Bahamas Aggressor II — a purpose-built dive yacht for shark, wreck and blue-hole diving

This is a boat for divers who want the Exumas without giving up the practical comforts that make a week of repetitive diving easier. The route combines wrecks, a dramatic blue hole and the shark life associated with Nassau, with up to five dives a day and night diving included. The Bahamas Aggressor II also makes a strong case above the water: food scores 9.7, crew 9.3 and diving 8.9. The choice is clear if the priority is a high number of dives, reliable onboard logistics and a crew that treats briefings as part of the diving rather than an announcement before it.

The Bahamas Aggressor II makes the impression of a large, purpose-built dive yacht rather than a converted cruiser. Movement from cabin to salon, terrace and dive platform is straightforward, and the shaded working area keeps the business of getting ready out of the heat. The cabins sit on the lower deck, with panoramic windows and an accessible balcony listed among the cabin features. Two Highfield Patrol tenders are carried aboard, although this Exuma itinerary makes its dives directly from the yacht. It is a boat arranged for a full dive programme: practical spaces first, then the hot tub, bar and outdoor dining area when the gear is stowed.

The atmosphere is shaped less by formal luxury than by a crew that stays engaged with the diving. Dive masters give detailed briefings, remain positive and make an effort to meet requests, while staff can be in the water on yacht dives to support divers, spot creatures and help with underwater photography and video. The difference in the ratings is telling: the crew scores 9.3, ahead of the boat's 8.6. The yacht is the platform; the people running it are what make a demanding week of repeated entries, exits and meals feel well managed. Evenings can include audio-video entertainment, and the week's adventure video brings the group back together.

Steel Forest drops divers onto a unique trio of wrecks at the edge of the Tongue of the Ocean. Steel structures meet the dramatic drop-off, with the site reaching a maximum depth of -33m; Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks and southern stingrays may move through the wrecks, while turtles, morays and reef fish work the structure. The Lost Hole is a different proposition: an oceanic blue hole off Nassau, where the reef rim falls toward a deep void patrolled by Caribbean reef sharks. Its maximum depth is -60m, making the descent and the return along the rim the defining shape of the dive. The recorded itinerary is Exuma Cays and Southwest Eleuthera, round trip from Nassau, for 8 days and 7 nights.

Steel Forest →

Max. depth · 33 m

The Lost Hole →

Max. depth · 60 m

The route brings the large Caribbean cast into view rather than reducing the diving to a fish checklist. Caribbean reef sharks and nurse sharks are recorded at both Steel Forest and The Lost Hole, with southern stingrays, eagle rays and larger pelagic fish adding movement in open water. Steel Forest is the site for green turtles, moray eels, Nassau groupers, yellowtail snappers, blue tangs and parrotfish; it is also the specific site associated with the green turtle, moray eel and parrotfish encounters on this route. The Lost Hole is where an eagle ray may appear against the blue-hole void. The wrecks give the animals structure to work around, while the blue hole leaves them in open water.

Nurse Shark →

Ginglymostoma cirratum

Stingray →

Dasyatidae — Dasyatis, Hypanus, Pastinachus, Himantura, Taeniura

English is the working language on board. Every dive starts with a detailed briefing, and the dive staff are there to explain the site, identify points of interest and offer support in the water when diving directly from the yacht. They do not directly supervise the dive, and guests are not required to follow the staff member. All dives are buddy-team dives, with a team made up of two or three people; a staff member is not counted as a buddy unless that staff member and the guest are the only divers. Advanced Open Water and Nitrox courses can be arranged on board. Oxygen, first-aid kits, fire alarms, extinguishers and trained first-aid crew are part of the safety equipment.

The dive deck has a shaded working area, a platform, rinse tanks and a separate rinse for cameras. The yacht supplies 80-cubic-foot air tanks with K valves, and larger 100-cubic-foot or 15-litre tanks can be requested as optional rentals, subject to availability. Nitrox is available at 32% for certified Nitrox divers; proof of certification is required, and Nitrox fills are not part of the standard package. Rental equipment and snorkelling equipment are optional. Sidemount is accepted only with a single-cylinder configuration, and rebreathers are not supported. Two 25-foot Highfield Patrol 760 tenders are carried aboard, but the Exuma itinerary conducts its dives directly from the yacht.

Between dives, the useful choice is shade or air conditioning. The dive area is shaded, the salon is cooled, and the terrace, outdoor dining space and sundeck give the surface intervals somewhere to open up. Photographers have a dedicated camera area, a separate camera rinse and charging stations, while non-divers and snorkelers are welcome. The hot tub is there for the gap after the gear is rinsed, not as a substitute for the reason to board. When the boat is not moving between sites, the day can be spent in the shade with a camera, a drink or the view over the cays.

The day is built around diving rather than a posted sightseeing timetable. A briefing comes before each entry, followed by the descent from the yacht and the return to the platform, where the next interval is used for food, hydration, camera work and a change of gas or equipment. Exuma trips allow up to five dives in a day, including night dives, so the rhythm can carry from the first daylight descent through the final dive after dark. Meals break up the sequence, and the boat moves between sites when the itinerary requires it. By evening, the dive gear is quiet, the hot tub and salon take over, and the next briefing is already part of tomorrow's plan.

The galley serves full-board meals through the trip, with buffet service, Western and local cooking, and a gourmet style that earned the food a 9.7 rating. Barbecue is part of the onboard programme, and dinner includes complimentary wine; non-alcoholic drinks, water, tea, coffee, snacks and alcoholic drinks are included. The chef, Andres, is remembered for food that stood out even on a dive-heavy schedule. That matters here because meals are not decoration between excursions. They are the recovery stops between dives, when a hot plate and an unhurried table can determine how much energy remains for the next descent.

The cabin categories are Twin Stateroom, Deluxe Stateroom and Balcony Suite. All cabins are air-conditioned and have private bathrooms, while the panoramic windows and accessible balcony give the accommodation more daylight and outside connection than a simple lower-deck bunkroom. The point is not boutique detail; it is having a private place to close the door after several dives, with hot water and a cabin that remains separate from the social areas. The yacht also has an air-conditioned salon, an interior lounge and a terrace, so the evening does not have to be spent in the cabin. For a week built around diving, that division matters.

The Bahamas Aggressor II departs from Nassau and returns to Nassau. Airport and hotel transfers are optional rather than included, and the transfer arrangements are provided with the trip information. Arriving in Nassau the night before departure is the sensible plan.