Koalaroo
Bubblebabbler
Thanks for that detailed report! :c)
Your photos are fantastic - what's the history behind that Pirate Grid there? I think I'd pee my wetsuite if I looked up and suddenly stared at a giant skull like that *lol*
Trip Report BVI Aggressor - Awesome Trip and Crew
- Thread starter mcohen1021
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Your photos are fantastic - what's the history behind that Pirate Grid there? I think I'd pee my wetsuite if I looked up and suddenly stared at a giant skull like that *lol*
OP
mcohen1021
Contributor
I wasn't sure... I think because some of the sites were very shallow & the big boat couldn't make it there.... or maybe some of the mornings weren't built for a boat that big? I never bothered to ask.
You would think maybe the diver level was newer, but that's not true. There were divers on the boat that have been diving longer than me, which I don't encounter very frequently... one guy was an instructor, another an assistant instructor... I'm a 30 year dive master, and many others were advanced or taking a class.
There were several aow divers that claimed to have been diving for twenty years , and their skills looked worse than divers that just got certified
I am almost 100% sure. There would have been less help needed without the tenders.
Sorry, wasn't clear:
$206 ferry RT for 2
$80 for 4 bags RT
$30 fees from St Thomas to Tortola
$40 fees from Tortola to St Thomas
RT air from DFW to EIS when I did my homework was ~$1300 pp
I picked BVI Aggressor bc I've never been there and I've already done Aggressor for TnC, Bahamas. Cayman scuba just doesn't do it for me after 3 trips to GC and 1 to Brac with 2 dives @ LC.
We have Maldives on our radar for the next liveaboard.
Unless we find a great deal on Belize Aggressor.
OP
mcohen1021
Contributor
NCG8R
Registered
Thanks for the excellent report! I’m booked on the 3/02 trip. One question: did they offer weight belts? Seems they would be much more efficient than filling/emptying BCD pockets for each dive. Also regarding OP question, I read the reason for the tenders is that the mooring bouys established by BVI are primarily designed for sail boats. Therefore, most won’t support the Aggressor due to boat size or depth. Also understand there are restrictions on which ones can be used in day vs. night. Finally, the boat was designed, I believe, to operate like the other Aggressor boats, and tenders were added later. Probably why they have to take the rigs off the boats to refill.Just got back from the BVI Aggressor trip Jan 27-Feb 3. Thought I'd post a review.
The boat: Tons of space. Loved the room (I was even at the back). Service, Food and Diving was awesome.
Service wise, they went out of their way to help with gear, getting on / off the skiffs, etc. but bc it was so labor intensive, and they were short staffed, some of the smaller things you come to expect on Aggressor like a hot towel at the end of the dive, you had to DIY. No big deal though.
Food was good and plentiful, but bc the normal highly acclaimed chef was away, I did not feel it was as good as it would have been. Morning coffee service was not possible bc of being short staffed. Also, not a big deal. It gave me an excuse to get to the dive deck and get equipment ready and get my own coffee (and wifes coffee - got to keep her caffenated lol).
Diving was great, but BVIs I felt 1st 2 days were geared towards beginners until we got to end of week with the deeper sites. Water was 78-80, but bc of the winds, you could get chilled before / after on your way to the dive sites. I wore a 5 mil and was happy with it (no spare tire on me). Others went in tshirt and shorts.
I think where a major improvement could be made is the transfer to / from the dive sites. I felt it was inefficient. Here is why. Too many people needed too much help with gear, rig, weights, fins, cameras, etc.
The problem was, everybody who was not carrying their own gear were asked to drop their weights on the skiff after the dive, which made it easier for the crew to carry those people's gear back on to the mother ship. Then the crew would carry those people's gear back to the skiff (obviously without the weight pockets), and once on, everybody was scrambling to try to find their weight pockets for the next dive. Obviously It's not easy to put your weight pockets in by yourself sometimes. I get that, butthe crew had to put their weight pockets in and put their fins on for them too.
