Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet/Island Dancer II in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Fiji Islands

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Aggressor Fleet/Island Dancer II: "Great trip to Fiji but lots of current", Jun, 2015, by David Bader, NC, US ( Sr. Contributor 21 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 8251.
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	The flights were long but tolerable. We arrived at 9AM but could not board until the crew prepped the boat. We walked over to the Novatel Hotel and had coffee and snacks until called to board. First impression of the boat had us worried. It seemed in bad condition. However, we were told that we were the last trip before entering a one month dry dock where all the wood was to be replaced and the hull scrapped and painted. The only real issue was the removal of the non-slip covering on the steps and dive deck. It made for slippery conditions. I managed to cut my toe on the first day. The crew was fantastic. Joji the captain was very friendly and accommodated all our needs. Moses the divemaster was very helpful and assisted anyone who needed an extra hand. Peni the cook served great meals and went out of the way to prepare special meals for a vegan in our group. Eddie the steward kept things moving along and finally Vince the engineer assisted with any equipment issues whether the boat or personal gear. In fact, when one of my Aqua Lung weight pockets split, he took and repaired it until I could get home to have the handles replaced. I can't say enough about the friendliness and caring of the crew towards the passengers. Diving was done either from the small dive deck or skiff depending on conditions at the dive site. Our first backroll into the water revealed a colorful display of so many fish that I rolled over and just enjoyed the view. Wrasses, butterflies, damselfish, frogfish, pipefish, sea snakes, sharks, eels. You name it, we saw it. The soft corals had taken a beating during a hurricane a few years back but it was still beautiful to see. A lot of the 6-8 foot sea fans were destroyed but those that remained were awesome to see. The shark dive was fun and I sure got some good closeups of the gray reef sharks. The only drawback was the current. The change of seasons and a full moon brought heavier currents than I expected. Big mistake bring split fins on this trip! I had to be picked up once in the skiff when I missed the boat and had to get an assist from Moses (with free diving fins) on another dive. Definitely consider current when planning to dive the Fiji Islands. I'd put Fiji on a scale with Raja. At the end of the dive, the crew assisting in removing your gear and wetsuits. BC's and regs stay with the tank the whole week. The crew washes the wetsuits after each dive and hangs them to dry. At the end of the week, all the gear was washed and set out to dry during the passage to Suva. We had two "professional" photographers onboard that took great pictures at the expense of the reef and soft corals. Comments were made to the them and the crew but the assault continued throughout the week. No picture is worth a broken sea fan or damaged coral. One part I didn't like was the mandatory visit to a Fijian village. The people were very friendly and gave was a very warm welcome. We toured the island and then were seated as honored guests for singing and drinking of their native beverage Kava. I enjoyed myself but I come to dive and believe the village tour should be an option not a mandate. I'm still nursing a bite I got while on the island. The final night you're on your own for dinner although Peni served enough appetizers to fill us up. We eventually made our way to the Novatel for pizzas and beer. I truly enjoyed myself on this trip and would highly recommend it for everyone's bucket list.
Websites	Aggressor Fleet
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Caribbean, East Coast US, Pacific and Indian Oceans
Closest Airport	Suva	Getting There	CLT/LAX/Nadi/Suva via Fiji Air
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp	79-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	40-100 Ft/ 12-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	All dives were guided but experienced divers were given latitude to deviate from the group. I stayed with the guide because of the current and limited visibility as the sun lowered during the afternoon.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	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	The boat had a large camera bucket and two tables with scuba tank supplied air. Backrolls from the skiff required you to enter with your camera. There is limited 110 power in the salon only. Our room had only one 220v socket so bring adapters.

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Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet/Island Dancer II in Fiji and Tuvalu/Fiji Islands

Aggressor Fleet/Island Dancer II: "Great trip to Fiji but lots of current", Jun, 2015,

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/Island Dancer II in
Fiji and Tuvalu/Fiji Islands