Caribbean Explorer II

Sean GoreshtGoogle Reviewer

Well worth the price, despite a few hiccups. We saw countless hammerhead and Galapagos sharks, along with green turtles. Sea lions made some last-minute guest appearances, as did dolphins at the end of our dives, but the big draw for these sites is almost certainly the sharks. If you don't like sharks, then look elsewhere. Jennifer, also a fellow Canadian, helped me more than I could ever have imagined from planning my trip to Ecuador to providing valuable insights on what to bring on the Humboldt. Without Jennifer's help, my trip simply wouldn't have been the same, so I owe a huge thanks to her. For the bulk of the trip, you dive either Wolf or Darwin Islands. In both cases, the concept is the same: sink down to 20 metres, then hold onto the reef wall, and sit and wait for sharks. Eventually, you'll see some: hammerheads like to come by and circle the wall, while you'll surely spot other Galapagos sharks in the horizon. After some 20 minutes or more, you'll hitch a ride on the current and resurface to the taxi. The drill definitely gets boring after a few dives -- especially in the case of Darwin's Arch. In poor visibility, it just feels like diving in Canada, but in warm water -- nothing too special. Advanced divers only -- by far. I was the least experienced diver in our group of 13, having logged over 143 dives. You'll also need your nitrox and technical advanced certifications, as pretty much all dives start off below 20 metres. There's also super strong current and poor visibility, making it easy to lose the group. Experienced divers only. Food-wise, as long as you don't have any dietary preferences, the chef will have you covered. The chef prepares local Ecuadorian dishes for the guests, including a variety of pastries containing dairy and gluten. However, as one of the two vegans on-board, I found the selection very limited, compared to the omnivore "normal" dishes; every dessert, without fail, consisted of the same selection of fruit whereas other guests got served exquisite cakes, pies, tiramisu, and flambes. I don't think the chef had adequate training to serve vegan foods, having eaten plant-based for over 6 years. I have tried food from other "vegan-friendly" Liveaboards, and this food did not live up to my expectations. At least 4 times, I had to specifically request oats and soy milk because the selection of foods simply lacked whole grains. I do understand that Jennifer worked very hard to communicate to the staff on what to serve, but I still firmly believe that the meal planning could include more guests with dietary preferences without hindering the quality of the food. Serving guests with dietary preferences their own smaller plate and not labelling what they can and cannot eat at the buffet is just one example. Normally, I wouldn't critique the food so critically, but for the price of this liveaboard, I would have expected much more attention put into accommodating dietary preferences.

Karen DePintoGoogle Reviewer

I spent a week in the Turks and Caicos on the Turks & Caicos II. It was an amazing experience. The boat was comfortable, the crew was very experienced and professional, and the chef prepared high-end restaurant dishes at every meal. The beds and bedrooms were compact but comfortable. The diving was some of the best I’ve ever done. Our dive masters, John, Molly and Thea, were very astute and safety-conscious. In the wake of Hurricane Beryl, our captain, Jean Francois, was able to keep us safe by rerouting or remaining at a site as was necessary. We still dove 26 times, and every dive site was full of active sea life. The Caribbean sunsets were breathtaking. At the end, we all decided that we weren’t ready to go home. These guys are the greatest!

Wayne LaceyGoogle Reviewer

On board the Caribbean Explorer II in March of 2025 (Saint Kitts - Saba - Sint Maarten): This was my first-ever liveaboard experience. While I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting - other than lots of diving - what I got was a great experience with an enthusiastic crew. The dive guides were well-informed and knowledgeable about the dive sites and conditions. The captain was always intent on getting us to the best locations he could reach, depending on sea conditions. The purser kept the schedule of events humming along. The chef kept us fueled with food that was tasty, plentiful, and varied. Living on a boat for a week had me a little nervous, but I was reassured by the presence of a diligent night watch and a capable engineer. Because it wasn't originally set up as a liveaboard dive boat, there are some quirks to the layout. Regardless, it was overall very comfortable and fun to dive from. The most important outcome for me was that the whole experience was fun, exciting, and overall positive - and now has me looking forward to another trip as soon as possible. Given the chance, I'd gladly travel with this crew again.

