Anyone been on this boat?
Explorer II Turks & Caicos
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I was last year. Good boat, great crew, great chef. Lots of open space with two upstairs decks - one covered, and smart innovations like they vent the compressor heat through the divedeck so it dries wetsuits faster. I did the best diving I've done in the last 5 years at French Cay, lots of sharks, turtles, so many Stingrays lying around it was boring. The wall is fairly close so a lot of bigger pelagics come up to feed. It's just coral on coral past rec depths. Crystal clear water except one day when a squall blew over. There's supposed to be some VW sized grouper at West Caicos but we missed them.
Link to a really good trip report: http://www.awoosh.com/Saudio/Saudio_Turks&Caicos.html
Any questions? I'll follow this thread for the next couple of days if you want to post them here. Or send a PM.
Link to a really good trip report: http://www.awoosh.com/Saudio/Saudio_Turks&Caicos.html
Any questions? I'll follow this thread for the next couple of days if you want to post them here. Or send a PM.
coralcruiser
Contributor
My friend has been on it more than 5 times and raves about it.
I haven't been on it yet but do have a group trip scheduled on it this coming June. Have 2 spaces still available and am selling them below their advertised rate for that time of year. PM if interested.
I haven't been on it yet but do have a group trip scheduled on it this coming June. Have 2 spaces still available and am selling them below their advertised rate for that time of year. PM if interested.
My wife and I were on the T&C Explorer II in late April of this year. Very highly recommended. The crew was amazing, the food was terrific, and the diving was the best I've done so far. We spotted reef sharks on virtually every dive, and as diversteve said, there were so many stringrays that they almost became boring. Lots of nurse sharks, too. At one point I was trying to take a picture of something, and a nurse shark kept swimming in front of the lense, getting in the way. It was almost like a puppy that's upset because you're not playing with him.
We had good, but not perfect weather. Captain Ken reversed the normal route so that we were protected by West Caicos when the wind kicked up mid-week. Despite some moderate wind at French Key, which we visited first and is out in open ocean, nobody had any issues with seasickness.
When we went, there were 13 divers out of the maximum of 20. It was a nice size group. But the boat is large enough that even at maximum capacity, I don't think it would feel crowded.
The rooms were nice. We had room #6, in the middle of the boat, and we had a king size bed with 3 or 4 feet of room around two sides. The en suite bathroom was small but adequate.
The diving and eating schedule is run with military-like precision, which I really liked, as you're never sitting around wondering what's next. Two dives in the morning, two in the afternoon, and one night dive. Six of the 13 of us did every dive; a couple people did only 2 or 3 a day.
Again, a great experience and one that I would recommend with no hesitation.
James
We had good, but not perfect weather. Captain Ken reversed the normal route so that we were protected by West Caicos when the wind kicked up mid-week. Despite some moderate wind at French Key, which we visited first and is out in open ocean, nobody had any issues with seasickness.
When we went, there were 13 divers out of the maximum of 20. It was a nice size group. But the boat is large enough that even at maximum capacity, I don't think it would feel crowded.
The rooms were nice. We had room #6, in the middle of the boat, and we had a king size bed with 3 or 4 feet of room around two sides. The en suite bathroom was small but adequate.
The diving and eating schedule is run with military-like precision, which I really liked, as you're never sitting around wondering what's next. Two dives in the morning, two in the afternoon, and one night dive. Six of the 13 of us did every dive; a couple people did only 2 or 3 a day.
Again, a great experience and one that I would recommend with no hesitation.
James
Got back on Nov. 5. Boat is in excellent condition. One of the membranes used to make Nitrox was leaking so had 30% all week. No problem there though.... Only had 4 people on the boat. It was like having my own private yacht.
Some of the best diving possible. Sharks, turtles, nurse sharks, rays, spotted eagle rays, walls and more sharks. Can't forget Lucille Aka. Lucie. Pretty tame grouper that loves to be petted (and kissed by Brandt). G-Spot is awesome for wall and fish life.
Book the trip and enjoy every minute of an excellent vacation.
Some of the best diving possible. Sharks, turtles, nurse sharks, rays, spotted eagle rays, walls and more sharks. Can't forget Lucille Aka. Lucie. Pretty tame grouper that loves to be petted (and kissed by Brandt). G-Spot is awesome for wall and fish life.
Book the trip and enjoy every minute of an excellent vacation.
I did this trip three years ago and enjoyed it a lot.
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Joe Cool
Contributor
HI, I am wondering if someone can tell me if the cabins get cold because of the A/C? I will be on this boat on the 10th and I would like to know if I can sleep comfortably in shorts or do I need something warmer?
SeaHorse81
Contributor
Each room has its own thermostat, so you can set your own temp to some degree (no pun intended). It's usually hard to get the room cold per se, but you can get it cool enough. If you happen to get a cold room, getting it warmer is easy.
I was there a couple of years back--glad to hear that Lucie is still around. I've been on three trips with Explorer Ventures and will probably be back to St. Kitts/Saba with them in April. My favorite was the Southern Bahamas, but all have been good. Some folks from the local shop are going to the Maldives with them in August, but that one's too rich for my blood--I'd rather spend the money cave diving. Interesting thing about the Turks and Caicos trip is that on some of the moorings the boat swings out past the wall, so you're doing a giant stride entry over a vertical mile of water!
edpdiver
Contributor
My wife and I really enjoyed the Explorer 2, and the diving in the Turks and Caicos. Excellent boat, crew, and diving. And the food was surprisingly excellent.
Here are pictures of the diving: Flickr set from Turks and Caicos
Erwin
Here are pictures of the diving: Flickr set from Turks and Caicos
Erwin
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