I spent a week diving on the Belize Aggressor, and here is my review of the boat and the dive sites. Find out how good the diving really is and if it is the boat for you.
Read the Belize Aggressor liveaboard review and see how it went!
Content of this article:
Getting to Belize
The Belize Aggressor departs from Belize City. It has direct flights from a few US cities, Mexico City and Guatemala.
Flying during Covid is getting easier and more manageable. To get into Belize, you only need to show a vaccine certificate. The health check took five minutes, and immigration another five minutes. The bags were also out very quickly, so I was out of the airport and met the Aggressor representative within 20 minutes of landing. The flights from America had already landed, so the Aggressor minibus picking us up from the airport was quickly on its way.
The bus drove to the Radisson St George, where the Belize Aggressor was departing.
Tip: You can’t board before 3 pm so getting a flight to arrive in Belize City early afternoon on the day of departure is the best choice. The boat doesn’t leave the dock until the following day, so even an evening flight works.
I flew in from Guatemala as I was coming from another excellent diving trip in Cocos islands with the Okeanos Aggressor 2. I arrived in Belize city at 11 am. By 11:20, I had passed the covid health screening and got my bag very quickly.
All the other passengers were already waiting with the Aggressor representative, so we were quickly on board the Shuttle bus organized by Aggressor on our way to the Radisson St George.
Tip: If you don’t want to wait for all the other passengers for the shuttle bus, you can also take your own taxi to the Radisson. Taxis are waiting at the airport exit and cost about 25 USD.
Overview of a week of diving on the Belize Aggressor 3 liveaboard
You can see below the itinerary followed by the boat over the course of the week.
Day 1 – Arriving in Belize
Most flights land in Belize on Saturday morning. Boarding starts at 3 pm, but the Aggressor has an agreement with the Radisson that passengers can use the hotel’s facilities. You can either stay in the restaurant for food and drinks or hang out by the pool. We chose to hang out by the pool but didn’t go swimming as the water looked very green,
Tip: If you want to swim at the Radisson, keep a swimsuit in your carry-on bag.
At 3 pm, we got on board. We were invited to set up our gear and then were shown to our cabins. The staff carried our bags down to the cabins.
The briefing was very friendly. After a glass of sparkling wine, the crew and the passengers introduced themselves. We got all the information about the emergency exits, life jackets, fire extinguishers, schedule onboard…
We spent the afternoon chilling on the top deck. Some passengers decided to go for a walk in Belize City. It is a small town that has a provincial feel.
Day 2: Ethereal reefs and first sharks
The boat departed Belize city early on Sunday morning for the Turneffe atoll and its paradise looking islands.
The first two dives were at the Black beauty dive site in Turneffe Atoll. It is an easy dive with calm water that starts at about 8 meters. Then it turns into a wall that goes down below 40 meters. The wall is laced with gullies. The place is covered by soft corals, from gorgonians to sea rods and sea plumes. The sea plumes were moving with the gentle current. We saw a few eagle rays swimming by and a reef shark. The visibility was excellent!
The third dive of the day and the night dives were at Julie’s jungle dive site on the outer ridge. This site was named after a marine biologist who installed the mooring buoy on the dive site. It is a submerged plateau that starts at 10 meters and goes down to a steep wall. The coral boulders create crevasses and a lovely swim through.
The site is covered by ethereal corals and soft corals. The sea fans have various colors, and the white/yellow sea plumes were undulating majestically. It has a dreamy feel and is stunning. Large sponges are everywhere. We saw a nurse shark sleeping at the bottom. Three big tarpons swam close to us. A few barracudas were getting their teeth cleaned. We didn’t see any nudis, but the place was full of crabs and lobsters. Look out for the anemones. They are often inhabited by small purple cleaning shrimps. They sometimes even give you a manicure if you wait long enough!
We went back on board for a beautiful sunset, and it was already dinner time.
