Aggressor Adventures
Turtle Cove Marina, Turtle Cove, Providenciales
Aggressor Adventures is an international liveaboard company that offers all-inclusive multi-day scuba diving vacations in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The company runs diving trips aboard their 120-foot (39 m) liveaboard yacht, the Turks and Caicos Aggressor II, which visits sites off of Providenciales, uninhabited West Caicos, and remote French Cay.
Aggressor Adventures' most popular offering is a 7-night liveaboard trip, though it occasionally offers 10-night liveaboard adventures. These trips are offered year-round and include chef-prepared meals, snacks, beverages, accommodation, and diving. The yacht's staff consists of dive instructors, a captain and second captain, and a chef.
The Turks and Caicos Islands boasts incredible scuba diving, with one of the world’s finest barrier reefs and unmatched sheer walls home to turtles, sharks, rays, countless reef fish, and beautiful corals. Aggressor Adventures has been operating in the Turks and Caicos since 1992, making it the longest provider of liveaboard vacations in the country.
Liveaboard trips aboard the Turks and Caicos Aggressor II depart Saturday evening from the Turtle Cove Marina or South Bank Marina on Providenciales. The yacht returns to Providenciales late Friday afternoon, giving divers the opportunity to dine ashore then check out Saturday morning. The Aggressor Detours travel department can book guests' air travel and extended island stays to explore the beaches and sights.
The Turks and Caicos Aggressor II
All scuba diving on the company’s liveaboard trips is done aboard the Turks and Caicos Aggressor II, a large and spacious liveaboard that can sleep up to 18 divers. The yacht has a sundeck where you can relax on loungers and spot the occasional pod of dolphins while cruising to the next dive site.
You’ll also find several common areas where you can interact with fellow divers. There’s an air-conditioned dining area, a computer desk where you can edit photos from your last dive, and even a hot tub onboard to warm up.
The yacht is also equipped with the OnAdventure network, with the option to purchase data to browse the internet, check emails, and stay in touch with family.
Food and Accommodation
The yacht offers several accommodation types, from master and deluxe staterooms with private bathrooms to a twin-style bunk room with a shared bathroom. Each stateroom offers Aggressor Luxury Services, including a TV, hair dryer, and air conditioning.
As for the food, the menu typically includes BBQ, standard American-style fare, Turks and Caicos and Caribbean cuisine, and homemade desserts. With advance notice, the staff can often accommodate dietary restrictions.
Diving Itinerary
The underwater plateau from which the Turks and Caicos Islands emerge creates fantastic diving locations in the islands. Here, you can see impressive walls, as well as sand chutes, canyons, gullies, and coral-encrusted cracks that provide great swim-throughs.
The Turks and Caicos Aggressor II's path begins on the northern shore of Providenciales, heading towards Northwest Point and following the coastline south. From there, the yacht explores dive sites along the western coast of West Caicos, the waters surrounding the remote French Cay, and the remarkable West Sand Spit sandbar, which is home to an impressive sheer wall. Some sites are weather dependent.
French Cay, a nature sanctuary, is one of the best places to see sharks in the Turks and Caicos—particularly during the June to July nurse shark mating season.
Divers aboard the Turks and Caicos Aggressor II have the rare opportunity to go night diving at some of these remote sites, an experience that local dive shops typically can’t offer due to the time it takes to reach these sites from Providenciales.
Divers can dive on air or Nitrox (enriched air). If you'd like to further your scuba skills onboard, the liveaboard also offers PADI and SSI Enriched Air Nitrox certification.
Popular Sightings
Given that divers on the average week-long liveaboard trip with Aggressor Adventures complete 27 dives, scuba divers are likely to see scores of different marine species on their trip aboard the Turks and Caicos Aggressor II.
Common sightings include hawksbill and green turtles, moray eels, nurse sharks and grey reef sharks, southern brown stingrays, eagle rays, lobsters, crabs, barracuda, pufferfish, octopi, squids, flounders, nudibranchs, and garden eels. While rarer to spot, it's also possible to see manta rays while diving in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Divers may also find conch in their natural habitat. Be sure to pack an underwater camera or action camera with a housing to capture some of the marine life you'll spot.
Located at Turtle Cove Marina
Turtle Cove Marina is a full-service marina that caters to private vessels and local tour companies. The location is the oldest marina on Providenciales, and is home to several restaurants. The broader Turtle Cove area supports low-density and upscale residences and villas.