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Dive Review of Cayman Aggressor V in
Cayman Islands/Caribbean

Cayman Aggressor V: "Evolution of the Aggressor Fleet", Mar, 2020,

by Mark Kimmey, NY, US (Contributor Contributor 13 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 11693 has 1 Helpful vote.

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 N/A
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments Our first impression of the Cayman Aggressor V (“the CAV”) was that it has the most spacious dive deck we’ve ever seen, and has two camera tables. There is also lots of common hanging space in the middle of the deck for wetsuits and skins. Subsequent observations fell into the “WTF?” category. Among these are:
- There are no cubbies on the dive deck for gear either above or below the dive stations. A small rack beside the door into the salon offers a place to keep a pair of shoes, but not much more, and certainly not something wet. Not having a bar or something from which to hang personal gear was a bummer.
- Fins are kept on the swim step, except when underway. That’s okay, except when they forget.
- Dive stations feature 2”-deep wells sized for aluminum 80 tanks. If you’re using anything bigger (diameter), you have no choice but to use a strap to secure yours to the rail. It’s not the most elegant solution, and if the crew expects bouncy conditions, they will lay those rigs on the deck. A couple of larger holes would have been nice, maybe with plastic inserts (collars) to secure smaller tanks when needed.
- The steering gear runs from the bridge to the engine room through a box on the port side of the cabin deck. This box is either not properly padded, or the gear not properly secured. When the autopilot is engaged, such as during passage to Little Cayman, this is a source of constant banging. You can get used to it, eventually. Probably.

There are a couple of hooks in cabins and bathrooms, but these are not positioned to support much, which might be intentional to keep divers from hanging wet stuff in the cabins. Cabins are snug, with no overhead bunks. There is plenty of space under bunks for luggage. Eye-level shelves in cabins are sufficient for most things you’ll need during the week, assuming you have stowed non-essentials under the bunks. Our bathroom was roomy, with one of the largest showers we’ve enjoyed on a liveaboard. In-shower dispensers offered shampoo and conditioner, and we assumed that what was in the shampoo dispenser doubled as body wash.

The CAV was built in Cuba, and the design closely matches that of the Jardines Aggressor. We were told that its predecessor, the Cayman Aggressor IV, was in Cuba undergoing refit, and would replace the Bahamas Aggressor when complete. One of the crew suggested that they should just set fire to it and let it sink. Apparently he had spent some time on it, and complained that it was always breaking down. Maybe that would be resolved by the refit, but he wasn’t hopeful. The CAV has lots more elbow room than its predecessor.

Boarding on Saturday required us to ferry by skiff from the West Bay dock due to winds and choppy water. Sunday’s breeze made for cold un-rigs, though being in the lee of Grand Cayman helped. The skipper was initially pessimistic that we would be able to force the passage to Little Cayman, but we did make it on Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday morning’s dives included two at Stingray City, the first being a bust, and then one at “Tarpon Canyon,” which was murky. We returned to Grand Cayman Thursday afternoon/evening, finishing the week with two dives Friday morning.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving New York, Hawaii, California, Kwajalein, Florida, Grenada, Bonaire, Caymans, Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Belize, Mexico, Australia, Sea of Cortez, St. Vincent, Indonesia
Closest Airport Grand Cayman Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas choppy
Water Temp 71-78°F / 22-26°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 20-60 Ft/ 6-18 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions
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 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics N/A

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 [None]
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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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