Day 3: Many sharks and impressive sponges
The first dive was at half-moon key reef on the lighthouse Atoll, by a small tropical-looking island where the rangers station is located.
The site is composed of patches of grasses and large coral bommies.
There are many stingrays and eels in the sand area near the boat. Multiple swim-throughs and passages make the topography fascinating. A Caribbean reef shark was very interested in us and kept coming very close!
We also saw a turtle feeding. The sponges and whipped corals were again splendid. It was a great dive. It is always impressive to see massive barrels sponges and to think those are among the oldest living organism on the planet. Some of them are 1000 years old!
The subsequent three dives were at the aquarium dive site.
It is a plateau at 10 meters that goes down into a steep wall. Despite the excellent visibility, we couldn’t see the bottom of the wall, so it must have been deeper than 70 meters. The walls are covered in sponges, corals, and soft corals, creating the most gorgeous patterns. Some parts were utterly stunning, like fireworks exploding underwater. The red sea whip soft corals added to the dramatic effect. There were many small fishes along the reef. We saw a few Caribbean reef sharks and two eagle rays. One swam with us for five minutes. The current picked up towards the end of the dive. It was a magnificent dive!
Day 4: Diving the famous blue hole
The blue hole is the quintessential dive site in Belize. It is the largest blue hole in the world. (is 1000 feet wide and 400 feet deep). As we dove it with the main boat, we could only dive the north side near the entrance where the boat could anchor.
The main attraction of the blue hole is the stalactites between 30 and 40 meters. There were not many fishes where we dove.
Aggressor liveaboards are very safety focussed. As this is a deep dive, they mandated that everyone dives as a group. We went down like a pack of 18 divers accompanied by two dive masters. Considering the more junior divers of the group, the dive was very short, at about 30 minutes. The visibility was abysmal as we descended. But don’t worry, it improves after 20 meters.
We stayed down only a few minutes to look at the stalagmites and then started the slow ascent. Diving into the blue hole is a must-do. For many divers on the boat l, it was the deepest dive they had ever done. Many came back exhilarated from the dive after experimenting with deep-dive narcosis for the first time.
Tip: Bring a torch as light is limited down at 40 meters.
We did an extended safety stop over the sandy bottom.
We then navigated to the half-moon key island.
The journey was beautiful through the turquoise water. Say what you will, but I don’t think finding more colors in the sea is possible. The different shades of blue were simply mesmerizing.
We went off the boat and enjoyed the beautiful beach. Watch out the water by the piers as some sharks patrol the area.
Half-moon key is the oldest protected area in the country because of the red-footed boobies birds that live there. We went to the bird’s viewpoint and saw frigate birds and red-footed boobies.
Many hermit crabs are on the path, so watch where you walk.
Tip: Walk in silence, and you might observe some iguanas. I saw a massive iguana with a red tail.
The walk is easy on well-marked paths. Flip flops are enough.
The sunset beach on the other side of the island is about a 10-minute walk through the forest and is worth seeing.
We then went to the Angelfish wall dive site for the subsequent three dives.
The wall is created by large coral bommies with swim-throughs in between. What was unique about this dive site is that the fish are extremely friendly.
A grouper followed us and was within touching distance for the whole dive! A few Caribbean sharks kept circling us, getting closer and closer. A giant loggerhead turtle swam toward me. I narrowly avoided it by going up.
We then witnessed sharks hunting. They became frantic, entering and exiting a cave. More sharks came, and we witnessed an energizing underwater ballet! Our grouper friend entered the cave, and I was a bit worried for him. Luckily, he made it out of the cave in one piece! Regrettably, we had to leave this frenzy behind as it was time to end the dive.
Day 5: Cave and crevasses
The first two dives were at Tarpon Cave, a dive site with a cave and a swim-through.
As its name indicates, a few tarpons were patrolling the area. Caribbean reef sharks were also present.
The following three dives were at the Cathedral dive site. Another wall dive with crevasses and colorful sponges and gorgonians. Parrot fishes, goat fishes, and triggerfishes hang out on the reef.
