Aggressor Fleet Reputation?

[Dee]

You make a very good point. I haven't seen any pictures from live aboard trips that exactly match the brochures but I've also never heard of so many things being wrong on the same trip.

Cyber Diver is the online equivilant to the National Inquirer. The least they could have done is spread out the complaints a bit! Whenever I see their name I seldom read the article. And if I do, it's with a grain of salt.

 

[Otter]

Dee once bubbled...
Cyber Diver is the online equivilant to the National Inquirer.

I am not very familiar with Cyber-Diver and infrequently access their website. So if they are another National Enquirer, then I will treat their information with even more skepticism than before.....unless of course they actually show pictures of young divers growing gills after being visited by :alien: ....then I'll believe it :bonk:

 

[scuba goof]

http://www.cdnn.info/interview/tomstark/tomstark.html there are places that you can find the time line of national weather service advisories and track the direction of the storm. Peter Hughs directed his boat towards it. Wayne Hanson stated the next day that the safest place in a class 5 hurricane was on the boat. The investigation by the Belize government has never been completed and never will be. But don't worry. Peter Hughs has replaced the Wave Dancer and returned to business as usual in Belize.

 

[deepstops]

scuba goof once bubbled...
http://www.cdnn.info/interview/tomstark/tomstark.html there are places that you can find the time line of national weather service advisories and track the direction of the storm. Peter Hughs directed his boat towards it. Wayne Hanson stated the next day that the safest place in a class 5 hurricane was on the boat. The investigation by the Belize government has never been completed and never will be. But don't worry. Peter Hughs has replaced the Wave Dancer and returned to business as usual in Belize.

When an accident happens and people die, there's going to be some blame placed "somewhere". If "they sailed into the face of the storm" as so many would like to put it, tell me why every other boat in the vicinity of the Peter Hughes boat went to the same place to ride out the storm. They probably should have offloaded their passengers but the boat would have been tied up at the same place and only some crew members would have died that way. And I'll bet nobody would have made the big fuss that was made if they had "only" been crew members.

 

[Otter]

Before this thread turns into a PHD bashing forum??

 

[scuba goof]

"They probably should have offloaded their passengers but the boat would have been tied up at the same place and only some crew members would have died that way."

Almost sounds like you are not aware that the captain ended up in a life raft. Or that everyone encluding crew should have been off the boat. Maybe you never looked at the timeline of events to see when things took place. Maybe you did. Doesn't seem that way.

 

[Aquacatfighter]

Heres something I found on the web about Peter Hughes -





On Saturday, October 6, the National Hurricane Center in Miami issued frequent warnings that Hurricane Iris was strengthening and moving west towards Belize, yet the Peter Hughes Diving Inc. Wave Dancer departed with 20 Richmond Dive Club members and eight crew on what was supposed to be a fun-filled, holiday dive trip exploring Belize's renowned offshore reefs.Just over 48 hours later, the holiday came to an abrupt and tragic end when the Category 4 hurricane, the most powerful of the season, slammed into Wave Dancer and capsized the converted crew boat with 230 km/hr winds and storm surge 18 feet above normal tide level. Twenty people died including 17 Richmond Dive Club members and three crew. The Wave Dancer disaster raises disturbing questions about how Peter Hughes Diving Inc (and the Aggressor Fleet) conduct off-shore dive trips in regions that are prone to severe weather disturbances. Peter Hughes comments on company policy (regarding payments) are less than reassuring: "Our policy is intended to be fair to our guests, and yet prevent the loss of income to our business." Perhaps that explains why Wave Dancer (and the Belize Aggressor) left port on Saturday and remained in the holiday mode while the rest of the tourist industry in Belize was evacuating guests inland to emergency shelters. The Wave Dancer disaster raises disturbing questions about how Peter Hughes Diving Inc (and the Aggressor Fleet) conduct off-shore dive trips in regions that are prone to severe weather disturbances. Peter Hughes comments on company policy (regarding payments) are less than reassuring: "Our policy is intended to be fair to our guests, and yet prevent the loss of income to our business." Perhaps that explains why Wave Dancer (and the Belize Aggressor) left port on Saturday and remained in the holiday mode while the rest of the tourist industry in Belize was evacuating guests inland to emergency shelters.

There are many other disturbing questions, all of which Peter Hughes refuses to answer. Did the head office, which was in constant contact with the Wave Dancer captain, make all of the critically important decisions along the way? Why did head office personnel state that Wave Dancer went south to Big Creek because they thought the hurricane was headed north when National Hurricane Center tracking models predicted west to southwest movement as early as Sunday? Why didn't Wave Dancer pull the hook on Sunday and return to Belize City where evacuation procedures were under way? Why did Wave Dancer wait until Monday morning to leave and why did they go south to Big Creek?

Why, after making all of the wrong decisions and placing the vessel and customers directly in the path of an oncoming Category 4 hurricane, did they ignore local officials who warned boat personnel to move everyone ashore to emergency shelters? Why did the boat captain threaten to fire crew who wanted to go ashore to emergency shelters? Why were the guests casually dining and drinking just before the hurricane slammed into Big Creek? Why, after 20 people were killed aboard Wave Dancer, did Wayne Hasson of the Aggressor Fleet insist that liveaboards are safer than concrete emergency shelters in Category 4 hurricanes?

 

[scuba goof]

not to worry, peter hughs returned to business as usual in Belize and you can dive there aboard Sun Dancer II. Have a nice time.

 

[Jack R]

I have done a dozen or so Aggressor trips. They have all but one been great. I have done on Peter hughes trip to PNG and that was great.

The one bad one was an inexperianced captian (palau) who made it bad but after I complained the aggressor gave me a free trip.

With all the trips they do throughout the year there has to be some problems.

However one thing that I totally agree with the article is those damn waivers written in lawyerese.

They are nasty, the last one I signed (for Peter hughes) said that I cant even sue them if they were negligent.

I took it to an attorney before signing and he told me that I can still sue and they would still be liable for gross negligance.

 

[deepstops]

scuba goof once bubbled...
[B Almost sounds like you are not aware that the captain ended up in a life raft. Or that everyone encluding crew should have been off the boat. Maybe you never looked at the timeline of events to see when things took place. Maybe you did. Doesn't seem that way. [/B]

Yes, I am familiar that EVERYONE on the boat ended up in the water. Yes, I am familiar with the timeline of events. Yes I am familiar with everything that has been published.

So why didn't everyone slam the Aggressor boat's captain who was tied up 200 yards away in Big Creek. Maybe because they didn't flip over? It's an established fact that every other vessel in the area went to Big Creek to ride it out. Why they were still in the area is another story.