Expedition Fleet - Tubbataha - MV Stella Maris

This is just a quick post for now. I will probably elaborate later and expand this into a trip report.
I was on this vessel for their transition trip in early June this year. We visited Tubbataha and Apo Reef. The trip was excellent. Diving was superb. Boat crew and dive crew were first rate. If anyone is considering this trip next year feel free to PM me and ask specific questions or I'll give you my MSN.

Cabins were functional, food was excellent. Worth every penny. Do use Nitrox though 5 dives a day can make you a little tired. )

Did you book directly through expedition fleet or use an agent? also, did you start and end in puertoprincesa? did you have time to see the underground river in Palawan?...
I'm thinking of doing tubataha next april 2011 and also cebu/bohol shortly after..

We used an Expedition Fleet boat, the Eco Explorer, on our trip to Palau. Though the boat was old and quirky, to say the least, it was a fabulous trip due to the incredible diving and fantastic staff. Class act company in my book.
As far as booking through an agency or direct.... one couple onboard had tried that. This was their second trip and this time they called the company direct, and found the price was higher! They negotiated a bit, got the price down somewhat and got upgraded to best room, but still ended up paying more than we did in package deal through Ultimate Dive Travel. They said they would never try to go direct again with that company, at least. Big hassle.

robin

The transitional trip I went on started in PP and ended in Batangas - hence us doing Apo Reef on the way up. The cabins are functional and clean - it's only somewhere to put your head down at the end of the day.

I booked direct and found them to be very efficient and helpful. Maybe going through an agent might have saved me a little money but it was reassuring to be booking directly when laying out so much money. I think our trip was about $1500.

I didn't do the underground river this time. I'd been there before on a previous trip. I didn't go on a package thing - I only booked the liveaboard through expeditionfleet. I had my own flight and transfers in place. Spent some time in Puerto Galera after the liveaboard too. The Stella Maris captain dropped us off on the way past which was nice of him.

I'm looking at Tubbataha for next March. Did you do any diving from Puerta Princessa? Any other divers out there with comments about any other liveaboards in the area? Thanks.

Hi Paddyp,

I am about to book on Stella Maris for April 23-29 2010 for 3 divers and myself. You have posted the only review I could find on the net and it is encouraging. You input will be very helpful to help us finalize the decision. I will be taking my underwater video camera which is a sealux and Sony EX1. This is setup is about 15KG when put together. I have few questions about the ship and the dive site:
1) Do you dive directly from the ship or from a an accompanied boat?
2) Is it easy to move from the ship to the boat and vise versa?
3) Were the currents very strong in most of the dives?
4) Are there windows in the rooms?
5) Is this the best ship they have? How about the Pacific Explorer II?

I would appreciate your reply in advance,
Thani

Hi Thani,

1) Do you dive directly from the ship or from a an accompanied boat?
You never dive directly from the main boat. They have two skiffs each capable of transporting at least 8 divers with kit. The main vessel moors up and then you head into shallower water on the little ones.

2) Is it easy to move from the ship to the boat and vise versa?
It is very easy to move between the two. All your gear is loaded on to the skiffs by the crew apart from your mask, fins, and camera.

3) Were the currents very strong in most of the dives?
The answer here was no. There was alot of drift dives but the current was manageable on all but one. On the one that was too strong we just changed our dive plan.

4) Are there windows in the rooms?
There are windows on the upstairs rooms. Not sure about downstairs. Probably portholes. The rooms upstairs were fine. Bunks (double and 3/4 double). Bathrooms were functional. It was all clean and functional. Don't expect polished floorboards and fixtures and fittings - like a red sea vessel.

5) Is this the best ship they have? How about the Pacific Explorer II?
The crew said this was the best vessel. They had been on the others. Two vessels went out together on our trip. I think the other was the Borneo. We dived different sites but were within an hour of each other. I suppose it acts as support if something happens. You are 8 hrs from land in all directions...
After our trip we spoke to some of the passengers on the other vessel. They were less than impressed with their food. Ours was absolutely superb as were the crew. If you want to see some photos of the tip join facebook an I'll add you as a friend for a bit. PM me with your details.

Any more questions just ask. All I ask in return is a message to say how your trip went. Deal?

Regards
P

Hi Paddy

Thanks for posting this ... it looks very interesting

Is this 1,500 USD?
How many days were you on the boat for?
How many days diving did you do?

I'm looking for next Feb

Thanks

Venus

paddyp:

I think our trip was about $1500.

Click to expand...

Hi Venus,

Have a look here for the details and prices. This is where I booked. Do a transition trip if possible because it's longer and you get to dive Apo Reef which is amazing.

tubbataha_schedules - Liveaboard Scuba Diving in the Philippines and Palau

One other thing. They only run trips Mar-Jun. Sea is too rough at other times of year.