Saturday
Guests arrived and settled into their guest rooms as the team welcomed everyone aboard Philippine Aggressor. After getting gear set up on the dive deck, the group gathered for introductions, a safety briefing, and the dive plan for the week. Dinner followed, and as the evening wound down, guests rested up for an early start the next morning.

Sunday
The first day of diving opened at Jessie Beazley with two back-to-back dives on a reef full of life. Schools of jacks and yellowtail barracuda moved through the water on the first dive, joined by a lobster tucked into the reef, a hawksbill turtle cruising the slope, and an octopus on the sandy bottom. The second dive at the same site kept the energy high with grey reef and white tip sharks, a green sea turtle, a Napoleon wrasse, another school of yellowtail barracuda, and a second lobster deep in the reef structure.

The third dive moved to Wall Street, where large schooling fish dominated the water column. A big school of jacks, a Napoleon wrasse along the slope, white tip and grey reef sharks, a green sea turtle, and several nudibranchs spread across the reef made for an outstanding third dive.

The day wrapped up at Ranger Station, where the guides added several memorable finds to the list. A Napoleon wrasse worked the reef while a Persian carpet flatworm spread itself across the coral surface. A Denise pygmy seahorse clung to a sea fan nearby, and green sea turtles and sharks rounded out a strong start to the week.

Monday
The Delsan wreck opened Monday with some of the most dramatic diving of the trip so far. Hammerhead sharks appeared in the blue during the first dive, accompanied by large schools of jacks and barracuda, dogtooth tuna cruising mid-water, and grey reef and white tip sharks patrolling the site. The second dive at the same wreck kept the pelagic action going with more grey reef and white tip sharks, a school of yellowtail barracuda, hunting giant trevally, and a green sea turtle.

Triggerfish City followed for the third dive, delivering large schools of jacks and barracuda, white tip and grey reef sharks along the reef edge, a Napoleon wrasse, and a nurse shark resting on the bottom.

The day closed at Staghorn Point, where a big school of jacks and barracuda moved along the reef edge, a hawksbill turtle was spotted feeding on coral, and a school of snappers sheltered close to the reef structure.

Tuesday
Black Rock opened Tuesday with a strong current carrying large schools of jacks and barracuda through the site. Grey reef and white tip sharks, a Napoleon wrasse, and a hawksbill turtle were all sighted before surfacing.

The second dive at Twerck turned up schools of drummers and sweetlips along the reef, grey reef and white tip sharks, and a Napoleon wrasse working the slope.

Ko-ok was the setting for the third dive, where a nurse shark rested on the bottom while a large school of milkfish gathered in open water above. A Napoleon wrasse cruised along the wall and grey reef and white tip sharks moved through the current.

The final dive of the day at Southwest Wall was a calmer and more varied exploration of the reef. A Napoleon wrasse, a marble grouper near the slope, and a green sea turtle resting on the reef were the highlights of a solid fourth dive.

Wednesday
Shark Airport opened Wednesday with strong pelagic and schooling activity right from the entry. A school of drummers gathered near the reef, grey reef and white tip sharks cruised through, hunting giant trevally worked the baitfish, and a green sea turtle moved along the slope.

The second dive at Washing Machine brought dynamic current conditions and the energy that comes with them. Grey reef and white tip sharks, a large school of surgeonfish, a Napoleon wrasse, and a hawksbill turtle all showed up.

The group returned to Shark Airport for the third dive, and the site delivered again. Drummers, a marble ray, golden trevally, grey reef and white tip sharks, and a green sea turtle made it worth the second visit.

Sea Fan Alley finished the day with a more relaxed but equally rewarding dive. A school of batfish, a marble ray resting on the sand, a Napoleon wrasse, a school of surgeonfish sweeping along the reef, and the ever-present grey reef and white tip sharks filled out a wonderful final dive.

Thursday
Thursday brought the single most talked-about moment of the entire trip. At Amos Rock, a whale shark appeared and moved along the edge of the reef, passing slowly past the entire group. Schools of barracuda, jacks, snapper, and batfish surrounded the site while grey reef and white tip sharks hunted tuna in the same water. An experience like that does not come around every dive.

Wall Street was next, revisiting the site from earlier in the week with equally strong results. A large school of jacks, Napoleon wrasse, white tip and grey reef sharks, green sea turtles, and nudibranchs across the reef made for a rich and rewarding dive.

The afternoon moved to Malayan Wall, where a marble ray rested on the sandy bottom, bumphead parrotfish grazed in formation, a grey reef shark cruised the wall, and a large school of jacks held in mid-water.

The day ended at the Malayan wreck with a strong final dive. A school of yellowtail barracuda, a large school of jacks, a silky shark in open water, a marble ray, a Napoleon wrasse, and grey reef and white tip sharks made it a proper send-off for the deeper sites.

Friday
The final full day of diving shifted into a completely different gear at Red Cliff, one of the region's premier macro sites. The first dive was a patient search of the reef slope and sandy patches that turned up an extraordinary list of small and cryptic creatures. A blue-ringed octopus moved across the substrate, a robust ghost pipefish hid among the soft corals, a dragon seamoth picked its way across the sand, a crown seahorse sat within the reef structure, and multiple nudibranch species were recorded throughout the dive.

The second dive at Red Cliff continued in the same spirit. Another dragon seamoth crossed the sandy bottom, a peacock mantis shrimp worked from its burrow, more nudibranchs appeared along the reef, a moray eel was found inside a coral crevice, and crabs and shrimp moved across the structure in every direction. A perfect finale for guests who appreciate the smallest wonders of the reef.

What a week it was on Philippine Aggressor. From the hammerheads of Delsan wreck to the whale shark at Amos Rock and the blue-ringed octopus at Red Cliff, this trip had something extraordinary at every turn. Thank you for sharing these waters with us. We hope to welcome you back on board very soon.