By the time the week was over, I was working as a deckhand helping people get their rigs on, weight pockets in and putting on their fins.
The crew worked their asses off. I just felt the process should be streamlined in order to maximize the surface interval, because when you get back to the big boat, you're out of your wet suit for like maybe 15 minutes, and you had to haul arse to either dip in the hot tub, shower or get a drink and snack. Some people were actually keeping wetsuit on between dives bc it wasnt worth it to take it off to put it on 15 minutes later.
Maybe this could be improved by filling tanks directly on the skiffs, like they do on other boats? That would avoid gear transfer and weight pocket bingo before every dive?
The diving was great, we saw eagle rays, reefers, nurses, pompanos, green, spotted and golden eels and just about all other expected Caribbean creatures. I took alot of time to watch the various banded and pink shrimps on the night dives... they sure were fast! Reef was in decent shape but still seeing the dying brain coral. Another thing I saw which I took interest was the squirrel fish and rock hinds swimming around with isopods attached to them. I am not sure I have ever seen this anywhere else.
Another couple of notes:
The dive time limit of 50 min could have been was due to the amount if time it took to get people loaded/unloaded and ready for the dives. The shallowness and ease of diving, I came up with 1100 psi or more on most dives. Obviously, the deeper dives I came up with less.
Currents: There were a few dives with currents, the majority had none. There were sites that had a back and forth surge, similar to what you might feel on the top. As long as you finned with the surge, you made progress.
Reef Sticks: I know I am opening up a can of worms here, but I'd love to see these sorry tools banned like gloves were. When divers are using these sticks to stop forward progress, fix over weighting/buoyancy issues, or steady themselves for the next picture, it is not being used properly.
Equipment: I added the Movo light system to my GoPro. For $56 not bad but the lights are a little weak, and the thibg was a bit heavier than I thought it would be. Still better than no lights. I had to ziptie the lights to the frame to keep things in place.
Diving days were like this:
Sun 4 dives
Mon 5 dives
Tue 4 dives
Wed 5 dives
Thu 3 dives + Baths land excursion
Fri - 2 dives
Total 23 dives offered.
Island transport: Cabs are expensive, ferrys too. We ferried from Charlotte Amalie to Road Town - total cost: 206 for RT tickets, $80 in bag fees RT, $100 in departure fees RT. Still cheaper than $1300 each flights from DFW to Tortola.
Highly recommend Itgo Car rental on Tortola - $55 rental. Walking distance from Aggressor. We toured the island that saturday the LOB started and saw all of tortola and ferried to Jost Van Dyke for Soggy Dollar. I am guessing cabs to/from the west end ferry would have been $40 each way.
Oh and I did have a chance to meet a fellow Subaboard member - [Scuba]Steve (but not sure his screen name here, maybe he will see this and chime in).
That is all I can think of for now, feel free to ask questions, but no flaming
Hey buckwheat!!!!!Just got back from the BVI Aggressor trip Jan 27-Feb 3. Thought I'd post a review.
The boat: Tons of space. Loved the room (I was even at the back). Service, Food and Diving was awesome.
Service wise, they went out of their way to help with gear, getting on / off the skiffs, etc. but bc it was so labor intensive, and they were short staffed, some of the smaller things you come to expect on Aggressor like a hot towel at the end of the dive, you had to DIY. No big deal though.
Food was good and plentiful, but bc the normal highly acclaimed chef was away, I did not feel it was as good as it would have been. Morning coffee service was not possible bc of being short staffed. Also, not a big deal. It gave me an excuse to get to the dive deck and get equipment ready and get my own coffee (and wifes coffee - got to keep her caffenated lol).
Diving was great, but BVIs I felt 1st 2 days were geared towards beginners until we got to end of week with the deeper sites. Water was 78-80, but bc of the winds, you could get chilled before / after on your way to the dive sites. I wore a 5 mil and was happy with it (no spare tire on me). Others went in tshirt and shorts.
