Word of warning to anyone interested in booking Soccorro Aggressor. This boat is operated by the infamous Cantamar, aka Buceo y Servicio BCS, aka Pedro Aguilar, aka bad air.
I live at Cantamar, and have since 2015. I can tell you that you should NOT book or go on Soccorro Aggressor without a doubt. The attached photograph shows a recent effort by Cantamar's local dive service to avoid federal safety regulations. Rather than, say, asking me (I could have gotten one that day...) for a flotation device to meet the requirements of the Navy who inspected them recently, they instead MADE a flotation device, or rather, something that APPEARED to be a flotation device, with the sole purpose of being to avoid being inspected for safety.
However; this "inundation device" is precisely that. It is so heavy that it bends the structure of the shadecloth. It took six people to move this "flotation device" from out back where it was made of fiberglass, to it's precarious perch on the top of one of their big local dive boats.
But this isn't the biggest reason folks, this is only the LATEST reason. Last November or so, we witnessed the aftermath of the first voyage of what was then Cassiopeia, in which their new dive master, from Spain, was severely injured after falling out of a dinghy. While some may know that this happened, no one, not even X-Ray Magazine, who were given the facts, reported these facts: the divemaster was not trained to use the dinghy, was essentially forced to use it by Pedro himself, and he did not have a dead-man's key attached to his person. I witnessed the events unfold, intervened, and I SAVED THAT MAN'S LIFE! This is no exaggeration. I applied a triangle bandage tourniquet over the loose t-shirt applied by Cantamar's incompetent and untrained staff, stopping the profuse bleeding. I then provided a trauma dressing, and shock blanket, while the ambulance took 40 minutes to arrive. Cantamar had only a small first-aid kit, and absolutely no training. They did not save that man's life, they would have killed him had I not been there. While I do not regret saving an individual life, I do regret that further lives are now in jeopardy because my actions prevented a disaster which would have given this place the proper scrutiny it requires.
This does of course beg the question as to how this facility is able to operate if it is so dangerous. For that, one must be aware of the nature of the corruption in Baja California Sur, home of La Paz, which is host to Cantamar and home of Pedro Aguilar. The corruption in Baja California Sur is different from the rest of Mexico. Elsehwere, corruption is about drugs. In La Paz, it is about tourism and property. And tourism businesses, even those who damage the environment (Cantamar spills diesel daily and has oil-filled bilges which they dump at the islands, we have photographic evidence, look for videos on Youtube under Cantamar) are protected by the local government. Pedro operates Cantamar, the physical facilities in La Paz, in order to launder the $250,000USD/month he makes from Cassiopeia/Soccorro Aggressor (that's according to the employees here who freely told us they don't pay taxes and launder money through the hotel!) and so he can do favors for local politicians, and those who threaten his business because he is in violation. In truth, there is never any possibility that this place can be shut down. Pedro just has to pay bribes, and he can continue to operate with impunity.
Meanwhile, since arriving at Cantamar on 13 August, 2015, I have watched Pedro not only destroy his own business, but contribute significantly to the drop in tourism to Mexico as a whole. And it's no wonder: what with a chinese tourist cut up by a propellor from an idiot boat driver who left it running while divers went into the water; to the number of tourists I have personally heard say they would never come back to Mexico thanks to their experience at Cantamar. And now, on the busiest weekend of the entire year, Cantamar, a sprawling resort and hotel with beach, restaurant, marina, and ample parking...is busy, oh yes, there are people here: family and friends...of Cantamar employees. Oh, and a couple of gringos who couldn't possibly know this place is as bad as it is because Trip Advisor took down my review because, as they said, I'm not a "normal client."
AVOID SOCCORRO AGGRESSOR. It's a (deadly) accident waiting to happen.
