Aggressor liveaboard or Itza/Huracan?

[Damselfish]

I've done 3 trips on the BA4 (when it was SD2) and I don't think we've ever done any dives at Turneffe. I've asked and was told they think the diving is just better at Lighthouse. (I think there may have also been discussion that the better sites at Turneffe might not be doable by LOB, either because of lack of suitable moorings, or currents which would require using chase boats which they aren't equipped for.)

 

[Trailboss123]

I've done 3 trips on the BA4 (when it was SD2) and I don't think we've ever done any dives at Turneffe. I've asked and was told they think the diving is just better at Lighthouse. (I think there may have also been discussion that the better sites at Turneffe might not be doable by LOB, either because of lack of suitable moorings, or currents which would require using chase boats which they aren't equipped for.)

When we were on the BA3 this past April, we spent 1/2 the trip at Turneffe dive sites and the ones we hit were devoid of life. Pretty disappointing. Wish we had spent the entire week out at Lighthouse and not sure why we didn't. I'd consider going back if I knew we would be out there all week.
@Dogbowl was on the BA4 the week b4 me and I am pretty sure they had the same routine. Time split between Turneffe and Lighthouse.

 

[OMGinger]

@salth2owannabe thanks for the rundown on Huracan and Itza as well as your additional comments @rongoodman and @giffenk, not dealing with potentially new equipment and people on a daily basis plus the transit time to the dive site is definitely a selling point for the liveaboard.

Also @Trailboss123 identified the underlying thought I had pretty well (sorry, should have been clearer..), I probably should have just said "Am I better off staying at Huracan/Itza and diving Lighthouse Reef all week vs. going on a liveaboard and splitting time between Lighthouse and Turneffe?" From what I see in the replies it still sounds like liveaboards are still the winners.

We are probably going to arrive a few days before the liveaboard departs and I was thinking of checking out the Mayan ruins, but we will be a bit rusty on dives, so a refresher is in order. Any suggestions on places to go for a quick day or two getaway to bang off a few dives?

 

[Damselfish]

When we were on the BA3 this past April, we spent 1/2 the trip at Turneffe dive sites and the ones we hit were devoid of life. Pretty disappointing. Wish we had spent the entire week out at Lighthouse and not sure why we didn't. I'd consider going back if I knew we would be out there all week.
@Dogbowl was on the BA4 the week b4 me and I am pretty sure they had the same routine. Time split between Turneffe and Lighthouse.

Interesting, I wonder why too.
Personally, I'd go back if they ran weeks where they promised not to waste half a day doing the Blue Hole/Half Moon picnic thing. If they were spending less time at Lighthouse and killed a half day of it with that I'd be unhappy.

 

[KeithG]

When we were on the BA3 this past April, we spent 1/2 the trip at Turneffe dive sites and the ones we hit were devoid of life. Pretty disappointing. Wish we had spent the entire week out at Lighthouse and not sure why we didn't. I'd consider going back if I knew we would be out there all week.
@Dogbowl was on the BA4 the week b4 me and I am pretty sure they had the same routine. Time split between Turneffe and Lighthouse.

That sucks. I have not been on the BA III. Does it routinely spend part of the week at Turneffe? That would be a valid reason to go IV over III. Come to think of it, we did not see the III for the first few days on our recent trip...

The other boat does not routinely do Turneffe. I have only dove Turneffe on Friday morning coming back to port. All other dives are on Half Moon and Long Caye. If the weather is a bit bad then Blue Hole is skipped, if weather is really bad then Half Moon is mostly skipped and the majority of dives are done on Long Caye. We have been on this itnerary about a dozen times. No Blue Hole several times, only once was Half Moon totally skipped.

 

[salth2owannabe]

From what I've seen the time the Aggressor spends around Turneffe is based on winds/weather. This observation comes from seeing the Aggressor boats while staying both at Turneffe and Lighthouse. We were at TIR again for 10 days in December and one of the weeks the weather was pretty rough. As I remember one of the Aggressors spent three days around Turneffe although a search of the Capt. logs for that week for both III and IV states they spent only the first 2 days there. It seemed to me that they also routinely spend part of Friday on their return to Belize City on the south east side of Turneffe.
There was a review a while back about an Aggressor trip and the poster had commented that they were disappointed with the dive sites on Turneffe. I shared with them that when the Aggressor was in view off of Turneffe there were only a couple of mooring lines they used. The dive sites at those mooring areas were not great and not representative of Turneffe. I suggested they don't judge Turneffe based on the sites the Aggressor stops at there as in my opinion there are many good sites to dive on Turneffe. I would assume that the Aggressor is limited by the mooring lines they can use there. Having spent some time at both lighthouse and Turneffe I would say the diving is for sure better on Lighthouse, however Turneffe does have a lot to offer. The west side has what I would call stepped benches with large coral heads that are surrounded by sand. The south has the Elbow which has been a great dive every time we've done it. The east has the more typical wall dive and gets better as you go north. North of where I've seen the Aggressor Mooring.
OMGinger, I would also recommend you take a look at the Black Orchid Resort along the Belize River for your pre/post dive stay. We really like it as an option for staying outside of Belize City. We typically arrive a day early and stay there. They do airport pickup/drop offs, have restaurant and bar on site. They will arrange for Mayan tours and or take you directly to/from the town docks. It's a great quiet family run operation. We arranged a private Mayan ruins tour through them and it was fantastic. (I don't receive anything from them for an endorsement)

