Aggressor Baja

[champ]

What makes me real nervous is that the navy made them leave. Then the next week, Wayne thought they should have gone out ... obviously the captain and crew did not agree.

So all their ducks are obviously not in a row.

 

[champ]

What I don't get is if they Don't have the proper permits, why the heck are they even running these trips???? I'm sure they have been informed that they need some sort of permit to be allowed to operate there. If they are blatantly disregarding this and trying to sneak through the cracks to get people to go on these trips it's really going to piss me off, especially if I get all the way out there and have to turn around and leave. That happened to me on the Solmar V (Socorro trip) and there was almost a frickin mutiny on board.

Did the Solmar turn around because of weather or lack of permits?

 

[J Easy]

Did the Solmar turn around because of weather or lack of permits?

Neither actually. One of the generators broke and they decided it wasn't safe to operate on one generator that far out. The worst part was that we had just finished our check out dive and there were whales EVERYWHERE topside. Everyone was stoked for an epic week of diving. It was a very interesting ride back to Cabo that's for sure.

 

[champ]

I had one of my best dive trips to Socorro Island on the Natilus Explorer. Manta Rays with us every day - playing and engaging the divers. Whales above water putting on a show and singing non-stop underwater. I actually got in the water with a Mother and her calf twice from the kayak. We also had huge schools of hammer heads and even a whale shark that stuck around with me the whole dive!!

 

[TheUWPhotographer.com]

I'm booked on the Solmar V's last trip of the season to Guadalupe leaving next week. I'm SO excited. I've been there before many years ago on the Horizon. I'm overdue for a return visit.

I spoke to a bunch of people who have been out there recently and the reports back from the trips has been stellar. I heard there is a lot of shark activity, up to eight sharks a day around the cages and some stick around the Solmar V all day. I've also been told that the Solmar V is the only boat out there that is chumming legally. Although they get boarded and checked, they always check out OK and don't have to hide or shut down what they are doing. They have all their permits in place. Other boats have not been allowed to even leave the port if they have chum on board. The Mexican Navy is really cracking down on those who do not play the game right.

When I saw the advertised prices for those Guadalupe trips I thought it was too good to be true. I'm really sorry for those people who took the time and spent the money to do this trip and ended up empty handed. It really is a trip of a lifetime, if you can get there.

 

[champ]

I just got an email back from Wayne. The boat has been out at Guadalupe all week and having good sightings. It looks like all the paper work has been sorted out.

I'm very excited for my trip. It will be nice to be on a boat that has been renovated - basically a new boat : )

 

[champ]

I just got back from my trip to Guadalupe with the Baja Aggressor. It was a great trip. We had lots of Great White action. They are impressive strong animals. We even had a Mola Mola swim by our cage. The crew and guests were a lot of fun. They have developed a relationship with a shark researcher who has lived at Guadalupe during shark season the last few years. - he came on board and gave a presenation on the sharks. Also, we took panga rides to see the fur seals and elephant seals up close.

 

[sandraker]

Thanks for the post champ. I had a moment of panic after reading the thread given we leave tomorrow for the Saturday Aggressor trip. Any tips?

 

[champ]

Yes. You do not need to bring your BC, regulator, or fins because everything is done with a hooka system (even the submersable). They need to update their website on this - originally they planed to use scuba for the submersable. If fresh tuna is available, you want to be in the water - nothing works better bringing the sharks up to the surface (surfaces cages are probably best when fresh tuna is around). Otherwise the submersable is your best bet because the sharks are more likely to approach it than the surface cages. Fill your wetsuit with warm water before and after each dive - it will help keep you warm.

Bring a white slate and use the auto white balance feature for your camera.

If anything is not right, tell the crew. They are pro-active about fixing things.

It is a lot more of a party boat than other locations. The boat is well stocked with beer / rum / whiskey. If you don't see what you want, ask the crew - they usually have a hidden stock somewhere.

 

[Mossman]

It is a lot more of a party boat than other locations. The boat is well stocked with beer / rum / whiskey. If you don't see what you want, ask the crew - they usually have a hidden stock somewhere.

Interesting, but it makes sense if there's no DCS risk. Do they preserve the "first drink only after last dive of the day" or can you have a beer or three before going in the cage? Personally, I think a few drinks would make the cage "diving" more exciting.