Courtesy Aggressor AdventuresSmuggler’s Plane, near Norman’s Cay in the Exumas, is still mostly intact, but marine life is beginning to take over.
"Swim-throughs, walls, sharks—it’s all a bit of an adventure,” says Matt Dann, Bahamas Aggressor II’s first mate and engineer. Huh. Interesting.
I boarded this liveaboard expecting easygoing Caribbean vibes: predictable shallow reefs, crystalline water and maybe a few friendly fish. But, swimthroughs? Walls? Adventure? Not on my radar, but definitely welcome—and, as it turns out, exactly what I needed.
Interest piqued, I set my gear up on the spacious dive deck. Each diver gets a dedicated tank, refilled right in its holder after each dive. There’s no swapping tanks, no lugging gear around. Pure efficiency.
Bahamas Aggressor II is one of the biggest and most comfortable in Aggressor Adventures’ Caribbean fleet. I wander the lounges (indoor and out), sample the sun deck chairs and jacuzzi temperature, and land in the dining room just in time for Chef Andres’ three-course feast.
Overnight, Captain Shea Markwell navigates us to Eleuthera, a narrow island east of Nassau. By morning, our adventure begins—and I leave my expectations behind in my suitcase.
Courtesy Aggressor AdventuresThe author and her buddy celebrate completing every dive offered on the trip.
Wrecks, Cages and the Washing Machine That Wasn’t
Our checkout dive at Smuggler’s Plane sets the tone. The gnarled wreckage of this “import/export” plane remains quite intact, and I hold a staring contest with grunts sheltering under the wings. I hover, mesmerized by white feather duster worms grabbing at the water like fantastical flowers from Alice in Wonderland. I’m not much of a wrecks gal, but there’s something awesome and disjointing about floating above a machine meant for the sky.
A few dives later, we explore Cobia Cage, a massive, UFO-like structure that once held fish. Now empty and tilted, it’s an abandoned science experiment overgrown with coral, sponges and invertebrates—and a truly unique dive site.
The weather churns, and plans change. Thunderstorms force us to skip the famous Washing Machine, where tides roll divers around before spitting them out on a gorgeous reef. I add it to my bucket list.
This is a new itinerary for the boat, but not for Markwell. A 40-year veteran of Bahamas diving, the captain adapts our schedule to prioritize safety without sacrificing our experience. I know we’re in good hands.
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Courtesy Aggressor AdventuresThe reef comes alive with macro finds.
Adopting an Explorer’s Mindset
After a canceled dive, PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer John Johnson says something that reshapes my week: “We’re explorers, not tourists. That’s fun.”
He proves it on a repeat dive at the Austin Smith, a shallow wreck with resident Nassau grouper and reef sharks patrolling. “Don’t just dive to check a box that you’ve seen something,” Johnson urges us. “Go in open. See what you find, and it’ll always be a good dive.”
With this mindset, he and I skim side by side over the sand at 78 feet. It’s fun to fly like that, to know my buoyancy is good enough to do it. I remember when it wasn’t and feel proud of how far I’ve come as a diver.
Suddenly, this dive and every one after becomes a treasure hunt. We find a massive sea cucumber and gesture “so big” to each other underwater, wide-eyed in our masks. A shallow seagrass bed that could seem bland leaves me intrigued by a sea star slowly and deliberately articulating its tube feet over every blade of grass.
On a night dive with the trip’s videographer Alex Cacante, the marine biologist illuminates Knuckle Head Reef with a UV light, showing us a world of corals and anemones fluorescing in neon oranges and greens. I’ve studied corals for years, but watching them feed under this otherworldly glow feels like being let in on one of the ocean’s best-kept secrets. How you approach your dives really does affect how much you enjoy them.
Courtesy Aggressor AdventuresThe liveaboard from above.
So Many Swim-Throughs
Soon, I learn the Bahamas is famous for its swim-throughs—structural remnants of what was once assuredly glorious.