I think where a major improvement could be made is the transfer to / from the dive sites. I felt it was inefficient. Here is why. Too many people needed too much help with gear, rig, weights, fins, cameras, etc.
The problem was, everybody who was not carrying their own gear were asked to drop their weights on the skiff after the dive, which made it easier for the crew to carry those people's gear back on to the mother ship. Then the crew would carry those people's gear back to the skiff (obviously without the weight pockets), and once on, everybody was scrambling to try to find their weight pockets for the next dive. Obviously It's not easy to put your weight pockets in by yourself sometimes. I get that, butthe crew had to put their weight pockets in and put their fins on for them too.
By the time the week was over, I was working as a deckhand helping people get their rigs on, weight pockets in and putting on their fins.
The crew worked their asses off. I just felt the process should be streamlined in order to maximize the surface interval, because when you get back to the big boat, you're out of your wet suit for like maybe 15 minutes, and you had to haul arse to either dip in the hot tub, shower or get a drink and snack. Some people were actually keeping wetsuit on between dives bc it wasnt worth it to take it off to put it on 15 minutes later.
Maybe this could be improved by filling tanks directly on the skiffs, like they do on other boats? That would avoid gear transfer and weight pocket bingo before every dive?
The diving was great, we saw eagle rays, reefers, nurses, pompanos, green, spotted and golden eels and just about all other expected Caribbean creatures. I took alot of time to watch the various banded and pink shrimps on the night dives... they sure were fast! Reef was in decent shape but still seeing the dying brain coral. Another thing I saw which I took interest was the squirrel fish and rock hinds swimming around with isopods attached to them. I am not sure I have ever seen this anywhere else.
Another couple of notes:
The dive time limit of 50 min could have been was due to the amount if time it took to get people loaded/unloaded and ready for the dives. The shallowness and ease of diving, I came up with 1100 psi or more on most dives. Obviously, the deeper dives I came up with less.
Currents: There were a few dives with currents, the majority had none. There were sites that had a back and forth surge, similar to what you might feel on the top. As long as you finned with the surge, you made progress.
Reef Sticks: I know I am opening up a can of worms here, but I'd love to see these sorry tools banned like gloves were. When divers are using these sticks to stop forward progress, fix over weighting/buoyancy issues, or steady themselves for the next picture, it is not being used properly.
Equipment: I added the Movo light system to my GoPro. For $56 not bad but the lights are a little weak, and the thibg was a bit heavier than I thought it would be. Still better than no lights. I had to ziptie the lights to the frame to keep things in place.
Diving days were like this:
Sun 4 dives
Mon 5 dives
Tue 4 dives
Wed 5 dives
Thu 3 dives + Baths land excursion
Fri - 2 dives
Total 23 dives offered.
Island transport: Cabs are expensive, ferrys too. We ferried from Charlotte Amalie to Road Town - total cost: 206 for RT tickets, $80 in bag fees RT, $100 in departure fees RT. Still cheaper than $1300 each flights from DFW to Tortola.
Highly recommend Itgo Car rental on Tortola - $55 rental. Walking distance from Aggressor. We toured the island that saturday the LOB started and saw all of tortola and ferried to Jost Van Dyke for Soggy Dollar. I am guessing cabs to/from the west end ferry would have been $40 each way.
Oh and I did have a chance to meet a fellow Subaboard member - [Scuba]Steve (but not sure his screen name here, maybe he will see this and chime in).
That is all I can think of for now, feel free to ask questions, but no flaming
) It's Scuba Steve (Steve Meinhardt) from the BVI trip. I've been looking for a post from you as to the trip & finally stumbled across this a few minutes ago. I forgot to give you a contact card before you two left that day but figured you might post here sometime. Look for my screen name SteveM54 & add me to your address book. Bryan, his wife, her son & girlfriend were here at the house Wednesday nights BBQ setting up our Cozumel trip 2 weeks from now. I've been in touch with the New York couple, the Oregon pair, the cook & one other - all on FakeBook just to stay in touch.
