I did the TCExII a few years ago and I loved it. The boat is by no means a "5 Star Resort", but it is very comfortable and well laid out. The big thing that I found was that the crew were so welcoming that before we even left the dock, we were being treated like family. (That of course includes a little good natured teasing.) The dive deck is well laid out and comfortable. The main salon is relatively spacious and as I said, very quickly, you will be viewing it as your living room in your home. The cabins were comfortable and had everything I needed.
The crew were simply amazing. The Captain JF was able to help out with minor equipment issues and he always put the safety of the boat, crew and pax ahead of other concerns. The dive masters on the week that I was there were two sisters from the UK, Bunjee Jo and Pippa. Their dive site briefings have to be seen to be believed. IMHO, they set the industry standard.
As for the diving, for the most part, all of the dives were wall dives, and the week was very "sharky". We saw reef sharks virtually every day if not every dive. For some reason that I won't even try to understand let alone explain, the boat has one weird idiosyncrasy while moored at a dive site. It gets blown around a lot in a strange figure 8 pattern. If you get back to the spot where you jumped in, don't be surprised if the boat isn't there. You can either go to the mooring line and ascend there or you can wait a few minutes and the boat will be back. Having said that, if you grab on to the "hang bar" for the safety stops, it can be quite a ride.
The Main Salon/Dining Room
The Dive Deck
Typical dive site: A sandy flat area and then a sheer wall.
Hangin' out at the safety stop.
