Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Diving FleetReviews of explorerventures.com

My husband, friend and I just returned from the Turks & Caicos Explorer adventure and it was AMAZING. We saw sharks and turtles on almost every dive. After returning from a dive one day we had an opportunity to have a visit from a dozen dolphins who hung out with us for 20-30 minutes. Jo is the best cook ever and she went above and beyond making sure she kept me fed accommodating my celiac gluten free needs. Trystin and Molly best Dive Masters ever. The props and descriptive dive briefing were next level amazing and fun. Particularly tutu Tuesday! Allison was an excellent host and very accommodating and fun! This experience was exceptional all because of the crew. I wish I could have stayed on the boat to continue the fun but all good things must come to end.

The crew made this trip remarkable. Molly, Tristan, Allison, Liberty, and Jo were amongst a few who dove with us. Jo made the food a gourmet experience, Molly made the briefings super unique, informative, and fun, and everyone else saw that our every need was taken care of in a professional, effective, but personal way. The dive guides did a great job pointing out lots of great animals in the water to us. Dolphins, sharks, turtles, micro and macro life. Great trip, primarily due to the hard work and energy of the wonderful CREW!!!

Everything was wonderful. Staff were extremely attentive and helpful. Guides were awesome. Food was great. Super fun trip 10/10 recommend!

Great service, very professional. We have a great time in and out the water. Amazing encounter (Sharks, Rays, Turtle, Seahorses, Seals, more, more and more). Our guide Natalia always keep an eye on our needs, in a safety way and generate memorable moments. Hope to visit you soon

Overall experience was good. The crew was friendly and helpful. 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 2inch thick hard pillow was not. 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 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

Constructive Dislikes: 1. Very crowded Dive Tender boats showing wear (Starboard rubber flaking off) with no repair. 2. No rinse tanks or safe storage for camera rigs on tenders (twice my camera “took” shots inside crates because fins & other cameras piled on top, triggering shutter). 3. Nitrox testing should be visible – period. Tanks were labeled with O2 content and we were allowed to re-test if desired. A reading that does not change over 17 dives is beyond sampling variance believability. 4. Night dives seemed unprecedented. At best, we made two dusk dives after charter guests complained. 5. No Peleliu, Anguar, or any distant travel dive sites. Certainly not to justify “fuel surcharges”. 6. We expected 110 V Palau-style outlets. Instead, the ship has Australian/New Zealand-style. 7. The 2 spiral staircases, while unique among dive boats, are not camera-rig friendly. 8. Entries from tenders are not camera-friendly. My contribution to problem is I return to the boat to have my camera rig passed down to me. Sit-in entries “on 3-2-1 Go” don’t work if anyone (like me) need to return to stern to grab a handed-down camera rig. To be fair, most had GoPros hugged to their chest and after entry, could descend. In my case, I sit in, pop up and return to stern to retrieve my camera. Once, the ship needed repositioning and I found myself within an arm’s length of a moving prop. I prefer a ship in neutral on entries. Another time, most went in (in a current) on “3-2-1” except one diver amidships who did not sit in until “3-2-1-and 1…and 1…and one” just as I popped up down current under him and his falling tank! He did not realize his delayed entry would run into my return for camera. I don’t have a solution. I realize the ship sometimes needs positioning. I also realize coordinated sit-ins work 99% of the time. But the crowded tender made me wish for a separate entry. Positives about Black Pearl 1. Roomy decks (but I just wish I could access my cameras without those spiral staircases). 2. Silverware was fancy and food plentiful throughout the trip. 3. Divemaster (& Cruise Director) Mohammed was very helpful at fixing gear with tools available. 4. Divemaster Jefry and all other staff were professional, helpful, fun, and busy. 5. Dive briefs by Mohammed and Jefry were very descriptive and thorough. 6. Lighting in cabins, and cabins themselves were adequate (but electronic, 4-button toilet flush a bit much). 7. Wrecks on day one! Iconic sites like Chandelier, Blue Corner, German Channel etc. all visited. Loved the Jake Plane wreck!

I feel Red Sea diving is for Advanced Divers. Daily 90'+ dives, currents & wrecks. I don't recall deep dives and currents in the information about the Red Sea. It is beautiful diving though! The add-on land tour of Cairo was well worth it.

The crew was amazing-unbelievably hard working, pleasant, helpful, fun. And the food was incredible-kudos to Jo for producing one fabulous meal after another from that galley kitchen. Highly recommended!!