scbaNE2179
Contributor
Liveaboard Review: Turks & Caicos Explorer II(12/10/2016)
Turks and Caicos Liveaboard Diving - Explorer Ventures
Below is my full review of my most recent experience on the Turks and Caicos Explorer 2. This is my 3rd trip with them in the last year. Yes, 3 in one year with the same OP and boat-the boat and the diving is that good-well at least for me. Apologies if the review is a little late since the trip was back in early December.
Overall
The luxury Turks and Caiocos Exploer II vessel carries up to 20 passengers and 8 crew. All staterooms throughout the vessel have port lights or windows, individually-controlled air-conditioning, and private ensuite bathrooms. Diving is done primarily North West Point in Provo, West Caicos, and French Key. The majority or all of the sites are wall dives so if you're into deep walls, then this is the ultimate playground for you.
Getting to the TCEX2
The TCEX2 is located in Providenciales, or “Provo” for short. Once in Provo, you'll go through customs and immigration, collect your bags and make your way to ground transportation.
As you exit the airport, you'll want to keep an eye out for someone holding the Explorer Ventures sign-this is the person you'll want to say hello to. This person will then ask you to wait at the bar(Gilley's Lounge in Provo) around the corner as they wait for other guests to arrive. An hour and a diet coke later, I was instructed to board a van to take us to the EX2. The price of this LA does not include transfers so cab ride was approx $25 per person.
TCEX2 Layout Overview
The TCEX2 is a 124ft luxury yacht vessel with 4 primary decks. Lower deck(Bunk staterooms). Main Deck(Dive deck, dining, salon, staterooms), Boat Deck(Sunning area, VIP staterooms, pilot house), and Fly Bridge(Top level lounge area)
Crew for 12/20/2016
JF-Capt
Mark-Engineer
Stan-Chef
Dms: Jo(Bungee)*, Joe, JP
*There's a reason why EV has so many repeat guests to the EX2, more on this later in the review.
Arrival/Boarding Procedures
The TCEX2 is docked in Caicos Marina in Provo, about 25min cab ride from the airport. Caicos Marina is not a tourist marina by any means so you're not going to see anything but boats and industrial construction projects going on.
Once arrived, you'll be greeted by a crew member and will be immediately asked to remove your shoes into a basket as you'll be going barefoot on the boat for the entire duration of the trip. So if you have ugly feet, this may the best time to get a pedi for your toes! During this time, the crew will gather your bags onto the dive deck and into your assigned cabins.
After collecting your shoes, you'll situate yourself into main salon with snacks and beverages. Another crew member will show you to your rooms and give a brief overview on where to get whatever you need from the salon/dining area. This is also where you'll sign some paperwork and provide your C-Cards to the crew.
Meals
The usual 3 squares-Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. With the exception of breakfast(to order) all meals are served buffet-style with plenty of snacks in between. On every trip I usually bring a large bag of fancy chocolates and other treats as the crew rarely sees premium candy.
Beverages
Upon arrival, you are given a cup with your name on it to use for the week. The same cups can be used for hot and cold liquids but mugs and water glasses are available. Please note that mugs and glass are not allowed on the dive deck as people feet are exposed so much on the dive deck.
As for booze, they have beer, wine, and hard liquor on board. Please note that like all livaboards and for safety reasons, the crew will mandate that once you have a drink, you are not allowed to dive for the remainder of the day.
Gear Set up
As previously mentioned, the first thing we did when we boarded the TCEX2 was to set up our gear for the week. Like all livaboard trips, you set up your tank once in the beginning of the trip and you use the same tank for the entire duration of the trip. Each diver has a small cubby hole with plastic bin to store all of your gear.
Cabin Overview
The TCEX2 has a total of 10 staterooms, accommodating a total of up to 20 passengers. Here's a basic layout: Lower deck(Bunks-3 rooms), Main Deck(Regular rooms-5 rooms), and Boat Deck(VIP rooms-2 rooms). Please note that the price of this trip will vary based on the room type. On all 3 of my trips, I've only stayed in the lower deck rooms and have no reason to upgrade if needed.
Cabins
This is a luxury-based LA similar to other livaboards-each room is either bunk-style, side by side beds, or large single beds. Each room has private bathrooms, plenty of storage, and AC. And of course, several power outlets to charge all of your electronic equipment.
Showers
Each room is equipped with private showers but on the dive platform there are 2 outdoor showers that pump hell on earth hot water to rinse off after every dive.
Diving on the TCEX2
Diving on the TCEX2 is pretty much the same as any other LA boat. You gear up, and you can giant stride into the water on any of the 4 locations of the boat. The port and starboard sides have a 6 foot drop so if you want splash in there, just hold onto your mask when you jump in! Other wise, make your way to the dive deck and just enter the water there.
