Dive Review of Belize Aggressor III in
Belize/Lighthouse Reef

Other Belize reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here

Belize Aggressor III: "Belize Aggresor III: Good crew, stressed reefs", Aug, 2018, by Joe S., TX, US ( 2 reports 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		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
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
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	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.

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.

Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here

Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 482 dive reviews of Belize and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

Other dive reports on Aggressor Fleet

All Belize Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Belize
Diving Reviews for All Dive Destinations

Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?

Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest

Reef & Rainforest is an agency for travelers that like to scuba dive. Want to see the Blue Hole, Caves, Mayan ruins and rainforests? Let us plan your adventure to Belize

Want to assemble your own collection of Belize reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home

Page computed and displayed in 0.5 seconds

Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email. And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent
Get a free monthly email and a sample issue!

Dive Review of Belize Aggressor III in Belize/Lighthouse Reef

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

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):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Belize Aggressor III in
Belize/Lighthouse Reef