“It’s like going through Earth, escaping through a hole and searching for the light,” Cacante says.
Turns out, I’m a big fan. The swimthroughs are the ultimate choose-your-own-adventure experience and very addictive. Some are open-air tunnels; others feel like caves, narrowing, twisting and turning, with peeks of open blue ocean ever present to urge you on.
Midweek, Markwell leads my dive buddy Barbara Howard and I on a nighttime quest at Jake’s Blue Hole. We sneak beneath coral heads in swim-throughs so tiny I’m sure we’ll get stuck. Yet, somehow, our broad-shouldered captain glides through effortlessly, and so do we. Another win for good buoyancy and another great dive.
One tunnel spits us out face to face with a lettuce leaf nudibranch on a rock. “It’s like Shea had it in his pocket,” Howard jokes later. Soon after, she spots a baby octopus scuttling across a reef head.
With the tight squeezes, unexpected critters and shared adrenaline, this is easily my favorite night dive ever, and I thank Markwell for the adventure when we surface.
Labyrinths of Light
Our second to last day of diving, we finally make it to the Exumas, the gem of the itinerary.
Our first stop is Dog Rocks, Markwell’s favorite site. Instantly, I understand why: There are swim-throughs everywhere you look. “It’s a labyrinth you can stay in for 45 minutes,” he says, grinning. “One of the best spots for big stuff too.”
Dann leads us, weaving through the underwater obstacle course with what feels like reckless abandon. It’s intoxicatingly fun. I try to imprint every detail into my brain as we fly past: sponges cupping the reef, huge plating corals, lots of color, so much alive—still.
We enter the Cathedral, this site’s most famous swim-through. The walls open generously, and light streams through the cracks at the top. Bigger fish lurk in the shadows, while tiny silversides glisten in the sunbeams and around Dann as he swims through. My eyes and heart quickly follow the shimmer, and I sit there awestruck, marveling at the ocean’s grandeur.
Dann goes for one last run before we ascend, and we hit the Cathedral from the other side. I don’t want to stop.
Sheer Walls and Spiritual Moments
Courtesy Aggressor AdventuresGuests can gear up on the dive deck and giant stride from the liveaboard right into the Bahamas’ crystal-blue waters.
Dive, eat, sleep and repeat. I remember why I adore liveaboards. The diving hits harder, and the conversations go deeper.
One night, Johnson describes his favorite ritual: descending 100-plus feet on a wall, swimming out and facing the immensity of water. “When you dive a reef, you don’t see the ocean,” he says. “But, off a wall, you’re faced with the abyss. It reminds you how sacred, special and temporary everything is.”
The next day, he guides us on Cut Through City, a maze of tunnels. “If you want to experience this site, you have to get in it,” he grins. “It’s more aggressive.”
So we do.
Johnson, Howard and I bob and weave through the canyons like kids in a jungle gym. Sheer joy. Emerging from the final cut-through, a drop from 65 feet to 90, our guide swims out from the cliff and motions for me to follow.
The wall is outrageously large. There’s endless depth below us. Johnson turns around and bares his soul to the deep, arms open in tadasana, mountain pose.
It’s almost spiritual watching him receive the bigness of the universe and the ocean like this. He motions for me to do the same.
Later that week, we reminisce about how humbling that vastness is and how it makes us grateful to be alive.
“It gives me goosebumps, still,” he says. Gratitude doesn’t have to be grand.
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Courtesy Aggressor AdventuresBoth Bahamas Aggressor II itineraries offer chances for encounters with tiger sharks.
A Sleepy Turtle and a Sharknado
Our finale is the Lost Blue Hole right outside Nassau, a brutal 5 a.m. wakeup for a pitch-black descent.
The pit itself is 200-plus feet deep, but when you beat the sun out, the darkness feels like it goes on forever. We drop into the abyss, my timid light beam fixed on Dann’s green freediving fins to keep any sense of bearing at all.
