T here’s no better way to dive the world than via a liveaboard. The list of Aggressor and Dancer Fleet destinations, including a brand-new itinerary to Sri Lanka, delivers you to the world’s premier dive sites,

from the hammerheads of Cocos Island to the migrating humpbacks of Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic. And, you’ll want for nothing out of the water — Aggressor delivers the top-notch service you’ve come to expect.

Dive the World by Liveaboard

AlorYour liveaboard adventure begins in Maumere, the capital of Flores, where the elegant, two-masted, wooden Komodo Dancer will meet you. The Ko-modo Dancer operates this itinerary 2 months a year. The 10-night cruise will explore the chain of islands between Flores and Alor, deep into what is called East Nusa Tenggara.

HIGHLIGHT: We call this style of diving “pioneer diving,” wherein we go way off the beaten track of the underwa-ter world. There is hardly any tourism infrastructure in these parts — and that is what makes this a perfect live-aboard itinerary.

BahamasThroughout the week aboard the Carib Dancer, guests will depart Nassau to explore the dramatic walls, lush coral

reefs and exciting animal encounters of the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park.

HIGHLIGHT: Tiger Beach itinerar-ies visit the remote areas around the West End of Grand Bahama. The area has earned a reputation for deliver-ing swarms of Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, lemon sharks and an oc-casional tiger shark.

Belize (2 YACHTS)

Belize is a wall diver’s paradise. Sheer walls like Painted Wall, Half Moon Caye Wall and Quebrada are adorned with huge crimson gorgonians and giant, orange elephant ear sponges. Guest will also explore the Blue Hole, a 1,000-foot wide, 400-foot deep, col-lapsed cave system. Moray eels, spiny lobsters and tiny arrow crabs hide in every crack, cave and tunnel.

HIGHLIGHT: Mid-week, the crew shuttles guests to Half Moon Caye for

a walk on the beach and a tour of the bird sanctuary. Here you can observe red-footed booby and frigate birds, as well as a lighthouse built in 1848.

Caño Island, Costa Rica (2 YACHTS)

El Caño Island is a marine reserve off the south Pacific coast of Costa Rica in front of the Osa Peninsula. It is one of the most beautiful jewels in the Costa Rican national park system.

HIGHLIGHT: Take a land tour to Corco-vado National Park (San Pedrillo Station or Sirena Station), Sierpe River Mangroves, or Caño Island or Drakes Bay Hiking Tour.

Cayman IslandsThe crystal-clear, warm water of the Cayman Islands has made it one of the top scuba-diving destinations in the

Cozy eels in the Maldives; Little Cayman’s Bloody Bay Wall (top right); The Belize Aggressor III offers topside luxury, (bottom right).

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L IVEABOARD TRIPS

Aggressor II, which offers an exciting itinerary from January to April to the Dominican Republic to snorkel with humpback whales at the Silver Bank.

HIGHLIGHT: Once the humpback whales are located, guests slip into the water to snorkel face-to-face with these graceful giants. Photographers will delight in the endless, topside photo opportunities. These are snor-keling only encounters, as scuba is not permitted in the whale sanctuary.

FijiThroughout the week aboard the Is-land Dancer II, guests will depart Suva to explore the reefs, bommies and walls of Nigali Pass, Wakaya, Koro and Namenalala Islands. Known as the soft coral capital, the brilliant colors on display will dazzle even the most ex-perienced divers and photographers.

HIGHLIGHT: Sip kava and enjoy tradi-

world. Divers will explore the walls and shipwrecks of Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

HIGHLIGHT: The week culminates with a stop at world-famous Stingray City and Grand Cayman’s newest inten-tionally sunk wreck, the Kittiwake.

Cocos Island, Costa Rica (2 YACHTS)

Escape to Cocos, an uninhabited is-land 342 miles off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. Rocky pinnacles surrounding Cocos are beacons for big animals and big action. Schooling hammerheads, countless whitetip sharks, mantas and tuna call Cocos home.

HIGHLIGHT: Sites like Alcyone, Dirty Rock and Dos Amigos are world re-nowned for hammerheads. Don’t miss the night dive at Manuelita, where you will witness dozens of whitetip sharks patrolling the dark ocean floor.

CubaExperience Cuba’s unique marine en-vironment during an Oceans for Youth Foundation People-to-People edu-cational program. The Cuba Travel Program will include 10 days and 9 nights, arriving in Havana on Thursday and departing Havana on Saturday. Aggressor Fleet is the exclusive res-ervation office for the Cuba Travel Program through Oceans For Youth Foundation.

HIGHLIGHT: Jardines Aggressor live-aboard dive sites like Avalon and El Farallon produce thrills with Carib-bean reef sharks, goliath grouper, silky sharks and even great hammerheads.

Dominican RepublicJoin a humpback whale snorkel adven-ture on the beautiful Turks and Caicos

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tional Fijian dancing during the Island Dancer’s village visit.

GalapagosBehemoths, like whale sharks, ham-merheads and sea lions, are just a few of the species that flourish in prolific numbers due to the cool Humboldt Current. The Galapagos Aggressor has been operating as the premier live-aboard dive yacht in the archipelago since 1993 with a permit issued by the Galapagos National Park. The Galapa-gos Aggressor departs from Baltra.

HIGHLIGHT: Travel far north to the famous Darwin and Wolf Islands for thrilling diving to see hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, clouds of tuna and much more.

Komodo National Park and WakatobiKomodo Dancer offers 7-, 10- and 11- night cruises, featuring an enhanced itinerary that allows guests more dive time in the signature area of the Ko-modo National Park. Dugongs, sharks, manta rays, at least 14 species of whales, dolphins and sea turtles call this rich environment home.