Trilobite
Contributor
Basic question--where did this liveaboard go and where did you dive? I gather it was somewhere in the Caribbean, but where exactly?
AdivingBel
Diver
Thanks for your report. Do you have a list of the sites you dived on your itinerary? 
Thanks for the great trip report!
One question..... How did you guys do on the rock toss into the cliff hole at the entrance to the Baths? I was there two years ago and missed by just a few inches!
One question..... How did you guys do on the rock toss into the cliff hole at the entrance to the Baths? I was there two years ago and missed by just a few inches!
OP
mcohen1021
Contributor
Thanks for your report. Do you have a list of the sites you dived on your itinerary?
Yes, we were @ British Virgin Islands - the boat leave out of Tortola (a challenge to get to believe it or not)
Sites visited:
Sunday- Angel Fish Reef, Rainbow Canyons, The Indians, Rainbow Canyons
Monday- Santa Monica Rock, Willy T, Carrot Shoal, Brown Pants, Spy Glass
Tuesday- Blonde Rock, Painted Walls, Dead Chest West, Fearless
Wednesday- RMS Rhone Bow, RMS Rhone Stern, RMS Rhone Mid, Rhone Reef, RMS Rhone Stern
Thursday- Wreck Alley, Carval Rock, Thumb Rock, The Baths
Friday- Thumb Rock, Alice’s Wonderland
So, they were not filling or emptying the weight pockets, it was just release and drop leave them in the dinghy so it would make it easier for the crew to help carry anyone gear for them. I walked on and off full gear weights and all, but I am in shape. Many others did too.
============
Now, on another note, if you want to hear something I found hilarious...
My wife and I arrived in St Thomas and over-nighted bc we were unsure if we could make the last ferry to Tortola at 530 PM when our flight landed @ 437 PM. We got on the 9 am "Fast Ferry" from Charlotte to Road Town (50 minute ride = 1 hr 30 min on island time)...
We got a cab from there to the dock and dropped off our bags ~11 AM.
I walked over to the rental car place that was right by the dock and picked up the car, We spent the day on Jost Van Dyke at the soggy dollar, purchased our whiskey and rum for after the scuba was over and headed back to the Aggressor.
That was around 530 PM and we walked in on the wine and snacks safety briefing, still a little tipsy from the day @ Soggy Dollar, and everyone on the boat clapped when we walked in like "yay, you finally made it!"
"I said wait a second, we were probably here 1st!"
That being said - AFTER the fact (i know hindsight is 20/20), videos I have seen from Roxy's look like its much more fun than Soggy Dollar. But I got my hat and tshirt so I'm good.
Also after the fact, I just discovered the phone app "Dive+" for doing color corrections on both video and pics!
OP
mcohen1021
Contributor
Hey buckwheat!!!!!
It's Scuba Steve (Steve Meinhardt) from the BVI trip. I've been looking for a post from you as to the trip & finally stumbled across this a few minutes ago. I forgot to give you a contact card before you two left that day but figured you might post here sometime. Look for my screen name SteveM54 & add me to your address book. Bryan, his wife, her son & girlfriend were here at the house Wednesday nights BBQ setting up our Cozumel trip 2 weeks from now. I've been in touch with the New York couple, the Oregon pair, the cook & one other - all on FakeBook just to stay in touch.
Scuba Steve! Hey man, was a great week of scuba, even though it was your backup plan! I think I witnessed the fastest underwater creature in the Caribbean - that pink whatever shrimp on the Rhone night dive!
I had a signup sheet for everyone to swap contact info, I wasnt sure if everyone saw it. Ive heard from Michelle, Vivian, Megan, and Tamas.
I will PM you my contact info - I was hoping you'd see this thread
BTW - here is our trip report:
BVI Aggressor | Adventure Logs
www.aggressor.com
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