying out. When asked directly about this the captain, Jerome, danced around the issue and never really addressed our concerns.
In fairness, he’s being directed from the regional franchise office. Yes, its a regional franchise and not Aggressor directly. That, too, was a surprise.
So, be advised, your dive trip here can be good, maybe very good, but your expectations need to be realistic.
Shore excursions either before or after your time on the vessel are varied and interesting, though try to spend as little time as possible in Belize City. I came in four days early to get a feel for the local flavor—I was an anthropologist in a former career—and I enjoyed it. But two days would have been enough. I was able to see Mayan ruins, float a cave system, and visit one of the local casinos (and, luckily, walk away with enough money to pay for the side trips).
Websites Belize Aggressor III   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Turks & Caicos, Bahamas, Panama, Bonaire, Caymans, Mexico, Gulf of Mexico, Spain, Turkey, Marshall Islands, California, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida Keys, lakes, rivers in US.
Closest Airport Belize City Getting There Direct flights from DFW on American, Southwest, and others

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm, no currents
Water Temp 80-84°F / 27-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 45-90 Ft/ 14-27 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Only restriction I recall was, understandably, depth and time limits for Blue Hole dive.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Separate rinse tank for cameras, though computers and lights found their way in the tank. Nice dry table for cameras with compressed air. However, condensate not filtered or drained from camera-dedicated lines and air was decidedly wet. Therefore, potentially detrimental. Nitrox analyzers also placed on camera table.
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Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

Subscriber's Comments

By Greg Bruce in WA, US at Sep 06, 2018 13:07 EST  
Thanks for the report. My experience was exactly as yours was when I was on the BA3 this past April. The reefs are in poor shape at the locations we dived around Turneffe especially.
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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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