HIGHLIGHT: As well as being home to the Komodo dragon, Komodo National

Park provides refuge for many other notable terrestrial species such as the orange-footed scrub fowl, an endemic rat, and the Timor deer.

Kona, HawaiiThe Big Island’s volcanic underwater topography is a diver’s wonderland. Lava tubes, arches and huge craters create a spectacular backdrop for Hawaii’s many species like Spanish dancers, turtles, mantas and frogfish.

HIGHLIGHT: If you are looking for wild nights, then you’ll love Hawaii’s night-life! Soaring mantas glide within feet of divers’ masks during one of Aggres-sor’s signature dives.

MaldivesThe luxurious Maldives Aggressor leaves the lagoon in Male for a week of incredible diving to North Male, South Male, Felidhoo Atolls or Ari Atoll. The many channels, between the islands of the Maldives, are packed with pe-lagic activity like manta rays, giant Napoleon wrasse and whale sharks. Interior lagoons, decorated with lush soft and hard corals, are teeming with macro activity.

HIGHLIGHT: The Maldives Aggressor also offers special itineraries to the

Laamu Atoll. A few of the sites visited include Guraidhoo Corner, Kandoomaa Thila and Fotteyo, which is famous for sharks, tuna and other pelagics.

Palau (2 YACHTS)

Palau offers a variety of exciting dives; WWII wrecks, shark-filled channels, a freshwater lake with stingless jellyfish and even a few caves.

HIGHLIGHT: The yachts journey south to Peleliu, the site of one of the fierc-est battles in the Pacific during WWII, “Bloody Nose Ridge.” A knowledge-able, local guide offers an informative island tour.

Raja AmpatLocated in the heart of The Coral Tri-angle, Raja Ampat is known to have the richest coral reef ecosystem in the world. The four main areas offering itineraries are: Raja Ampat, Cendera-wasih Bay, Banda Sea and Triton Bay.

HIGHLIGHT: Photographers will marvel at a dazzling array of macro subjects, like peacock mantis shrimp, pygmy seahorses and zebra crabs. Drift dives reveal black mantas, whale sharks and bumphead parrotfish, wobbegong sharks, epaulette sharks and the Pap-uan garden eels.

Shoot Like A Pro

Jim Church School of Underwater Photog-raphy instructors Mike Haber and Mike Mesgleski have broken underwater photography into easy-to-follow, yet comprehensive pieces. Hone your skills on one of the following 2016 Jim Church School of Un-derwater Photography charters: Cayman Aggres-sor IV, May 7, 2016; Kona Aggressor II, June 4, 2016 and Red Sea Aggressor, October 29, 2016. Many more worldwide photo charters are listed at aggressor.com.

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L IVEABOARD TRIPS

Goliath grouper are just one of many highlights in the Gardens of the Queen, Cuba; the Galapagos Aggressor approaches world-famous Darwin’s Arch.

Red Sea, SouthThe Red Sea Aggressor operates from Port Ghalib, a beautiful resort commu-nity, far from the crowded north. There are two southern itineraries diving The Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone and St. John’s Reef.

HIGHLIGHT: While the Red Sea is known for dazzling soft corals, Red Sea Aggressor divers can enjoy ex-hilarating, high-energy pelagic action. Whale sharks, marlin, great hammer-heads, mantas, dolphin, bluefin tuna and thresher sharks are often seen at The Brothers and Daedalus Reef.

New Destination:

Sri LankaBeginning in September 2016, the Sri Lanka Aggressor will offer three incredible vacation packages. Thir-teen species of whales reside around the island of Sri Lanka, including blue whales, sperm whales, humpback whales, beaked whales, melon headed whales, pilot whales, and false killer

whales. During Whale & Dolphin Watching Snorkeling Only Itinerar-ies guests may also see eight different species of dolphin.

Recreational Diving Itineraries depart from Colombo and explore marvelous wrecks like the Thermo-pylae Sierra, Chief Dragon, Taprobane, and Trug. Mid-week, the Sri Lanka Ag-gressor heads north to Kalpitiya for drift dives along lush ridges and coral reefs. Tec 40 & 45 itineraries depart from Tricomalee and dive world-class wrecks including the HMS Hermes air-craft carrier, HMS Hollyhock and RFA Athelstane. The Sri Lanka Aggressor is fitted out with 3 x 600 HP compres-sors, a nitrox compressor, a full tri-mix system and a rebreather system.

Thailand The Thailand Aggressor’s north itiner-ary departs from Tap Lamu Pier and dives Richelieu Rock and the Similan Islands. The southern itinerary departs from Satul, diving the Phi Phi and Ta-rutao National Parks, where the warm water draws large schools of tropical

fish, manta rays and the awe-inspiring whale shark.

HIGHLIGHT: Wat Chaiwatthanaram, a Buddhist temple in the city of Ayuttha-ya, is one of Thailand’s many glorious jewels you can visit before or after your Thailand Aggressor dive vacation. The temple was constructed in 1630. Live-Aboard Vacations, our in-house travel agency, specializes in airline ticketing, custom tours and add-on tours.

Turks & CaicosThe beautiful Turks & Caicos Aggressor II offers guests a week of thrilling wall diving along the coasts of Providen-ciales, West Caicos and French Caye. The sheer walls are decorated with huge orange elephant ear sponges, gorgonians, crimson rope sponges and abundant macro life.

HIGHLIGHT: Remote French Caye has endless visibility. At sites like Double D and West Sand Spit, scorpionfish, lob-ster and nudibranchs bring the walls to life. Nurse sharks, reef sharks and ea-gle rays cruise the deep, scouting prey.

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