Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in
Belize/Turneffe and Lighthouse Reef

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Aggressor Fleet: "Diverted trip in Belize", Oct, 2022, by robert linscheer, CO, US ( Reviewer 5 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 12104.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
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	This trip is one of three week-long trips in October 2022 that the Belize Aggressor III is making to try out a new itinerary to Glovers reef, a reef system just south of the normal Lighthouse reef route. Upon departing the dock early Sunday morning, one of the engines made an unusual sound upon start-up. At sunrise we found ourselves still tied up to the dock. Captain explained that he did not like the noise being made and would get a local diesel mechanic on board to have a look. Time went by and in the late afternoon he announced that the parts were not available to effect a fix. After discussing it with corporate, they decided to make the trip on one engine. However, because hurricane Julia (having made landfall in Nicaragua) was affecting the weather conditions further south, and only having one operative engine, they felt it would be safer to follow the Lighthouse reef itinerary, where the other boat, Belize Aggressor IV, would be available in case of problems. There was no real dissent from the passengers as we all agreed it was the better option under the circumstances. Though the boat was not as fast as normal, it did not have much effect on the dive sites we were able to visit. The residual winds from Julia restricted our dive site options for the first part of the week. The Captain stated there would be compensation from Aggressor Adventures for the missed dive day and the altered itinerary. I had really been looking forward to exploring new territory, but under the circumstances I had no real complaint. The rest of the trip was similar to other Belize Aggressor trips I have taken. The water was a bit murkier because of the storm, but still the diving was good, with many sightings of eagle rays, sharks, turtles, and many smaller critters. Coral and creature count not nearly as good as the western Pacific, but probably amongst the best I've seen in the Caribbean. Crew was attentive and on the ball. My only serious complaint is that I discovered on the second-to-last dive day that the emergency hookah rig set at 15ft under the boat was mostly non-functional. By pressing hard on the purge button I could barely get air to come out. Up top the gauge on the cylinder showed about 1000 psi. I mentioned the cylinder to the crew, but when a crew member went to swap out the tank, the Captain intervened and halted that. Not having any experience with decompression diving, or how long it could be expected that someone exceeding the NDA would need to use the bottle, I have no idea whether 1000 psi is sufficient. I mentioned the situation that evening to a passenger who had been sent out by corporate on this trip to inspect the boat. He raised it with the captain the following morning and (eventually) the second stage was replaced by a fully functional one, as I verified on my last dive. It will be my practice in the future to check the emergency hookah on the first day. I found this behavior by the crew to be puzzling as it seemed like all other aspects of safety were carefully adhered to. I never felt unsafe with the procedures, boat layout or other equipment. The oxygen analyzer seemed in good working order and we always had readings of 32-33%. The boat's accommodations are comfortable and clean, but not as spacious as some of the other boats in the Aggressor fleet. Most had bunk beds with a large (queen?) lower and a twin upper, about 6ft long. Little storage space. Dining space somewhat smaller than other boats with a forward and aft section separated by the kitchen. Meant always splitting into two groups for the seating, not being able to talk to the other group. Dolphin and Manatee sightings at pierside was a bonus on the day they tried to repair the engine.
Websites	Aggressor Fleet
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Mostly Caribbean; Belize, Roatan, Turks & Caicos, Bahamas, Saba, Bonaire, Curacao. Bucket trips to Palau, Raja Ampat, Kona
Closest Airport	BZE	Getting There	Many direct flights from Houston, Atlanta, Miami, etc
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	83-85°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	110 ft floor, time not limited except 55 minutes on night dive
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	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	Large camera table with ample charging underneath. No air hoses for blowing out cameras, but a large basked of microfiber cloths was always available. However, my needs (GoPro with video light) are pretty meagre.

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Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in Belize/Turneffe and Lighthouse Reef

Aggressor Fleet: "Diverted trip in Belize", Oct, 2022,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 in
Belize/Turneffe and Lighthouse Reef