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Dive Review of Caribbean Explorer II in
Caribbean (General)/St Kitts/Saba

Caribbean Explorer II: "Great trip, Great crew - Caribbean Explorer II", May, 2016,

by David Bader, NC, US (Sr. Contributor Sr. Contributor 20 reports with 5 Helpful votes). Report 8935 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments We had some hesitation booking this trip because of some negative reports by other readers. However, we were pleasantly surprised by both the crew and the condition of the boat. Luckily, there were only nine divers booked so each of us got a private room. I was in room 5 in the forward area. The room consists of two single beds with nice foam mattresses. For storage there's a cabinet over each bed and underneath the bed as well. Each wall has three hooks and hangers. The bath is small but functional. The sink is in the sleeping area and a toilet and shower in a separate room. A/C worked very well. In fact, I closed the vent as to not freeze.

The dive deck has a camera table with pressurized air, two camera rinse tubs, and two mask rinse buckets. Each diver has a station where you set up once and tanks are refilled in place. A cubby is located under each seat. There are also two hot deck showers and a deck head. The aft has two fins off ladders with about five steps to the dive deck. Exit is from the side with about a five foot drop into the water.

The crew consisted of Ian the captain, Peter the chef, Terrence the engineer, Melissa the purser, and JT and Tuna as dive leaders. I can't say enough about the crew. They worked as a well oiled machine and were very entertaining. Their bad singing and even worse jokes made for a very enjoyable trip. This was Peter's first time on a dive boat and cooked as if we were in a fine restaurant.

Dives were always lead by at least one of the dive guides. Maximum dive time was 60 minutes or 500 PSI. Depths were set at 110 ft on EAN or 130 ft on air but we rarely came near these limits. EAN was always between 32 and 33 percent. We dove three days in St. Kitts and two and a half days in Saba. Weather was windy which caused some current and surge. This also affected visibility at some sites. CE II generally offers five dive a day. I was somewhat disappointed with Saba. Having dove there several years ago, I remembered it being colorful and lush with frogfish and seahorses on many sites. We were told that about two months ago, they dredged the harbor leaving a fine gray sand over much of the coral. No frogfish were sighted and only two seahorses. On the other hand, we saw lots of turtles, queen angels, morays, sharks, and rays. One night dive had three nurse sharks that followed us everywhere.

Extra costs are not clearly spelled out on the web site. Too summarize:

Marine Park Fees - $115
Fuel Surcharge - $30
Nitrox - $150
Gratuity - 15%
Taxis to/from boat - $35
Friday dinner - $35
Land tours are also offered in St. Kitts and Saba

This was a great trip and I would gladly return.
Websites Caribbean Explorer II   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Caribbean, East Coast US, Pacific and Indian Oceans
Closest Airport SKB & SXM Getting There None

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas choppy, surge
Water Temp 84-85°F / 29-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 20-50 Ft/ 6-15 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions 60 minutes
110 ft on EAN, 130 ft on air
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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