Trip Report Indo Aggressor Deep South (Abandoned)

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

You hear the horror stories and think, "That'll never happen to me, " and then it does.
After planning another "trip of a lifetime" and using my favourite sport to fulfil that dream, I was looking forward to a trip on the Indo Aggressor with my dive buddy, only to become a nightmare. Travelling from the UK into Bali and then transiting through to Labuan Bajo a day earlier than usual due to a national holiday in Bali where everything stops gave me an extra day to acclimatise and take in this wonderful country. Our trip was due to leave on the 11th of March, so arriving in LBJ on the 10th of March incurred some additional expenses, but nothing compared to what I was about to confront. After liaising with our cruise director, we agreed to meet in the hotel lobby at noon. While waiting in the lobby, I met a young lady who explained that her liveaboard had been cancelled the day before due to the port being closed in LBJ. Almost immediately, our taxi arrived, and we were taken to the boat and greeted as standard, with cold towels, drinks, etc. Then, I went through the whole pantomime of selecting a 15-litre tank, which I'd pre-booked as usual, was a 13.2 litre (100cuft). Hey ho, us Europeans!! We decanted our scuba equipment, set it up, and attended the first briefing. At this briefing, we were told by the cruise director that the port was shut, and they were negotiating with the port authority for us to go the following day, subject to its opening. I smelled a rat (more about rats later).
I pressed the cruise director for his "plan B," but it soon became apparent he didn't have one. This was where the deception started. The whole thing was a charade, as the port authority had closed the port until the 16th of March. Still, we were assured the Indo Aggressor had some superpowers that would give them a higher priority than every other liveaboard in the port. An update would be given to the guest after dinner that evening around 8 PM. At that briefing, we were told the trip had been cancelled and would not go ahead, and we had the option to stay on the boat or leave. I chose to leave and arranged a flight the following day to try and salvage my trip of a lifetime. Sometime that evening, we received an email from Aggressor HQ telling us that as we had boarded the vessel and they'd tried to leave but could not, this was now Force Majeure, and we should claim on our trip insurance. I connected with Larry Speaker (VP of operations), who washed his hands off us, gave me some corporate BS, and wished me and the guests luck. I explained to him that we were all told during the briefing that the trip was cancelled, and he desperately tried to reposition himself and shift all of the $$ responsibilities onto the guests. After being lied to and abandoned by Aggressor, the mood onboard became very contentious. There were couples celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, for which I felt so sorry.
My buddy and I bailed the following day. I would not stay on a boat where the crew/operator and Aggressor thought it appropriate to lie to us. Having travelled halfway around the world, I wouldn't let Aggressor ruin my trip. My objective would be to salvage as much as I could. Luckily, we worked with our UK-based travel agency, who booked us into a resort in Bali. By now, they arranged flights, which were as rare as "hens teeth" due to everyone getting out of LBJ. The guests that remained either chose to or, due to the delays in telling us the truth, couldn't leave due to the booked flights.
In summary, we all need to take out the proper insurance (which I have), but I hate being lied to. No one can change the weather; however, Aggressor knew the trip could not commence as the port authority had told everyone that the port would close on the 11th of March (the day we were due to sail). Even I knew that. Aggressor abandoned us and pointed to their terms and conditions. They created the situation by boarding us even though they knew the port was closed so they could shift the $ obligation onto the guests. Instead of working with us, they abandoned us. Oh yeah the rats; I'll save that for another time
I’m sorry you had to go through this, but thanks for posting about your experience here.

This is yet another example of why I would never even consider a trip with Agressor Fleet - I’ve read far too many stories of issues with them here and they do not seem like an Op with any integrity!
 
There are no real review websites for liveaboards. I find that "Scubaboard.com and Undercurrent" are the best sources for researching anything about scuba.
I'm supporting BOTH of them.
Look out aggressor :eek:(
 
Try shore/resort diving next time. During the recent week or so of "typhoon" warnings in the Lesser Sunda Islands, we were able to dive here on Bali’s north coast.
 
Sorry to hear, OP. I've done over a dozen Aggressor liveaboards, but after getting on the Indo Aggressor in October 2022 and having an absolute nightmare of a trip I'll never give that company another dollar. We all understand that things can happen in distant locales, but the way the company handled our group's situation was also horrible. Much like your experience, Aggressor said too bad, deal with the local operator.

Never again. Aggressor is basically just a broker. If anyone wants to dive with them, do NOT book directly with them and make sure that the local owner of the boat is quality from reviews. Shame on Aggressor for keeping up this nonsense. Dive with someone else if possible, there are plenty of options out there.

