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Dive Review of Cayman Aggressor IV in
Cayman Islands

Cayman Aggressor IV: "Poor weather and mixed results", Oct, 2016,

by Peter Schaller, TX, US ( 2 reports). Report 10019.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments Arrival and boarding was easy, as the CA4 departs from downtown Georgetown, just a few minutes from the airport. We were early for boarding, but were able to leave bags and wander for the hour or so.
The dive deck is well laid out with a large camera table and aisles of benches on either side. 110V outlets were available on the table to easily keep gear charged. The dive stations have spacious under bench storage, with racks above for wetsuits. All diving was off the stern platform, and the dual ladders allowed easy return aboard.
We were in stateroom 4. While the boat is clean, the air vents are quite dusty. I could only smell some air freshener and had no issues but my wife had an allergic reaction to something in the stateroom and was not able to spend any time in the room except to change clothes. The inside of her nostrils were on fire and she even had to sleep up top for the entire week. Thanks to Sudafed and naps topside, she was able to survive, but was mostly miserable when she was not in the water. She has never had allergy issues of any kind before, so this problem took us by surprise.
There are warm showers on the dive deck, so we rarely had any need to shower in the room. The only additional room issue was a clog of the toilet, which several other rooms experienced over the week. This was quickly resolved by the crew, but despite repeated efforts we couldn't find a resolution for the allergy reaction other than breathing through a wet towel.
Another issue had no bearing on the boat or crew- the weather. While the planned itinerary was diving at all three Cayman islands, rain, wind and seas meant we did all of our diving on the South and West side of Grand Cayman. Visibility and marine life was substantially lower than the other times we have been on the same dive sites. We still saw turtles on most every dive. But, only on the last dive, at Devil's Grotto, and as the weather cleared, was there a real profusion of fish.
The crew provided detailed and effective briefings and the diving itself was very comfortable. There was a hot tub on the upper deck and it was taken advantage of often. After every dive the crew ensured a clean and dry towel was at the rail as soon as you got out of the water, and the hot towels were direct from the dryer on night dives.
Would we do this again? Two very different answers depending on who you asked. I'd suggest looking more carefully at the weather. Fall weather in the Caribbean can be a crap shoot, even without hurricanes.
Websites Cayman Aggressor IV   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Palau, Yap, Moorea, Coral Sea, Australia, Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Caymans, Cozumel, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Virgin Islands, Turks & Caicos, Bahamas, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Florida Keys & Dry Tortugas
Closest Airport GCM Getting There Direct flight from DFW, 5 minute cab to the marina.

Dive Conditions

Weather windy, rainy, cloudy Seas choppy
Water Temp 82-86°F / 28-30°C Wetsuit Thickness 2
Water Visibility 75-200 Ft/ 23-61 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Scheduled dive times, buddy diving, but otherwise open to use computers and reason.
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 2 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Nice tables, pleanty of dry space and electrical outlets
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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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