KONA AGGRESSOR REVIEW

This was my second trip aboard the Kona Aggressor and it meets the high standards that the Aggressor fleet has become known for. My previous trips with Aggressor includes Cayman, Palau, Turks and Caicos, as well as the short lived Socorro Islands Aggressor( diving was great but boat was so-so).

KONA MARINE LIFE

The diving in Hawaii was spectacular and included turtles, sharks, spotted eagle rays, we even saw one dragon eel found by the Captain. Overall we had the opportunity to do 27 dives with the normal dive times being about an hour but this was not generally enforced, but more of a guideline. The high light of the trip was the spectacular manta ray night dive which included at least 8 Manta rays but seemed like more. This is arguably the finest night dive in the world at least in the opinion of the group I traveled with. Manta Rays normally show up 90-95 percent of the time from most reports I have seen, but I can recall one friend telling me that Mantas did not show on his trip. Also, if you love small critters the Kona Aggressor is perfect and the crew on the boat was great about finding lots of nudibranchs.

The boat was well run and was obviously well taken care of, and I noticed the boat seemed to have been upgraded since my previous visit three years earlier. The dive deck may seem small but it is laid out much better than previously. I suppose my only complaint was that the camera table was not as ergonomical (only one side was easily accessible) or as large as the tables I have become used to.

The rooms were comfortable but most people don't go on a liveaboard expecting spacious rooms and the Kona Aggressor is no exception in this regard. The crew was friendly and were enthusiastic about providing for their guests and they were very patient with our group. The Captain was accommodating if a dive was fantastic and we wanted to repeat it, he did his best to make it so. I have never had a bad experience with the food on the aggressor fleet and left the boat several pounds heavier. We enjoyed BBQ, fresh fish, and the customary Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday night. I highly recommend the Kona Aggressor.