Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in
Costa Rica

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Aggressor Fleet: "Thirty Years Later", Mar, 2020, by DONALD MCCOY, OR, US ( Sr. Reviewer 9 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 11458 has 1 Helpful vote.
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	I did four trips about thirty years ago on the Aggressor I and the Sea Hunter. After that time, I discovered Socorro, which was easier to get to and had much of the same topography. The flight from Portland to San Jose was uneventful and it was nice to be able to do it in a day. Unfortunately, when I got to the airport, the transportation to the hotel didn't show up. I had to arrange my own transportation. Aggressor apologized and gave me a refund. The transportation to Puntarenas the next day worked well and the bus driver helped us understand the topography and also gave us some background on the country. The crew met us as we pulled in the parking lot. We were assigned rooms and given a briefing. We set sail soon afterward. The trip out to Cocos was pretty smooth and I was able to read a few books. We had an interesting group. There were nine crewmembers and eighteen divers. Five divers were from Italy, five from the US, one from Denmark, one from Sweden, one from Austria, one from the UK, two from Brazil and two from Switzerland. They were all experienced divers and we got along well. The support boats were inflatable Pangas with a side ladder. You took off your fins to climb the ladder, but climbed up with your tank and weights. All dives were “buddy” dives and lead by a divemaster. It was expected that you come up with your buddy. The panga driver watched for the divers and picked them up when they surfaced. Cocos is called “Island of the Sharks” for a reason. You see sharks on every dive. White tips are the most common, but we also saw Black Tips, Galapagos and Tiger Sharks. Of course the big reason you come is to see the Schooling Hammerheads. In the past, we hung out around the cleaning stations, hoping to see the sharks come in close. This time, however, we went out into the blue at about 80-90ft and looked down. Often the schools were visible below us. We saw Schools of Big Eyed Jacks, Blue and Gold Snappers and Goatfish. We also saw one Manta, and a number of Marble and Eagle Rays. I did REEF surveys on every dive and usually logged 30 species on a dive. Making the Island into a Marine Protected Area seems to have worked. We did two visits to the Island itself. One was at the Ranger station in Wafer Bay. That appears to be where the rangers are housed now. There are four bungalows and what looks like a research facility. There is a trail that goes up to the highest point of the Island, but out and back is a 7-hour rugged hike. Chatam Bay is the other anchorage. Most of the dive boats anchor there. It looks like the ranger station there has been abandoned. Chatam Bay was the area most of the fishing boats were anchored before and the area where water was available. There are a number of Rocks there with carvings on them including one that Jacques Cousteau left. There is also a trail there that leads up to a lookout and a Facility that looks like it was built for small conferences. It doesn’t look like it is being used either. When we return, we always ask ourselves whether it was worth it or not. I have no regrets. It is really nice to see how Costa Rica has committed to preserving the Island, it wildlife and marine life. The diving there is still World Class! The one complaint I had about the trip was that the Aggressor office insisted that they couldn't guarantee getting me to the airport on time to catch my flight. It cost me $225 for a private driver. I got to the Alaska counter before they even opened and others on the boat got there an hour before my flight was to leave.
Websites	Aggressor Fleet
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Canada, Washington State, Sea of Cortez, Cocos, Socorro, Dominica, Cayman, Belize, South Carolina, Hawaii, Indonesia, Palau, Cuba
Closest Airport	San Jose, Costa Rica	Getting There	From Portland, Oregon through Los Angeles
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	currents
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	25-50 Ft/ 8-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Buddy diving was expected, but buddies could dive their own profiles. Many of us just followed the dive guide.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish	N/A
Small Critters	N/A	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	I did not take photos, but I thought the facilities were adequate.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Aggressor Fleet in Costa Rica

Aggressor Fleet: "Thirty Years Later", Mar, 2020,

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
Costa Rica