TRIP REPORT:   TURKS AND CAICOS AGGRESSOR NOVEMBER 10 – 17, 2007

In the early morning hours of Saturday, November 10, a group of 20 divers arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport to embark on a live aboard diving adventure in the beautiful islands of the Turks and Caicos.  As always there are several factors that go into the total success of any trip.  One of the big unknowns, at least these days, is airline travel.  This trip was with Delta.  On our way to The Turks and Caicos Islands our travel was almost scary.  Flights boarded on time, without over bookings.  Our Pittsburgh flight departed on time, even a bit early.  Our connection was unhurried, and the second flight was once again not over sold, boarded on time and departed on time.  We even arrived in Provo a few minutes early.  Unbelievable, almost unheard of these days.  It did happen, I personally was amazed.  The airlines actually did its job and did it very well.  Upon our arrival customs and immigration was a snap and we were on our way to the Aggressor Yacht. 

            Another aspect of any trip is the accommodations.  This trip was on the Turks and Caicos Aggressor II.  The yacht is in great condition and the crew onboard was spectacular.  Captain Piers Van Der Walt is by far and without question the best captain one could ever hope to travel with.  He is the type of individual that commands respect. His crew, and shortly into the week all of his passengers, have the utmost respect for him.  Captain Piers without question has your interest, your safety and your enjoyment as his number one priority.  We thank him and his excellent crew for a spectacular week. 

            The food is certainly another important aspect of any successful trip.  This trip we were treated to the delights of a true chef.  Calling Ronnie a cook would definitely be an insult.  Breakfast and lunch were served buffet style.  The quantity and quality, of every meal was exceptional.  Dinner was served sit down every night.  Chef Ronnie’s dinners were not served they were presented.  All the food was excellent, but dinners were exceptional.  One could tell he took great pride in his work and we were all very thankful for his dedication to his profession.

            Weather is always an unknown and unpredictable.  Two weeks before our arrival a tropical storm was chasing the boat around and even put them in port a few days.  The week before our trip the winds and therefore the visibility were kicked-up.  Our week ended up having near perfect weather.  Highs in the 80s, lows in the 70s and mostly sunny every day.  Very little to no rain, once a little bit while sleeping.  The winds were somewhat unusually.  They were blowing 180 degrees from normal.  This meant some of our dives had a bit of a swim to the reef wall, but nothing our crew couldn’t handle. 

            One more aspect of any dive trip is the diving.  As usual, this trip had some spectacular diving.  The walls and reefs of the Turks and Caicos are in great shape.  The coral and the reef life are flourishing and abundant.  On several dives we were treated in seeing a new addition to the Atlantic and the Caribbean marine life.  The Pacific Lion Fish is now present in our side of the world.  Wanted or not wanted good or bad, two very different schools of thought in this matter.  The lion fish are there, now what do we do?  We were also treated to a very different way of diving with sharks.  Sharks are still somewhat common in this area.  However, they rarely come close enough to divers for good viewing or close photography.  Feeding sharks is one way to bring them in close.  Captain Piers has developed another method to bring the sharks in closer.  He manufactured a heavy gage aluminum pyramid with a hinged and pined top half.  The crew places a few fish heads inside, close and pin the top and place the pyramid, perforated with holes, in the dive area.  The sharks scent the fish and circle the pyramid for a couple of dives.  The end of the second dive the lid is opened and the sharks, groupers and yellow tails get their snack.  A great time is had by all!  We had one other very exciting experience.  On our first day, late in the afternoon, a 10 foot Manta Ray came along side the Aggressor yacht.  The Manta was swimming and feeding all around our boat for approximately 20 minutes.  Those of us that were in the water on a dive missed the Manta.  Those still on board enjoyed swimming with and filming this magnificent creature.  Kingsley Graham shot some excellent video, in fact the Manta ran into his housing several times.  Cathy Barth made friends with the giant creature and kept inviting him back for some more interaction.  The relationship must have been just one way, the Manta did not return.  Laura Camerlo always says, “If you are not in the water, you are not going to see the cool stuff.”  This was one encounter that was the opposite way.  Oh well, garden eels are much more exciting anyway!

            In conclusion, one final aspect can make or possibly break a dive trip, and that is the people.  We at Scott’s Scuba are blessed with some of the finest customers, divers and friends anyone could wish to be associated with.  As is the normal this group meshed very well.  If our travelers did not know everyone when they left, they certainly knew everyone very when we returned.  Old friendships were renewed new friendships were made and everyone got along just like best friends.  On a personal note, I would like to thank everyone on the trip and the Aggressor crew for an absolutely perfect trip for me.  I made my 5000^th dive on Wednesday, November 14^th, at 2:00pm.  I wanted to keep it quiet, but everyone on the boat already knew.  Everyone made my dive very special.  Captain Piers presented me with a gold whale’s tail charm, during the dive.  Later on that evening Captain Piers made a very heartwarming speech than turned the floor over to Helen Roppolo.  Helen, along with everyone else on the trip, had a beautiful hand forged brass plaque made and presented it to me after dinner that night.  To say I had a tear in my eye, was taken aback and was speechless is the understatement of the year.  I was totally surprised and overwhelmed.  A Hugh THANK YOU TO HELEN and all of our travelers.  You will never know how much your kindness means to me and my family. 

            On one final note, Joanne Lightner and her husband Don Lightner were on our trip and traveled with us for the first time.  During this trip Joanne also hit a tremendous milestone herself.  She logged her 600^th dive around mid-week.  Congratulations to Joanne.  I am looking forward to many more trips with you guys.