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Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in
Belize/Belize Aggressor IV

Aggressor Fleet: "Great To Be In The Water Again and Great First Trip To Belize", Oct, 2021,

by Dean, CO, US (Reviewer Reviewer 6 reports with 8 Helpful votes). Report 11721 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments About me
I have over 500 dives all over the world including stellar locations like Indonesia, Australia, Fiji, the usual suspects around the Caribbean along with dark and murky reservoirs inland in the US. This was my first dive trip since March of 2020 where I returned from a trip to Mexico just before the US shutdown due to COVID. I was equal parts anxious and excited to be venturing forth again and took as much care as I could to ensure a safe, COVID free trip as I did not want to be infected nor unknowingly spread the disease.

Belize City
For my first trip to Belize, I opted to keep a low profile. I arrived the day before we were scheduled to board the boat and stayed at the conveniently located Radisson Ft George in Belize City. The hotel is adjacent to the departure dock and within walking distance of downtown. There are a number of excursions available from Belize City including trips to the zoo, ruins, rum tasting, various adventures in the jungle, and time on the cays. However, out of concerns for COVID, I opted to limit my excursions to a walk from the hotel to downtown. Things here were very low key. Locals were friendly but not a lot was happening. Overall, this made for a good day to relax by the pool and meet some of the other guests.

Belize Aggressor
My trip on the Belize Aggressor IV was my third with the Aggressor fleet. Having been impressed with the previous trips on the Bahamas Aggressor and the Cayman Aggressor where I thought the crew worked very hard to ensure that I, and the other guests, enjoyed a fun and memorable experience. The crew on the Belize aggressor also delivered on my expectations. I found the captain and crew were professional and dedicated to ensuring we had a safe and fun experience.

As it seems to be more and more common, we divers are getting a little older and need some extra help navigating ladders and donning gear. The crew did a wonderful job helping those that needed it. They also responded quickly when I had problems with a pressure gauge that began leaking air at the start of a dive. I surfaced and the crew exchanged the gauge in a few minutes while my buddies patiently waited.

Food on board was very good too. Breakfast was made to order and they offered a coffee/tea service delivered to your cabin door first thing if you signed up. Lunch was family style while for dinner you were offered a choice of entrees. The staff also honored special dietary requests which my dive buddy requested. There were snacks offered in the morning and afternoon. After the night dive, hot chocolate and Bailey’s was awaiting returning divers. Complimentary beer and wine were also available at the conclusion of our diving day.

Fire awareness was stressed and included in our safety briefing. Smoke detectors were in the cabins and directions not to leave devices unattended when charging were given. On the dive deck there were two areas set aside for charging batteries. There were plenty of outlets. Also, as a safety precaution power was turned off at the charging stations after 10pm and then turned on at 5am. Finally, a watch person was dedicated to patrolling the ship at night.

Cabins were comfortable and had beds arranged side by side. This is probably the biggest difference versus the sister ship Belize Aggressor III which has bunks. I prefer this configuration and those that are less mobile would require it. Each cabin had an ensuite head and shower. Overall, the cabins, and other areas of the boat, were functional but they are showing their age and would benefit from a makeover. I understand that the Aggressor team is probably just happy to be in business these days but, when compared to the Cayman Aggressor, the accommodations don’t standup favorably. When it did rain there wasn’t a comfortable dry common area to hang out. Outside areas suffered from soggy cushions while the only interior space was the dining room which had stiff dining chairs and no couches.


Covid
Protocols for handling COVID seemed rigorous at various levels. This started with the need to show a negative test to enter Belize, strict mask wearing requirements, and a nightly curfew in the country. Prior to boarding, Aggressor provided a form to monitor our temperatures starting a week before boarding. Before boarding, our temperatures were also taken. After this point passengers and crew typically did not wear masks again until after returning to dock. Masks were donned while the health team administered COVID tests again in preparation for our return to the US then quickly discarded again after they left the ship. All of the passengers tested negative and we were provided with the test results.
Websites Aggressor Fleet   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Caribbean, Indonesia, Fiji, Australia, Malaysia, Mexico, Florida, California, Costa Rica, Hawaii, French Polynesia, other inland reservoirs.
Closest Airport Belize City Getting There United Denver through Houston. Direct flight on return. Early flight from Denver (5:30am) to catch connection in Houston was awkward. Get direct flight if available.

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, rainy Seas calm, no currents
Water Temp 83-87°F / 28-31°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Could dive with your buddy or follow guide
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 4 stars

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments There were two tables and separate rinse tanks available for cameras. Compressed air and clean towels were made available for cameras too. On our trip, no one had a huge rig so there seemed to be plenty of space for our collection of gear.
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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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