Here was our experience btw:

I'm not entirely sure where to start with this, but I've been on about a dozen Aggressor boats over the years and have always recommended your outfit to people as representing quality control and a thoroughly enjoyable travel experience. But this boat has been an almost unmitigated disaster:


  1. Half the boat was upset and our departure from Labuan Bajo was delayed because there wasn't enough rental equipment, which was requested ahead of time. I state this not because it effects me, but because it sets the stage for what's to come.
  2. My dietary restriction has basically been completely ignored. The first day for lunch I was forced to have an apple and since then I've just sort of been lucky enough to find something to eat from what was available or pick around what was available. The kitchen crew can't communicate and whatever is told to them by the director seems to be lost in translation.
  3. The only nitrox analyzer stops working. Fortunately another guest has one available.
  4. The fresh water pump doesn't work for about four hours.
  5. The Air Conditioners stop working in the galley, and then in the rooms. Meaning I had to sleep up on deck last night to escape the fact that my room was literally a sauna. A situation that's sure to be repeated the next two nights as there has been no progress in fixing the situation.
  6. Finally the compressor is broken, forcing us to miss a dive and switch from nitrox to air tanks, which we're more or less lucky for because a nearby boat is filling our tanks.
  7. Also there are roaches all over the place.
Sorry to hear this. How did the Aggressor HQ handle your complaint did they do anything for you or recognise there was an issue?
 
I stopped using aggressor years ago. Phone people were unfriendly and unhelpful
 
You hear the horror stories and think, "That'll never happen to me, " and then it does.
After planning another "trip of a lifetime" and using my favourite sport to fulfil that dream, I was looking forward to a trip on the Indo Aggressor with my dive buddy, only to become a nightmare. Travelling from the UK into Bali and then transiting through to Labuan Bajo a day earlier than usual due to a national holiday in Bali where everything stops gave me an extra day to acclimatise and take in this wonderful country. Our trip was due to leave on the 11th of March, so arriving in LBJ on the 10th of March incurred some additional expenses, but nothing compared to what I was about to confront. After liaising with our cruise director, we agreed to meet in the hotel lobby at noon. While waiting in the lobby, I met a young lady who explained that her liveaboard had been cancelled the day before due to the port being closed in LBJ. Almost immediately, our taxi arrived, and we were taken to the boat and greeted as standard, with cold towels, drinks, etc. Then, I went through the whole pantomime of selecting a 15-litre tank, which I'd pre-booked as usual, was a 13.2 litre (100cuft). Hey ho, us Europeans!! We decanted our scuba equipment, set it up, and attended the first briefing. At this briefing, we were told by the cruise director that the port was shut, and they were negotiating with the port authority for us to go the following day, subject to its opening. I smelled a rat (more about rats later).
I pressed the cruise director for his "plan B," but it soon became apparent he didn't have one. This was where the deception started. The whole thing was a charade, as the port authority had closed the port until the 16th of March. Still, we were assured the Indo Aggressor had some superpowers that would give them a higher priority than every other liveaboard in the port. An update would be given to the guest after dinner that evening around 8 PM. At that briefing, we were told the trip had been cancelled and would not go ahead, and we had the option to stay on the boat or leave. I chose to leave and arranged a flight the following day to try and salvage my trip of a lifetime. Sometime that evening, we received an email from Aggressor HQ telling us that as we had boarded the vessel and they'd tried to leave but could not, this was now Force Majeure, and we should claim on our trip insurance. I connected with Larry Speaker (VP of operations), who washed his hands off us, gave me some corporate BS, and wished me and the guests luck. I explained to him that we were all told during the briefing that the trip was cancelled, and he desperately tried to reposition himself and shift all of the $$ responsibilities onto the guests. After being lied to and abandoned by Aggressor, the mood onboard became very contentious. There were couples celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, for which I felt so sorry.
My buddy and I bailed the following day. I would not stay on a boat where the crew/operator and Aggressor thought it appropriate to lie to us. Having travelled halfway around the world, I wouldn't let Aggressor ruin my trip. My objective would be to salvage as much as I could. Luckily, we worked with our UK-based travel agency, who booked us into a resort in Bali. By now, they arranged flights, which were as rare as "hens teeth" due to everyone getting out of LBJ. The guests that remained either chose to or, due to the delays in telling us the truth, couldn't leave due to the booked flights.
In summary, we all need to take out the proper insurance (which I have), but I hate being lied to. No one can change the weather; however, Aggressor knew the trip could not commence as the port authority had told everyone that the port would close on the 11th of March (the day we were due to sail). Even I knew that. Aggressor abandoned us and pointed to their terms and conditions. They created the situation by boarding us even though they knew the port was closed so they could shift the $ obligation onto the guests. Instead of working with us, they abandoned us. Oh yeah the rats; I'll save that for another time
Very interesting - email received today regarding Forgotten Islands trip booked for November 2024 - You are receiving this email because you and/or your clients are booked on a future Indo Aggressor trip. The Indo Aggressor license has been terminated. All future charters are canceled, and you will receive a refund or travel voucher for the amount you paid.
Did the same trip in 2018 and loved it (with the exception of a few issues with cruise director).
 
Although I've had some good Aggressor trips, in general the company sucks. After the way they handled the Red Sea fiasco, never again.
 
Very interesting - email received today regarding Forgotten Islands trip booked for November 2024 - You are receiving this email because you and/or your clients are booked on a future Indo Aggressor trip. The Indo Aggressor license has been terminated. All future charters are canceled, and you will receive a refund or travel voucher for the amount you paid.
Did the same trip in 2018 and loved it (with the exception of a few issues with cruise director).
it sucks it got cancelled but glad you’re getting your money back.
 
You could also name the UK travel agency that were so good. I'm sure others would love to use them.
Std by as we’re working out the original issue with the UK agent. As soon as we have a route to resolution I’ll post their details
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom