Trip Report Aggressor 5 - Jan26-Feb2 2019 - Report

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DreadnoughtNH

Contributor
Messages
222
Reaction score
275
Location
Portsmouth, NH
# of dives
500 - 999
Hey all! As promised, I'm giving my 2 cents about the Aggressor V. I've broken my review into components, as I feel they are separate entities about the trip. And because opinions are like arseholes, I will try to be cautious and note anything personal with an 'IMO'.

Airport Arrival – Probably the easiest arrival and customs procedure I have experienced in the Caribbean. I was first off plane and first from my flight through the customs line. My baggage was already off the conveyor on the ground by the time I got to baggage claim. JC met me outside baggage. $10 cab ride to boat (10 minutes). In about 50 minutes from landing, I was at the A5.

A5 Arrival – You setup your gear immediately upon arrival at the A5, which is great (you then don't need to lug your gear back and forth from cabin to deck). I stated that I was a bit of a gas hog, and Matt immediately changed my tank from an 80 to a 100 (only downside was that the tank then would not fit in the tank hole, but we just secured it to a post with a dive belt). The dive deck is immense and comfortable, with plenty of room to allow 20 divers to get setup without crowding each other. There are two 2-tier camera tables with air blow offs for drying camera, and deck storage on the lower tier of the table in lieu of personal cubbies, which I liked. Fins are kept in a rack on the transom. All worked smoothly.

The A5 - IMO, for the sake of weaker stomached guests this boat should never go to Little Cayman in any poor sea condition (winter). It is probably fine in warm weather, when the sea is less active. It is very high in the water with little keel only 7' draw and no stabilizers. The boat has a pronounced roll, even when at dock. On the crossing attempt to LC, dinner went sideways off the tables (though my table had the forethought to lift the wine and beer up and off before the boat rolled; dinner is ok, booze is forever :)). If you are prone to seasickness, bring some anti-nausea treatment. For safety, stay on the lower decks in any heavier sea conditions, it's more stable and there is less felt roll.

There is plenty of shade on the boat. Below are guest rooms, crew quarters and machinery, 2nd level salon and dive deck, 3rd level dining roomg and shaded patio, top deck is a sun deck bar and hot tub. The boat interior is very light, making the ambiance cheerful throughout.

Accommodation - Here I was pleasantly surprised. I was in a deluxe cabin (#7) by myself next to the engine compartment. There is PLENTY of room for a couple, or two solos. The room has a dual 110v outlet; if you are sharing your cabin, bring a long extension cord. Plenty of storage compartments in the room for your clothes and gear. The AC was the strongest I've experienced on a boat, and some guests complained early on (but, I like sleeping in a meat locker). Small bathroom, but that’s not unusual for any boat and I'm a pretty big guy. There is a pronounced grey water (wastewater) smell in the bathroom that will emanate into the cabin; I strongly recommend using the rubber drain cap provided in the shower when you are done showering and flush toilet frequently. With the cap in place, the smell vanished in an hour. Be careful with the amount of toilet paper you use and flush before you put the paper in to avoid blocking up the loo. The rooms were cleaned daily, and the bed remade and turned down at night.

Diving - All the DMs were professional at all times and top-notch. Diving was always safe, and always within limits (I believe the Caymans have a law about no diving below 110' and it is enforced on the A5). No decomp diving is permitted. When anyone was diving in an unsafe manner, it was pointed out immediately (there was really only one instance where this happened). The other guests were also self-policing of safe-diving and safe-practices, and there was a lot of looking over each other pre-dive that prevented little mistakes (like my about to jump in with my sunglasses still on my face!).

Cameras were handed down to you once in the water. Two chains are hung down from the stern to 20’ for easy safety stops. Blue down-lit LEDs for night dives, which attracted many surface critters for non-night divers (Mat was great at capturing in a small bin and identifying critters).

