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Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet/Okeanos Aggressor II in
Costa Rica/Cocos Island

Aggressor Fleet/Okeanos Aggressor II: "Cocos Island, Okeanos Aggressor II", Aug, 2017,

by Karen McClure, CA, US ( 2 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 9806 has 3 Helpful votes.

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 5 stars
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Seeing large hammerhead sharks schools and large pelagics in general was certainly on the Bucket List. I opted for Cocos over Galapagos because I heard there is just as many here (maybe even more) and the water is 10 degrees warmer than the Galapagos. After this trip, my Bucket List boxed is checked...

The Good:
Incredible number of hammerheads sharks and white tip sharks! Generally calm water for the crossing, sometimes choppy water out to the dive sites with occasional strong currents (which kept things interesting). Weather was consistent - not hot, not cold (a cool 72 degrees or so)...occasional rain shower.

Here is a (~8 minute) video I made from the trip:
vimeo.com/230633863

The Bad:
The dives were fairly repetitive. Not a huge amount of diversity, but this said, incredible number of hammerheads and other sharks. 10 days felt like a very long time. :-(

What I wish I would have known: That it was not going to be as warm as I thought... I should have taken more leggings and tshirts vs board shorts and tank tops. This said, I was fine diving in a 3mm and didn't need a 5mm. And I am very glad I took gloves for the diving.
As far as the Aggressor, I wish I would have taken more movies/entertainment - not much on the boat. And we really didn't get any internet connectivity. Spotty cell coverage was about it.

I'm glad I did the trip, but the Aggressor was my least favorite Liveaboard boat that I have been on to date. Cabins were VERY VERY small and overall things on the trip were fairly basic. Meals were served quickly and not all that exciting... Zero choice for wines or other extras...so in hind site I'll be sure to make more requests next time. Previously I have been on the Palau Siren, Philippine Sire, Dewi Nusantara, Mike Ball. Worldwide Dive & Sail's Siren fleet has been my favorite and both the Philippines and Palau have been EXCELLENT for both big and small creatures as well as diversity. :-)
Websites Aggressor Fleet   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Palau, Philippines (Tubbataha & Dumaguete areas), Coral Sea Australia, Raja Ampat, Hawaii (Maui), Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Belize, US Virgin Islands, BVI, Barbados, Bahamas, Bonaire, Aruba, Costa Rica (Gulf side)
Closest Airport Juan Santa Maria International (SJO) Getting There Fly directly into SJO

Dive Conditions

Weather cloudy Seas calm, currents
Water Temp 75-83°F / 24-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-80 Ft/ 15-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions None other than Nitrox limits
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 2 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 1 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

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

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 2 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments The Okeanos Aggressor II is not (IMHO) set up very well for camera equipment and charging. The charging station amounted to just 4 small shelves with power strips for everyone. Charging in the cabins was not encouraged...meanwhile there were only ~2 outlets in each cabin and they were not exactly in great locations for charging batteries. The tenders also were not set up that well for cameras (and keeping things safe in the choppy waters to the dive sites).
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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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