COVID-19: An Update from Explorer Ventures' Fleet

[EVMarketing]

COVID-19 PRESS RELEASE
MARCH 16, 2020​

OK (taking a deep breath...), it's no secret that we’re in unprecedented times with the recent rise of Coronavirus. Even ordinary dive travel can hold many uncertainties. Still, there’s no place we’d rather be than peacefully gliding alongside whale sharks, or swimming with a turtle, in a tropical paradise. The underwater world can make anyone forget about their worries, including all the news surrounding COVID-19 for a blissful hour at a time. Plus (and we don’t mean to brag), we have plenty of toilet paper.

You can still take that dream dive vacation and we’re here to help. Our office is open, taking bookings and helping divers make informed travel decisions. Most of our scheduled departures are running on schedule, and we have initiated many preventative measures used globally including guest and crew screening, additional disinfection procedures, and a continued focus on hygiene. We care about your safety. Our goal is healthy guests and staff - so that everyone can enjoy their diving holiday!

In the immediate term, many countries worldwide have instituted travel bans or restrictions that are affecting our guests’ ability to travel either from their home countries or to our partners’ vessels. The longest restriction currently is 30 days, from Europe to the US – most others are 15 days, but with the possibility of extension.

If you are scheduled to travel with an Explorer Ventures Fleet vessel through the end of April 2020, you'll be receiving an email from us with the details. We are receiving a large number of inquiries and want to make sure you get the time and service you deserve. We are prioritizing questions for those traveling in the next few weeks. For those traveling from May onwards, we ask for your patience. It’s simply too early to tell what the situation will be, but our goal remains to show you the best dive vacation you’ve had, as quickly as we can!

Here’s what else is happening at Explorer Ventures:

• We are taking prudent actions onboard our vessels to ensure the health and safety of divers and crew. All other protocols defined by the World Health Organization, and Divers Alert Network, are in place and shall continue to be followed accordingly.
• We are advising all persons who are experiencing symptoms of a fever or respiratory illness or have had contact with a person with COVID-19 in the past 14 days, not to travel. In addition, several countries have restricted access to people traveling from high-risk areas; please check with your airline prior to travel.
• We are screening guests upon arrival, and guests/crew throughout the week, to make sure that everyone remains safe.

As a small, family-owned business, excellence in service has remained our top priority for well over 32 years. Even in trying situations, we work hard to continue exceeding expectations. Our diving community is strong, having weathered many challenges over the years. We know that the seas are not always going to be smooth, and our dedication to you, our guests, supporters, agents, employees, and friends, remains steadfast.

Take care of yourselves and support each other so we can all get back to doing what we love most.

Stay well and we hope to see you onboard soon.

Clay McCardell,
President
Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Diving Fleet

 

[EVMarketing]

UPDATE - APRIL 29, 2020
As of today, all of our destinations are still being affected by travel restrictions and airline cancellations. As we have been from the early days of this situation, we continue to monitor each destinations’ situation. News in recent days has been less negative, and maybe even cautiously optimistic about countries beginning their reopening process in the coming weeks. Some of the travel restrictions are currently forecast to end in May, with air transportation available shortly thereafter. We’ll provide further updates as we get them.

We are in the process of contacting all of our guests scheduled to travel through the end of May to all destinations and are also working on contacting some of the June guests for certain destinations, in order to reschedule them for later dates.

For those whose final payments for their trip is coming due soon, we understand the uncertainty caused by the current travel restrictions. We are extending final payment deadlines for guests traveling through midsummer but hope to be fully operational in most if not all destinations by then!

In the meantime, we know it's tough to be landlocked. We're thinking of you, and how to help you make the most of the time you’re spending onshore. On our social media, we're curating lots of ocean-inspired activities, family entertainment, and underwater highlight tours so you can #BeAnExplorerAtHome. Follow along here @ExplorerVentures.

From the staff, partners, and crews of Explorer Ventures, we hope that you stay safe and keep in touch with us. We’ll be ready to dive when you are!

 

[EVMarketing]

UPDATE - July 17, 2020

WE'RE STILL HERE!

Tik tok tik tok tik tok tik tok - It's getting so close we can TASTE it!

The preparations to welcome guests aboard our worldwide liveaboard fleet are almost complete, and our host countries have either finalized or are close to finalizing plans for reopening. Obviously, the increase in US infection rates have added an element of uncertainty as so some countries' final plans, but the testing and health certification requirements now quickly coming into focus, we're excited - we'll be diving again soon!

There will be some additional steps to take for international travel, and each destination will have its own set of requirements, but they all look workable - flights are slowing coming back online, our guests are chomping at the bit to get wet again, and in the coming weeks we should be able to announce start dates for at least some of our destinations.

We're still rescheduling guests on a rolling 30-day basis as more information becomes available, but it looks like this 4-month hiatus will soon be coming to a close. We can't wait to welcome our friends to our aquatic backyard again!