The day finished with another splendid sunset.
Day 6: Seahorse, sharks, and eagle ray
The Long Caye wall dive site was the location for the first two dives of the day. It is a long wall very similar to what we have seen the previous day. The sponges and soft corals are lovely. Two sharks were inquisitive and hung out with us for a while. We found a cute seahorse. An eagle ray swam by, and a nurse shark was hunting in the shallow part of the reef. This reef was populated with many little fishes. Watch out for the scorpionfishes in the shallow area. Another beautiful dive in Belize!
During lunch, we navigated back to Turneffe atoll.
The first dive of the afternoon was at Front porch dive site. The main attractions here are the toad fishes. They are endemic to the Turneffe atoll, so it is exceptional to see them.
On the fourth and fifth dive of the day, we were back at the black beauty dive site where we started the cruise, and it was spectacular.
As we came to the wall, two eagle rays swam by and came very close to us.
There was a bit of current, so we drifted along the wall. Schools of fish were there en masse. A few barracuda and jacks were hunting them. We found a cute pipefish and another toadfish on our way back to the shallow area. What an incredible dive!
Day 7: Last day of diving with anchovies
As we had to make it back to Belize City by noon, the dives were earlier today.
The first dive was at 6 am, and the second dive was at 8 am. We dove twice at the Sandy Slope dive site south of Turneffe Atoll. As its names indicate, it is a sandy bottom that starts around 10 meters. It is interspersed with coral bommies. At 17 meters, it becomes a wall.
As we came down, we were accompanied by four remora fishes. A small school of anchovies joined in and surrounded the people. We found a few lobsters, shrimps, and small fishes on the sandy bottom and the wall itself.
After rinsing our gears, we were on the way to Belize City. The sun was shining, and most people hung out in the jacuzzi and on the upper deck while we cruised back through beautiful islands.
We arrived in Belize city by lunchtime.
Some optional activities were offered. Either a Mayan ruin visit for 65 USD or cave tubing for 110 USD. Most people chose to relax on the boat for the afternoon, and the atmosphere was great. The final cocktail party was held on the top deck during sunset and had an awesome vibe.
It was also time to give away the iron divers award. A tradition on Aggressor liveaboard to award a medal to everyone who has done every dive offered during the week.
Dinner on the last night was not provided, so we went to a restaurant nearby called celebrity. It is a convenient five minutes from the boat.
Tip: Make sure you have a booking for the Celebrity restaurant. It is the place to go to in Belize as it is jam-packed with local people.
Day 8: Departure
It was already time to say goodbye to the Belize Aggressor boat, its crew, and passengers. We woke up early and had breakfast before disembarking the ship at 8 am.
The shuttle bus organized by Aggressor drove us to the airport.
If you need an antigen test for onward travel, the Aggressor’s team conveniently organized a nurse to come on board and do the tests on Friday afternoon. Fortunately, everyone in our group tested negative.
Review of the Belize Aggressor 3 liveaboard.
The Belize Aggressor 3 is a compact and functional boat. It is 33.5 meters long and can hold 18 passengers. It was built in 93 but is flawlessly maintained. It is a convenient boat, and you can see a lot of thinking went into it over time to make it comfortable. For example, all the stairs are easy to navigate and have handrails. USB charging points have been placed all over the boat. The main advantage of the Belize Aggressor 3 is the low beam. It is small, which allows the ship to access shallow waters and enter places like the blue hole. It is really convenient to be able to dive straight from the boat without having to use a smaller tender boat.
The diving deck on the Belize Aggressor 3
The main deck has a really spacious diving deck at the back of the boat. The dive deck is one of the best characteristics of the ship.
The diving platform is fantastic and one of the best I have seen on a boat. Each diver is assigned a space with a box and a tank. The two stairs going into the water make getting in and out of the water very easy. All the dives are done directly from the main boat, which is very convenient.
After the dive, a couple of showers with hot water by the diving platform felt divine!