We hit 99 feet, and Dann points his light upward. A little jellyfish dances in the beam, blooping toward the sky. Later, a tiny shrimp shakes its claws at us as it works its way upward while the ocean awakens.
We swirl and ascend, finding banded coral shrimp, Spanish lobsters in a cave at 85 feet and a sleeping loggerhead sea turtle on a ledge, surrounded by seagrass. Two sleepy remoras plop their heads on her shell for a group nap. How idyllic. There’s something about her that touches my heart. She’s perfect. I could’ve watched her for hours.
Just as we’re about to leave, a dozen Atlantic sharp-nosed sharks spiral up from the depths. Had we waited 20 more minutes, Dann says, we would’ve seen a whole sharknado amass before us. I’m tempted to linger, but we’ve got to get back to port.
Ready for More
Talking with Johnson on my last night, I reflect. I came expecting predictable and easy; instead, I got a glorious reminder about why it’s so awesome to be a scuba diver. The dives left me eager for more, the late-night chats reaffirmed that dive people are definitely my people, and the unexpected adventures rekindled a zest and aliveness in me that I’m excited to embrace.
I fall asleep with a week of glorious dives under my belt, swayed by warm Caribbean breezes and wondering when I’ll get to do this again.
Like Howard says, “My favorite dive is the next one. So, where are we going?”
The Bahamas Aggressor II
Length
120 feet
Passenger-To-Staff Ratio
20 to 7
Staterooms/Beds
All 10 cabins feature en suite bathrooms and are smartly arranged with side-by-side bunks. Suites 9 and 10 on the dive deck are bigger and feature balconies overlooking the water.
Amenities
Bahamas Aggressor II has a spacious dive deck with two camera tables and charging stations. Indoor and outdoor lounges and a sun deck with a 24/7 jacuzzi offer maximum relaxation. Each room has a TV with movie selection, which is also available on the lounge flat-screen.
Food/Drink
Lunches are a mix of plated and buffet-style international food. Three-course dinners are plated and decadent. Open bar (excluding premium liquor and wine) is included. Guests are welcome to bring their own.
Courtesy Aggressor AdventuresThe hot tub on Bahamas Aggressor II.
Need to Know Diving Bahamas Aggressor II
When to Go
The Bahamas is a year-round destination with seasonal variation of marine life. Reef sharks and eagle rays are always present, and we saw plenty in June. July brings sea turtles. In cooler months (October to May), larger marine life returns: whale sharks, hammerheads and tiger sharks cruise the walls of the Exumas and Eleuthera. At the Blue Hole, colder months add 300-plus silky sharks into the sharknado.
Conditions
Water temperatures range from 76°F (cool months) to 86°F (hot months). June diving was perfect in a skin suit or 3 mm. Bring a 3 mm or 5 mm wetsuit for colder diving. Visibility is good year-round, but there’s a slight haze (still 60-plus-foot visibility) in August and September.
Topside Fun
The Exuma Cays itinerary offers 26 dives, with one optional land excursion (substituting a dive). Options include the Exumas’ iconic swimming pigs, a visit to the first land and sea park in the Caribbean (turtles and sharks), a beautiful walk to the Bahamas’ tallest point or an excursion to iguana island.
Certifications/Requirements
Divers must be open water certified and show proof, but courses are available on board. Nitrox is available for an additional fee, with proof of certification. For courses, classroom and pool sessions are completed before boarding, and final certification dives will take place during the itinerary.
Gear
Rental equipment is available on board. Aggressor also has a generous lending policy: If your own equipment breaks, you’ll receive a loaner replacement for the trip for free.
Pricing
In 2025, a seven-night cruise on Bahamas Aggressor II costs $3,395 per person for a twin cabin (lower deck) and $3,995 for a balcony suite (upper deck). This rate includes accommodations, food, beverages, tanks, weights, up to five dives per day and an optional land excursion. Airport transfer is not included.