TCEX2 Swing-Get ready for the most wild ride of your life
On most large livaboard vessels, at the end of your dive you can usually locate the boat via either a hang bar or another form of hang line for easy safety stop procedures. In the case of the EX2, this is not the case. Due to tall nature of the boat, the wind will catch and swing the boat on the mooring a full 360 degrees so if you see the hang lines and get distracted for just a min, the boat is gone! You'll just have to wait for the boat to return back on the swing.
If are feel inclined to catch the hangline at 15ft, just make sure you do not chase after the boat going with the swing as you WILL LOSE the fight. Now if you happen to catch the hangline on the swing, get ready for the most exhilarating ride of your life as the boat will pull you like a carnival ride. One thing to note about the hangline is that it is recommend to only have one person on the hangline during the swing as if there are too many divers on this line, the swing of the boat will pull divers closer to the surface, breaking your safety stop.\
The Dives
As previously mentioned, the TCEX2 itinerary goes something like this: North West Point/Provo > West Caicos > French Key. 5 dives a day(27 total for the week) are offered and you can usually tell what who's doing night dives based on the kind of beverages people have with dinner.
All dives are pretty much wall dives with reefs starting at around 30-50fsw and drop offs are pretty much goes into the abyss. Due to the depth here at Turks, it's highly recommended to dive Nitrox as your NDLs will be limited by the depths here. The crew can also offer to certify you in NX here as well.
TCEX2 Exclusive-DM Jo, aka Bungee
When I first ventured on the TCEX2 last November, I met this UK DM Jo who REALLY loved her dive briefings. I'll try and keep this section brief as not to reveal any spoilers for anyone looking to go on this boat but I'll just say her dive briefings are unlike anything you have witnessed before. Crazy entertaining and a chameleon of colors is her style. Trust me when I say seeing her give dive brief briefings makes me appreciate how much passion she and the rest of the crew has on this boat.
Final thoughts
I'm a creature of habit and there's a reason why this was my 3rd time on the boat, in a little over a year's time. The boat, crew, and especially the diving, is that good. I especially love wall diving so I would return to this boat many times over if I could. Sure, I know I should experience something different someday but so far I have not seen or heard of any other livaboard/dive location that offers walls on every single dive.
Hope this review provides insight for anyone interested into knowing how awesome Explorer Ventures is.
Turks and Caicos Liveaboard Diving - Explorer Ventures
Below is my full review of my most recent experience on the Turks and Caicos Explorer 2. This is my 3rd trip with them in the last year. Yes, 3 in one year with the same OP and boat-the boat and the diving is that good-well at least for me. Apologies if the review is a little late since the trip was back in early December.
Overall
The luxury Turks and Caiocos Exploer II vessel carries up to 20 passengers and 8 crew. All staterooms throughout the vessel have port lights or windows, individually-controlled air-conditioning, and private ensuite bathrooms. Diving is done primarily North West Point in Provo, West Caicos, and French Key. The majority or all of the sites are wall dives so if you're into deep walls, then this is the ultimate playground for you.
Getting to the TCEX2
The TCEX2 is located in Providenciales, or “Provo” for short. Once in Provo, you'll go through customs and immigration, collect your bags and make your way to ground transportation.
As you exit the airport, you'll want to keep an eye out for someone holding the Explorer Ventures sign-this is the person you'll want to say hello to. This person will then ask you to wait at the bar(Gilley's Lounge in Provo) around the corner as they wait for other guests to arrive. An hour and a diet coke later, I was instructed to board a van to take us to the EX2. The price of this LA does not include transfers so cab ride was approx $25 per person.
TCEX2 Layout Overview
The TCEX2 is a 124ft luxury yacht vessel with 4 primary decks. Lower deck(Bunk staterooms). Main Deck(Dive deck, dining, salon, staterooms), Boat Deck(Sunning area, VIP staterooms, pilot house), and Fly Bridge(Top level lounge area)
Crew for 12/20/2016
JF-Capt
Mark-Engineer
Stan-Chef
Dms: Jo(Bungee)*, Joe, JP
*There's a reason why EV has so many repeat guests to the EX2, more on this later in the review.
Arrival/Boarding Procedures
The TCEX2 is docked in Caicos Marina in Provo, about 25min cab ride from the airport. Caicos Marina is not a tourist marina by any means so you're not going to see anything but boats and industrial construction projects going on.
Once arrived, you'll be greeted by a crew member and will be immediately asked to remove your shoes into a basket as you'll be going barefoot on the boat for the entire duration of the trip. So if you have ugly feet, this may the best time to get a pedi for your toes! During this time, the crew will gather your bags onto the dive deck and into your assigned cabins.