Towel service was provided. Each passenger had a towel with its number on it, and the crew would ensure that warm and dry towels were available after each dive!
The camera table is in the middle of the dive deck. It has charging points.
Tip: They only have US-style plugs, so bring a power adaptor if you need one.
A water gallon is available to ensure you stay hydrated in between dives.
Another nice touch was the ear cleaning solution bottles available on the dive deck. Washing your ear after every dive might help you avoid a dive infection.
The restaurant and lounges on the Belize Aggressor 3
The restaurant and indoor lounge are located on the main deck. Both areas are airconditioned and have large panoramic windows over the sea.
There is an area with tea, coffee, juices, and snacks available during the day.
Tip: Bring a refillable water bottle to refill at the water gallon provided.
There is a book library with all the Caribbean fish books. A couple of computers are available to work on your underwater pictures if you don’t bring a laptop. 
The upper deck on the Belize Aggressor 3
The upper deck has a shaded lounge area with a bar and sofas. It was the only outdoor shaded area of the boat, and it was always busy.
Half of the area is occupied by an unused bar. Unfortunately, the beer tap was not working, and the fridges were empty, so this bar was useless and wasted a lot of shaded areas that could have been better used.
Behind the shaded area is a Jacuzzi! It was lovely to relax at the end of the day and warm up after all the dives.
Plenty of sun loungers are also available.
By day 5, we discovered that this deck had music speakers to which we could connect with Bluetooth. Passengers alternated playing music from their phones, and the ambiance on the top deck became more festive 🙂
Tip: Beware of the sun. Belize is near the equator, and a few people on the boat got sunburned. The Belize Aggressor provides free reef-safe sunscreen, which is excellent for the environment.
An upper deck cabin is on this deck. It has a queen bed and is an excellent option if you are not a fan of bunk beds. But you need to book early as this cabin is often fully booked.
The navigation bridge completes the upper deck.
The top deck on the Belize Aggressor 3
The top deck is another lounging area with sunbeds and a large sofa. It is a great place to relax towards the end of the day when the sun is not as intense.
Review of the cabins on the Belize Aggressor 3.
Eight of the nine cabins on the Belize Aggressor are below deck and have bunk beds. They are compact. Aggressors’ liveaboards are fully dedicated to diving, so this might not be the boat for you if you like to spend a lot of time in your cabin. But if you are there for diving, the cabins are functional and comfortable.
What cabin to choose on the Belize Aggressor 3?
The best cabin on the upper deck is often booked out. This cabin has a queen bed and is the only cabin without a bunk bed. It also has a larger window with a panoramic view of the sea. The other eight cabins are below deck.
I stayed in cabin 1 at the front of the boat. This cabin is a bit larger than the others and is suitable for tall people as the bunk beds are longer than other cabins. The drawback of this cabin is that it has no porthole window.
It is located at the front of the boat, so it moves more, which is not suitable for easily seasick people. It is worth noting that the Belize Aggressor doesn’t cover a lot of miles and does not navigate at night as the dive sites are pretty close together. So being at the front of the boat is not overly inconvenient. The sea was very calm during our trip and the boat very stable.
The motor was relatively silent, making for pleasant navigation between the dive sites. Cabin 7 is nearest the engine, and people in this cabin can hear it more. So I would probably recommend avoiding that cabin.
All the other cabins are similar in size and layout. They have bunk beds with a single bed on top and a queen bed at the bottom.
There is a tv in the cabin, and you can download movies to watch.
Cabins are well-designed with many corners to store things. A small lamp and charging points are near each bed. USB charging plugs are also available.
Tip: Do not charge anything in your room if you are not in the room, as it could cause a fire hazard.
The room is serviced twice a day, and we would often get small chocolate on our pillows at night:- )
Tip: Earplugs are available pon request.
Morning drinks can be delivered to your room on request. A nice way to combine a wake-up call and a coffee!