Dana HaywoodGoogle Reviewer

Turks and Caicos Explorer II Review 2025: 2 stars Overall, I would rate this trip 2 out of 5 stars. However, if I were to separate the different aspects, I would rate the crew 4 out of 5 stars and the boat 1 out of 5 stars. The term "Live-A-Board" is not a fair description and should be better aligned with a basic scuba day boat with rooms. Crew: The crew was friendly, courteous, and treated guests exceptionally well. The food was the best amenity on the boat. Meals were well-prepared, themed each day, and featured amazing flavors and options. The chef was exceptional and received nothing but positive feedback about his culinary skills. Thanks, Miguel, for being the best part of the trip. Boat: The boat is very outdated, poorly organized, and has almost no space for your stuff. The bathroom size was almost identical to those found on an airplane, and after a week, even the most basic functionality was a challenge. There was very little storage, making it difficult to keep personal items organized. The sewer system had issues and many times a day, the toilet wouldn't flush. We were told to wait 4-10 minutes while the tank was pumping to flush. Not convenient when you just used the toilet and now have to wait 10 min to leave the restroom, and this happened several times a day. The beds felt almost as old as the boat and were not comfortable. Dive Schedule: The dive schedule had no flexibility, and getting into the water at certain times felt forced. Our trip was chartered fully by the same dive shop, and each day was like being on a one-day dive boat. This was my ninth live-aboard, and the structure made this by far the worst one to date, which I absolutely loved every past live-aboard to set the bar. We stayed at the same dive spot all day, and it was not possible to explore the Turks as a live-aboard should allow. The purpose of paying a lot of money for a live-aboard is to vacation, have flexibility, tour unreachable areas, and relax. Most dive spots had day boats at it and didn't feel very "exclusive". Boat Design: The boat design caused the boat to drift 180 degrees every few minutes. Whenever you were coming up on the safety stop, the boat would disappear, and you would be 300-400 feet away and need to surface swim. We were told it was due to some heavy front-end design, but never had to chase any other boat as much as this one. Conclusion: I would never recommend this boat to anyone who wants to experience a true live-aboard. The boat’s conditions, lack of comfort, inflexible, aggressive schedule, and lack of basic amenities make this a 1 out of 5 experience and is basically just a day dive boat that stays out for a week. My only positive comment would be the crew and the food. Other live-aboards work to keep you entertained. If there’s an island or beach that’s uninhabited and you wanted to go see it, the boat would entertain trying to make things fun, but any suggestion beyond their strict 5 dives a day schedule was met with a firm "no", which aligns with a structured day boat.

Jill YoungGoogle Reviewer

Overall experience was good. The crew was friendly and helpful, especially Brett. I would not have been happy had I paid the "brochure price" as the accomodations are very dated and in desperate need of upgrades...but paying $1000 off per person it was a great value. Desperately need new pillows, flat as pancakes possibly original to the 50 year old boat. The beds were comfortable but sleeping on a 2 inch thick hard pillow was not. Food was decent, something for everyone. Safety concerns: The dive profiles had no rhyme or reason which puts divers at increased risk for the bends. Your dive profile and your daily profile should be deep in the beginning , shallow in the end. In our training as master divers you learn that the deep dives should be in the morning and get shallower throughout the day so you're off gassing nitrogen all day. On a single dive if you go deep and gradually come up . We were going to 60' then to 30 then back to 60 doing the "yoyo dive" is also risky. Starting on a shallow dive then doing a deep dive is also dangerous. This was all week long. We have over 600 dives and have never done with profiles like this and we do 4 dives a day for 5-7 days on every trip. If the captain is going to be the guide on the dive he should be counting heads and starting dives together, not just swimming off by himself. This is how he handled most dives whereas Brett looked after everyone to ensure no one got lost and everyone was safe. High Pressure Tipping meeting:The majority of the boat did not like the "tip ambush" just before dinner on Thursday evening (as described by one fellow diver) 36 hours before we were to disembark. After the last night dive, people want to relax and shower, not be told to go in the captains room privately to settle up the bull. There was plenty of time to give everyone a copy of their bill, leave a Tip line and return by dinner the night before we left. The group did not like the big 40 minute lecture with the captain requesting a 20% tip on the "brochure price, not what you paid." We are Americans and know how to tip. This turned many off and most had planned to tip more but because of how the whole tip meeting and payment procedure was handled, the majority tipped much less than they would have had you not treated us like middle schoolers or like a high pressure sales gimmick to buy a timeshare. There's a classier more professional way of handling that which is give the bill out, request it back in 24 hours and let people tip what they want. Not guilting people 36 hours before disembarking with high pressure sales talk. I would do it again for the discount price I paid. I'd sit out the ridiculous tip meeting and I'd request the dive profiles were to industry safety standards. Jill Young Sint Maarten to Saba to St.Kitts July 29 to Aug 5