 

[gbf]

I've been on BAIV for 2x10days, and am going again week after next for 10 days.

As I remember, and I'm old so could be remembering incorrectly, the only dives we did at Turneffe were on the way out as the first 2 dives, and on the way in as the last 2 dives.

BAIV doesn't have a hot tub, but it also doesn't have bunk beds. I hatehatehate bunk beds, and I wouldn't get in a hot tub if it belonged to me...

BAIV for me.

But that's just me, ymmv.

I also agree with giffenk about the Blue Hole...

And Half Moon is the bomb.

 

[Trailboss123]

That sucks. I have not been on the BA III. Does it routinely spend part of the week at Turneffe? That would be a valid reason to go IV over III. Come to think of it, we did not see the III for the first few days on our recent trip...

The other boat does not routinely do Turneffe. I have only dove Turneffe on Friday morning coming back to port. All other dives are on Half Moon and Long Caye. If the weather is a bit bad then Blue Hole is skipped, if weather is really bad then Half Moon is mostly skipped and the majority of dives are done on Long Caye. We have been on this itnerary about a dozen times. No Blue Hole several times, only once was Half Moon totally skipped.

I am not sure what the routine is. Was my first time to Belize and the Aggressor. I am a Cozumel and Bonaire regular. I didn't feel like the weather was at all the reason for our Captain's choices. Not sure what the criteria was or how things differ between the BA3 and BA4, in terms of dive site choice. All in all, we still had a great trip and like others have said, I could definitely live without the Blue Hole dive. But, it was interesting to note that well over half of the people on our boat were there and doing the trip with the Blue Hole dive as one of their biggest reasons for coming to Belize to dive. We had a number of Europeans and South Americans and the Blue Hole was super important to them, so I doubt that the Aggressor will eliminate it from the itinerary, unless everyone on the boat had already been there and done that and didn't care to return.

 

[KeithG]

I am not sure what the routine is. Was my first time to Belize and the Aggressor. I am a Cozumel and Bonaire regular. I didn't feel like the weather was at all the reason for our Captain's choices. Not sure what the criteria was or how things differ between the BA3 and BA4, in terms of dive site choice. All in all, we still had a great trip and like others have said, I could definitely live without the Blue Hole dive. But, it was interesting to note that well over half of the people on our boat were there and doing the trip with the Blue Hole dive as one of their biggest reasons for coming to Belize to dive. We had a number of Europeans and South Americans and the Blue Hole was super important to them, so I doubt that the Aggressor will eliminate it from the itinerary, unless everyone on the boat had already been there and done that and didn't care to return.

Agreed. We splashed the Blue Hole once. Just once.

We view it as a morning to sleep in and off gas a bit more. I hate having to get up early on vacation...

 

[Dogbowl]

I agree with everything @Trailboss123 said. We were on the BAIV one week before him, and had pretty much the exact same experience.

I got the impression that dive site choice was based on weather, mainly wind. We went to Turneffe, then to Lighthouse, then returned back to Turneffe (if I recall correctly). We spent very little time at Lighthouse during our week, which was very windy and cold.

I also got the impression that BAIII and BAIV were on the same dive sites pretty much all week. We saw them all the time. I think the captains discuss their routes and they usually end up together (i.e., maybe on different parts of the same reef).

About the Blue Hole - I hear a lot of SB'ers complain about diving the Blue Hole, but I will confirm that it was the highlight of our trip. EVERYONE was super happy that morning and looked forward to it. EVERYONE, including the crew, were on the sun deck watching intently and with much excitement as the captain slowly pulled into the Blue Hole. There were several divers who have dived the Blue Hole several times previously, and who said they would never dive it again, and yet they did and seemed to enjoy it. It was especially important for first timers to Belize, especially those from Europe.

I think this is another area where SB opinions are not representative of the real world.