Bathrobes are provided which is super convenient to wear in between dives
Review of the bathroom on the Belize Aggressor 3 liveaboard
The bathroom is compact but efficient. The water pressure was excellent, and hot water was consistently available.
Reef-safe shampoo and body wash are available.
Tip: Bring conditioner or hair lotion, as the seawater can be harsh on your hair.
The towels are plush and get changed mid-cruise. Comfy bathrobes are also provided and are great to wear in between dives.
Tip: If you are not a fan of bunk beds and are looking for a bigger cabin, check the Belize Aggressor 4. It is a slightly more spacious boat. But the flip side is that as it has a larger beam, it can’t access some of the dive sites that the Belize Aggressor 3 can access. For example, during our week, the Belize Aggressor 3 could reach the Blue hole dive while the Belize Aggressor 4 could not.
Review of the crew on the Belize Aggressor.
The Belize Aggressor has a relatively small crew with only seven staff. One of them is the night watch person, leaving only six people to cook, clean, navigate and dive. They worked hard and were always busy doing one thing or another. Don’t expect white-glove proactive service, but the staff are super friendly and got all the basics right. The boat and the cabins are immaculate, the food is delicious, and they organize four or five dives a day.
By the end of day one, they were already addressing all the guests by name, making the experience more personalized.
Review of the food on the Belize Aggressor liveaboard
One of Aggressors liveaboard’s key selling points is its food. And as with other Aggressor liveaboards I have been on in the past, the food is delicious and served at all times. Don’t plan on losing weight while on the Belize Aggressor cruise!
Chef Blade and his assistant JR prepared three meals and two snacks every day.
Breakfast
Breakfast is at 7 am before the first dive of the day. You can choose eggs, sausages, bacon, and other things that vary every day. The chef would often use the grill to barbeque items, making them extra tasty.
There is also a small buffet with bread, cereals, and fruits. The fruits were always delicious. In addition, a morning snack after the first dive.
Lunch
Lunch after the second dive often started with a soup and was followed by a hearty main course. Burgers, chicken legs, or tacos were offered. Portions were huge, and I would often struggle to finish my plate.
A snack was available after the third dive. Items included corn fritters, nachos, and even quesadillas.
Diner
Dinner was relatively early, at 6 pm, before the night dive. It was a three-course sit-down affair with an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert.
You can see examples of menus during our cruise below. The menu is posted every morning, and you can inform the chef if there is anything you don’t like. Chef Blade was extremely accommodating of dietary preferences.
Snacks and fruits are available at all times.
There is a fridge with complimentary soft drinks, beer, and wine.
Tip: Beware that diving and drinking do not mix, so if you have alcohol during the day, you are not allowed to dive for the rest of the day.
The diving organization on the Belize Aggressor liveaboard
How good is diving in Belize?
Unbeknown to many, Belize has the second biggest coral barrier reef in the world.
However, the best diving is located in the atolls past the barrier reef. The Turneffe Atoll and the lighthouse atoll are where the Belize Aggressor dives.
I was diving at the end of April, and the water was clear and the visibility impressive, with often more than 60 meters range.
Beautiful corals and low currents make it the perfect place for easy dives. Inexperienced divers will find it hard to find a location so easy to dive where sharks, turtles, and rays are commonly seen!
It is the perfect place if you are looking for easy dives, as there is minimal current, all dives are done directly from the main boat, and dives are shallow, with the most beautiful part of the reef between 10 and 20 meters in depth.
You can see below the list of all the creatures we saw during our week of diving. Quite impressive!
Overview of a typical diving day
The Belize Aggressor can offer many dives. Five dives were provided on most days.
There is no diving on the first day ( Saturday) as the boat stays in port, and there are only 22 dives on the last day ( Friday) as the boat returns to the harbor by noon. This allows people enough time to degas before their flight on Saturday.
The maximum dive time is 60 minutes, which is enough when you dive five times a day 😊. Nitrox is available for an extra 100 USD for the week.
