Belize Aggressor IV Liveaboard

I am just back from a week of diving in Belize aboard the Aggressor IV. First, the bad news - we couldn't do the Blue Hole due to weather. That being said, I was one of the folks on board who wasn't particularly interested in a deep dive to see stalactites & stalagmites, so no loss for me. Now the good news - it was a most excellent week of diving! Great and highly committed crew who did everything to make for an enjoyable trip, not the least being the food (terrific) and the care and joy evidenced in everything they did. Very personable, great to be with. The reefs were in the best shape for Caribbean that I have seen in over a decade. Large groupers everywhere, huge barrel sponges, much marine life, reef in pretty good condition. Comfortable and roomy boat. Can't recommend this trip enough.

We have been on this trip two times in August and have been blown out for multiple days and missed the opportunity to see the Blue hole. I would suggest that you travel there in June or July. I would also suggest that you plan to spend a week on land and see the country. There is river cave tubing, ruins to see, butterfly farm, zip lines and a great zoo.

From the very moment setting foot on the boat, the Aggressor staff made me feel welcome and taken care of. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. No one wanted for anything! The boat is in excellent condition and well kept. The food was delicious and plentiful. The diving was relaxing and enjoyable. We had close-up encounters with with sharks nearly every day; eagle rays were also regulars on our dives. Highly recommended!

Travel Coordination:We dove on the Sun Dancer II in December 2012, and we really enjoyed the boat, and the diving. It was a second for me on the Peter Hughes boat in Belize (I dove years ago on the original Dancer boat, which sadly sank in a hurricane), and I can say that this time the diving was even better (or at least it seemed better). The Dancer crew were at the airport, ready to take our bags and whisk us over to the boat. Similarly, on the way out, the Dancer staff had a shuttle ready to take us back to the airport (they actually pre-arranged for us to have access to the poolside bar of the local Radisson hotel in Belize City for a couple of hours before heading to catch our flights home).Accommodations / Food:Rooms on live aboard dive yachts are always a bit tight, but truthfully, our rooms were really comfortable, with enough room for all of our "stuff". The meals on the yacht were very good, just like you would expect on a Dancer live aboard yacht.Diving:Like any good live aboard, Peter Hughes makes the diving easy. Your gear awaits on the back of the boat, and you can just roll into the water -- up to 5 dives a day. That's why liveaboards cost more, but for ease and logging a lot of dives, it is a good deal. For the money, the Sun Dancer II was actually pretty reasonably priced (especially when you factor in that all your food is included)Belize has the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world, and the diving is really quite nice, with a variety of both small macro, photography creatures, (nudibranchs, sea horses, flaming tongue, small reef fish) and larger creatures, like moray eels, reef sharks, lots of turtles, eagle rays, sting rays, and barracuda. The diving overall was easy, with relatively calm waters, and the water was around 78 F, so I was perfectly comfortable in my 3mm wetsuit.For a lot of people, the high point of a Belize dive trip is to dive the Blue Hole. Maybe I'm cynical but color me unimpressed. I liked diving there, but it is just a cave. If I want to see stalactites and stalagmites, I'll go to Luray caverns. My favorite dive sites were Long Caye Ridge and Long Caye Wall (where the reef just seemed very lush), and No Coco, where I got to play with a very sweet turtle.You can check out my video to get a better idea of the diving was like:https://vimeo.com/56351698

This was our first liveaboard and all others will be judged against this one. It was perfect. The crew video'd all week and then compiled it onto a DVD for everyone. They are very conscious of the environment and do everything they can to remind you of your obligation to protect it.

Went with a group and had a great time on the Belize Aggressor IV. Megan was a great captain and all the crew was great with nice warm fluffly towels and back rubs after each dive. Typical Aggressor/Dancer fleet great service. Had option of coffee/tea to wake you up in room daily. Nice touch. Food brought to you at table for meals. No buffet style. Wine included with dinner also a nice touch.Diving was good. Lots of wall dives. Tons of lionfish(good or bad?) Went to the blue hole which was interesting to do though not much of any marine life to see there. Crabs, sponges, lots of colorful reef fish. Not as much big stuff. Good conditions. Not too much current. Prefer diving in Indonesia myself though. The sponges here were the best I've seen anywhere however.Rooms comfortable with nice bathroom and large shower. Nice TV and comfortable beds.