Dives consisted typically of one guide per dive who also either gave the site briefing or announced their dive plan. Dive briefings were pretty detailed, and worth listening to. Unfortunately, (IMO) once in the water the guides tended to go too fast through a site (Rodell and Aubri are speed demon divers, while Mat and JC tended to be slower and more comfortable IMO). I would recommend you identify a dive buddy who is at your level and speed as early as possible in the trip and dive with them throughout the trip (I did and it worked out marvelously!). All diving is from the transom of the mothership. Tender was used only for emergency retrieval.

Hot shower on transom deck with shampoo and body wash available, with towels (this was a luxury I did not know I wanted, and now I’m spoiled :) ). Hot towels and hot chocolate with baileys after the night dives.

Daily dive schedule worked as follows:
6:30am or 7am Breakfast
8am dive 1
Snack
10:30ish AM dive 2
Lunch
Siesta
2pm dive 3
Snack
3:45ish dive 4
Dinner
7:15ish Night dive

IMO, I was not crazy about dinner before night dive, as I got indigestion.

Many cameras were in use (professional and GoPro) but it was never a zoo; everyone was exceedingly respectful to the critters and each other.

Sites – typical reef fishes, sea turtles, barracuda, morays, squids, octopus, stingrays, tarpon, puffers, seahorses. Some of the healthiest coral formations I have seen in the Caribbean. None of the dives were particularly strenuous, and it was a great opportunity to hone and improve my skills. Unfortunately, the weather was poor (high wind) for most of the week so we ended up staying on the south and west side of GC and reefs therein, in the lee of the island. Our attempt to cross to LC on the first night was thwarted by high sea conditions.
Instead we did the following sites:

1 Doc Paulson x2
2 Babylon x3
3 Kelly's Caverns x3
4 Pedro's Castle x2
5 Bullwinkle x1
6 Lost Treasure x2
7 Big Tunnels x2
8 Oro Verde x3 (probably my favorite site)
9 Kittiwake x2 (least favorite)
10 Angelfish Reef x3
11 Eagle Ray Rock x1
12 Devils Grotto x1

Dress - ultra-casual, you live in your bathing suit and a T-shirt. A sarong and/or Thai fishing pants/lounge pants would not be bad idea for extra cover. Last dinner is NOT included in the trip, so I would bring an extra 'dining out' set of clothes for dinner in Georgetown (The Brasserie was an excellent discovery).

Food – Meals were edible and available, but not very good IMO (maybe the only downside of the trip). Lunches were best meal (soup, salad, protein). Most of the meat dishes (steak, pork, burger, chicken) were over cooked (steaks could have been used for baseball glove leather). I was a little surprised that the food was so poor on the boat, given that this is the ‘flagship’ for Aggressor. Wine and beer were available at all times, but no hard alcohol (there is a Tortuga liquor store around the corner from dock, if you want something for the voyage).

Airport Departure – last dives are in the morning of Friday, after which you wash and dry your gear. We tied up at the pier around 1pm, and the rest of the afternoon was ours, with a cocktail party and fun awards ceremony at 5:30p. Check-out is Saturday at 8am, and I recommend lounging at the Georgetown Yacht Club until 3 hours pre-flight. Check in was easy, and security was about a 20-minute wait. There is VERY little seating in the gate areas, and little food or entertainment options, so DO NOT GO TO THE AIRPORT EARLY. You will be unhappy.

Summary – Because it was so easy to get to, I would recommend A5 as a ‘turn-key’ quick Caribbean dive trip for North American divers, or even as a ‘first-time’ liveaboard to see if you enjoy the lifestyle. It is also perfect for a new OW diver who wants the sheer number of dives to improve; you’ll get the education and support from the crew and other guests who want to see you get better at the sport we love. There is hardly any current, nor depth to worry about, so risks are lower. At approximately $3000 per head, I calculate it as less expensive to be on the Aggressor 5 for a week of diving, than the same week with hotel, meals, car, and dive ops on GC. Definitely worth trying.

Please feel free to message me with any specific questions, and I'll monitor the thread for a bit.
PEACE!
 
Awesome review, thanks for sharing.
Seems to be about 30-50% of the boats make crossing (only going off of what I have read on SB) so that is the only gamble. But all other conditions make it sound like a great boat to dive on.