You can see a typical schedule below:
Diving groups
Diving is unsupervised. You dive by buddy group, which is excellent for people who like to dive more independently. For each dive, one staff member takes the divemaster’s role and leads the group underwater. You can then choose to dive independently with your buddy or follow the group. During our trip, most divers decided to follow the group.
Extra fees when diving on the Aggressor Belize liveaboard
Please be aware that you currently ( April 2022) have to pay the extra fuel fee of 150 USD, the park fee of 130 USD, and the nitrox of 100 USD in addition to the cruise fee. If you don’t have your own diving gear, you can rent them from the boat for a fee.
The crew onboard recommends tips between 10 and 15 percent of the cruise fee. Finally, a video of the trip is on sale on the last day for 65 USD.
How to know if your sunscreen is reef safe?
Check the ingredients label on your sunscreen. Ingredients generally recognized as safe include titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.
Unsafe ingredients include PABA and trolanlminevsalicytate. Octinoxate and Oxybenzone are also banned in a few countries.
Internet availability while on the Belize Aggressor liveaboard
There is no internet on the Belize Aggressor liveaboard as the Atolls where the cruise takes place do not have phone signals.
I was hoping to get a weak signal some days and bought a local Digicel sim card (the best provider in Belize), but that was wasted as there was absolutely no signal. So plan to be totally off the grid between Sunday morning and Friday lunchtime,
While the boat is at the dock in Belize City, you can catch the wifi from the Radisson.
Tip: The wifi from the Radisson doesn’t work in the below deck cabins, but you should be able to connect if you go on the upper deck.
Exploring Belize beyond the Aggressor liveaboard
Belize is an extraordinary country worth exploring for a few days. If you have the time, check out some of its beach villages as you might need another holiday after an intense week of diving. Make sure you have more time to explore Belize after your cruise!
If you are in a party mode, check out Caye Caulker, as this is where all the young party people were flying to.
Placienca is a small village renowned for having the nicest beach in Belize. I went there for a week and stayed at a lovely beachfront villa with a private pool. It is a very laid-back village, perfect if you want to do nothing. The beach is empty and the locals are very friendly. The place feels very safe.
How to get to Placencia?
It is easy to get to Placencia. Tropic Air is the airline recommended in Belize as the most reliable. Tropic Air has seven flights a day to Placienca from Belize city airport, allowing you to connect seamlessly with your international flight. The flight is cheap and has a reasonable luggage allowance. The service was flawless.
Check-in was a breeze. I was advised to arrive at the airport 30 minutes before the departure of my flight. Security check is also fast as you go through the domestic terminal entrance.
Tip: When booking your flight, beware that there are two different domestic airports. Belize international airport is best if you connect to an international flight. And Belize City airport is located in the city. Flights from Belize City airport are slightly cheaper.
The flight is an adventure in itself. It is in a small propeller plane with 10 seats.
Tip: If you get on the plane first, you might be allowed to sit next to the pilot.
Otherwise, sit on the left side to view the Belize barrier reef.
The flight lasts for 30 minutes and allows you to see Belize from the sky. You can see it all, from the extensive rainforest, the barrier reef, and the plantations.
On the way back, Tropic Air has a small lounge that makes waiting for the flight more convenient. Both flights were perfectly on time and I got my bags within 5 minutes of landing.
In concluding my review of the Belize Aggressor 3 liveaboard.
Belize is a superb diving destination accessible even to less experienced divers. If you are looking for an easy place to dive, it is a must-do destination. Being on a liveaboard allows you to do many dives with little effort. The Aggressor 3 liveaboard is a practical boat that is flawlessly organized. Add the great food and good vibe onboard, and you have the recipe for a perfect diving vacation. I had a great time on the Aggressor 3 liveaboard and highly recommend it.
To book the Belize Aggressor liveaboard, check their website here. Make sure you book ahead as those trips are popular and always fully booked.
For more info about luxury diving in Central America, check out my other articles:
- Costa Rica
- Mexico