After collecting your shoes, you'll situate yourself into main salon with snacks and beverages. Another crew member will show you to your rooms and give a brief overview on where to get whatever you need from the salon/dining area. This is also where you'll sign some paperwork and provide your C-Cards to the crew.
Meals
The usual 3 squares-Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. With the exception of breakfast(to order) all meals are served buffet-style with plenty of snacks in between. On every trip I usually bring a large bag of fancy chocolates and other treats as the crew rarely sees premium candy.
Beverages
Upon arrival, you are given a cup with your name on it to use for the week. The same cups can be used for hot and cold liquids but mugs and water glasses are available. Please note that mugs and glass are not allowed on the dive deck as people feet are exposed so much on the dive deck.
As for booze, they have beer, wine, and hard liquor on board. Please note that like all livaboards and for safety reasons, the crew will mandate that once you have a drink, you are not allowed to dive for the remainder of the day.
Gear Set up
As previously mentioned, the first thing we did when we boarded the TCEX2 was to set up our gear for the week. Like all livaboard trips, you set up your tank once in the beginning of the trip and you use the same tank for the entire duration of the trip. Each diver has a small cubby hole with plastic bin to store all of your gear.
Cabin Overview
The TCEX2 has a total of 10 staterooms, accommodating a total of up to 20 passengers. Here's a basic layout: Lower deck(Bunks-3 rooms), Main Deck(Regular rooms-5 rooms), and Boat Deck(VIP rooms-2 rooms). Please note that the price of this trip will vary based on the room type. On all 3 of my trips, I've only stayed in the lower deck rooms and have no reason to upgrade if needed.
Cabins
This is a luxury-based LA similar to other livaboards-each room is either bunk-style, side by side beds, or large single beds. Each room has private bathrooms, plenty of storage, and AC. And of course, several power outlets to charge all of your electronic equipment.
Showers
Each room is equipped with private showers but on the dive platform there are 2 outdoor showers that pump hell on earth hot water to rinse off after every dive.
Diving on the TCEX2
Diving on the TCEX2 is pretty much the same as any other LA boat. You gear up, and you can giant stride into the water on any of the 4 locations of the boat. The port and starboard sides have a 6 foot drop so if you want splash in there, just hold onto your mask when you jump in! Other wise, make your way to the dive deck and just enter the water there.
TCEX2 Swing-Get ready for the most wild ride of your life
On most large livaboard vessels, at the end of your dive you can usually locate the boat via either a hang bar or another form of hang line for easy safety stop procedures. In the case of the EX2, this is not the case. Due to tall nature of the boat, the wind will catch and swing the boat on the mooring a full 360 degrees so if you see the hang lines and get distracted for just a min, the boat is gone! You'll just have to wait for the boat to return back on the swing.
If are feel inclined to catch the hangline at 15ft, just make sure you do not chase after the boat going with the swing as you WILL LOSE the fight. Now if you happen to catch the hangline on the swing, get ready for the most exhilarating ride of your life as the boat will pull you like a carnival ride. One thing to note about the hangline is that it is recommend to only have one person on the hangline during the swing as if there are too many divers on this line, the swing of the boat will pull divers closer to the surface, breaking your safety stop.\
The Dives
As previously mentioned, the TCEX2 itinerary goes something like this: North West Point/Provo > West Caicos > French Key. 5 dives a day(27 total for the week) are offered and you can usually tell what who's doing night dives based on the kind of beverages people have with dinner.
All dives are pretty much wall dives with reefs starting at around 30-50fsw and drop offs are pretty much goes into the abyss. Due to the depth here at Turks, it's highly recommended to dive Nitrox as your NDLs will be limited by the depths here. The crew can also offer to certify you in NX here as well.
TCEX2 Exclusive-DM Jo, aka Bungee
When I first ventured on the TCEX2 last November, I met this UK DM Jo who REALLY loved her dive briefings. I'll try and keep this section brief as not to reveal any spoilers for anyone looking to go on this boat but I'll just say her dive briefings are unlike anything you have witnessed before. Crazy entertaining and a chameleon of colors is her style. Trust me when I say seeing her give dive brief briefings makes me appreciate how much passion she and the rest of the crew has on this boat.
Final thoughts
I'm a creature of habit and there's a reason why this was my 3rd time on the boat, in a little over a year's time. The boat, crew, and especially the diving, is that good. I especially love wall diving so I would return to this boat many times over if I could. Sure, I know I should experience something different someday but so far I have not seen or heard of any other livaboard/dive location that offers walls on every single dive.
Hope this review provides insight for anyone interested into knowing how awesome Explorer Ventures is.