Was there any WiFi or cell service? I hate to be that guy to ask, but just curious.

It will be interesting to hear others chime in, I am thinking of a liveaboard for next year this time and would probably be between Turks & Caicos and Cayman

Thanks again
 
Excellent review and thanks for contributing to the forum with it. Should be handy for others. I did a trip on the Cayman Aggressor IV, the predecessor, and we made it to Little Cayman, and for 2 dives on the Keith Tibbets wreck off Cayman Brac. A few follow up observations:

1.) Cooks can be caught between a rock and a hard place on food. I like meats well done; if I see pink in the middle of it, ugh! But many people like medium rare.

2.) Guide pacing likewise; some people like to 'cover some reef,' and some could spend 15 minutes watching tiny creatures on a coral head.

3.) I've spent a sizable portion of my life in housing with septic tanks. To reduce the need to have them pumped, I'm accustomed to putting toilet paper wads in the waste can. Considering how weak the flush action is on some boat toilets, and how unpleasant unclogging them is said to be, plus, well, I'm big and I eat a lot...your mileage may vary.

Richard.
 
Great review. I cannot get my mind around doing a livaboard in Cayman. Did an Aggressor in The Galapagos and loved it but in Cayman I don’t see the pull. The new boat is absolutely limited on moorings, the restaurants in GC are awesome and the dive sites are so close I can’t imagine why you would do more than one dive anywhere. The sites you listed were all familiar, no Ghost Mountain etc. I guess I don’t understand the point of a livaboard unless you are going to things we don’t do everyday when you can sleep in a really comfy bed and have whatever you want for breakfast, lunch and dinner and have your choice of really incredible divers.
 
Appreciate the report!
We do the Aggressor V in about 3 weeks and this will be our first liveaboard. The draw for us doing the Cayman Aggressor was the possibility to dive GC, LC and CB all in one trip. If that doesn't happen due to weather I know I'll be disappointed.
I'm not sold that I'll like the liveaboard thing as I'm not a great people person and being trapped on a boat with 20 other divers for a week doesn't seem like my cup a tea. I'm keeping an open mind and just looking forward to getting under water.
 
Appreciate the report!
We do the Aggressor V in about 3 weeks and this will be our first liveaboard. The draw for us doing the Cayman Aggressor was the possibility to dive GC, LC and CB all in one trip. If that doesn't happen due to weather I know I'll be disappointed.
I'm not sold that I'll like the liveaboard thing as I'm not a great people person and being trapped on a boat with 20 other divers for a week doesn't seem like my cup a tea. I'm keeping an open mind and just looking forward to getting under water.

Don’t worry, you can happily always find a place to get quiet/loner time on a dive boat. I often not up for ‘best friend’s heart to heart’ either and I’ve never had an issue. Just friendly small talk, I’ll tend to eat up in deck as I don’t like cramped dining rooms and I go to bed early :)
 
Quick question, did you ask to change the nigtdive to pre dinner? We did on day 2 on the Belize aggressor iii and they had no issue with it. Was a hundred times better imo. More of a twilight start dive and we were out of the water by 6:30 with dinner at 7.
 
Quick question, did you ask to change the nigtdive to pre dinner? We did on day 2 on the Belize aggressor iii and they had no issue with it. Was a hundred times better imo. More of a twilight start dive and we were out of the water by 6:30 with dinner at 7.
Personal taste. I do NIGHT dives because of the variety of critters I can see, that are not active during daylight hours.Getting out of the water by 6:30 pm in Cayman doesn't really afford you that opportunity. If you want to see mating behaviors, twilight is a prime time for a number of fish. If you want to see critters that are more cryptic wanting the cover of darkness to feed, move around, mate, the darker the water and later the dive the better. IMHO:wink:
 
I'm not sold that I'll like the liveaboard thing as I'm not a great people person and being trapped on a boat with 20 other divers for a week doesn't seem like my cup a tea.

I think you'll be quite happy. From what I've seen on a few live-aboards, people tend to be happy, looking for a good time, share a common interest and are welcoming. I'm an introverted oddball and I love them.

Richard.
 
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