Okeanos Aggressor II

We spent 10 days on the Aggressor and had a marvelous time. This was my first liveaboard trip, so I really have nothing to compare it to. The room was snug but comfortable, and always clean. The common areas were very nice—salon included a large couch, a big screen for movies (many available), and the dining area was tight but comfortable. The upper deck had a hot tub, loungers, and beer on tap. The crew was absolutely top-notch, worked very well as a team, efficient, and we often wondered when everything was getting done. They bent over backwards to make sure that all guests had anything we needed (including the captain making a special effort to get me the World Series scores that I was missing). Smiles were common, and they seemed to really enjoy their jobs. The food was excellent, tasty, served timely, and had a nice variety, including a full turkey dinner. There was certainly plenty of food. As to the dive operation, it was as good or better than anything I had experienced before. Tanks were usually refilled before we had time to change into dry clothes. Bench lockers to keep your stuff, hangers above for wetsuits and rash vests, camera table enough for all. Good rental equipment. Large prep area and two hot showers at the dive platform. Easy stride entry, solid ladders for exit. It was incredibly effortless to dive, even after four or five dives in the day. As to the diving itself, it was marvelous, even despite some marginal weather (a storm front came through). But then, what's a little rain when you spend most of the time at 45–90 feet? The crew altered the schedule to move to sites that were better protected and diveable until the storm passed by. We lost no dive time, although the visibility was down a bit (30–60 ft). The reefs were rich with coral, fish and lobster everywhere, sting and eagle rays, octopus, morays galore, turtles, reef, white tip and nurse sharks—even a pod of 30 or so dolphins came by to visit. Incredible. And of course, lionfish. This is definitely a trip for serious, focused divers, since that is what you will be doing most of the time. The wall diving was the best part, most starting at an easy 40 ft and down to the depths. I thought the best areas were between 50–70 ft. This trip has definitely opened up my eyes to the ease and pleasure of liveaboard diving. Absolutely worth every penny. We are already planning our next trip. Aggressor is a top-notch value.

This trip was my first liveaboard, and it exceeded expectations. The staff were outstanding—always friendly, helpful, and accommodating. Meals were excellent, with a rotating selection of hot breakfasts, buffet-style lunches, and plated dinners featuring fish, chicken, and more. Desserts like bananas foster and bread pudding were highlights, and snacks were provided throughout the day. Special dietary needs were handled without hesitation, even for challenging requests. The diving was superb. We encountered reef sharks, nurse sharks, octopuses, squid, turtles, seahorses, and more. The dive guides were excellent at spotting the smaller critters, including pipefish and decorator crabs. Underwater photos were included, and videos were available for purchase. We even tried blackwater fluorescent night diving—an unforgettable experience. Cabins were compact but comfortable, with nightly turndown service and chocolates on the pillows. For a first liveaboard, it was a fantastic introduction—and certainly won’t be my last.

Red Sea Aggressor Trip Report Week 1: We did the Deep South route (going all the way to St. John's Reef). Week 2: We did the northern route to Brothers and Daedalus Reefs. Travel: I chose to fly to Hurghada instead of Marsa Alam as there are a lot more flight options. I chose Turkish Airlines because there was only one connection in Istanbul (only one chance for my baggage to get lost). Although the connection was long, I ended up going to a lounge, and it was not that bad at all. I highly recommend doing that—either you get in for free with an Amex card or you can pay $25, which is totally worth it. I stayed at the Hilton in Hurghada after landing and had a driver pick me up after lunch to drive me down to Port Ghalib. It was about a 2.5-hour drive. The Diving: I preferred the southern route to the northern one, but overall the diving was really nice. We unfortunately did not see any hammerheads but did see other sharks, manta rays, a ton of blue-spotted rays, octopus, turtles, and a gazillion other fish. The reefs are in overall good condition, and none of the dive sites were too crowded. On the southern route, we did 4-5 dives a day, and on the northern route, it was 4 dives a day with no night dives. Note—in late March and early April, the water temps are not that warm, especially if you are doing 3-4-5 dives a day. In the south, the temps ranged from 75-78°F, and in the north from 73-75°F. Here are my photos from the trip: https://plus.google.com/photos/10959...43990897043985 The Boat and Crew: The boat we were on was very comfortable, and the shared rooms were well-designed with beds side by side versus bunk beds. The showers actually had water pressure, which was great for liveaboards. A few things I'd recommend when going: If you need a driver from Hurghada to Marsa Alam, I highly recommend Mohamed: www.hurghadatransfer.com Email: hurghadatransfer@yahoo.com Phone: +201007355673 Bring spares! Batteries for camera/computer/lights and spare o-rings. If you fly into Hurghada and need a hotel, the Hilton by the airport is cheap and okay for 1 night. If you plan to spend the day or a few days there, then stay at the Steigenberger Al Dau. If you need a hotel in Port Ghalib, the Intercontinental and Crown Hotel are on a gorgeous shared property and walking distance to the docks. Be sure to bring appropriate wetsuits. 78°F sounds warm unless you are diving all day, and hoods/hooded vests make a huge difference. Bring a few snacks like nuts or granola bars for nibbles between meals. The boat certainly feeds you, but sometimes between meals a little bite to eat makes a big difference.

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 a 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 at the local Radisson hotel in Belize City for a couple of hours before catching our flights home. Accommodations / Food: Rooms on liveaboard 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 liveaboard yacht. Diving: Like any good liveaboard, 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 five 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 second 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, stingrays, 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 diving 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 what the diving was like: https://vimeo.com/56351698

Diving Cocos Island is amazing, Hammerheads, Tigers, Galapogos ,Whale Sharks, Mantas. 20 -30 hour crossing through rough seas. Once on sight STRONG currents and deep dives. Great diving for experienced divers that are comfortable with BIG sharks. Visibility was from 100ft to 15ft depending on location. The crew/dive guides are excellent, the food is good and plentiful. The boat could use a makeover/drydock, standard cabins are lack luster for the price.That being said, the excellent diving and incredible service of the crew make this a must do trip for any experienced diver.