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Dive Review of Caribbean Explorer I in
Bahamas/Southern Bahamas

Caribbean Explorer I, Jun, 2007,

by IRENE LEE, AK, USA ( 2 reports). Report 3404.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 3 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments The trip was excellent. We departed from George Town, Great Exuma in the Southern Bahamas and dived Conception Island, Long Island, and San Salvador Island. I will definitely book with Explorer Ventures again.

It was overcast many days but the diving was good and we had pretty much 100+ viz on most days. The wall dives off Conception Island were spectacular! There were swim throughs that started at around 45 feet and came out at 100ft. Saw lots of big rays, barracudas the size of a house, and lots of schools of juvenile fish. Caribbean Reef sharks were everywhere on Shark Reef. Five dives a day are offered and night dives every night after dinner.

The crew was excellent and very funny. The food was good and we all ate too much. I was delighted to find plenty of club soda for me to drink since I dislike soda. The rooms were very small but all our luggage fit under the bed and the beds were comfortable.

The dive deck is very large and we all had plenty of room to spread out. I love the big camera table especially since I was carrying my new video camera and lights. They provide camera towels, Q-tips, and an air hose to dry off the cameras. You also have the option of either going off the stern or off the 2 side entry doors. We were seating right next to the side entry ones so we always jumped off from there. Shorter swim to the anchor from there and the extra 4 foot drop is more fun than just stepping into the water from the stern.

The rooms were serviced every day and turn down service happened during dinner every night. The air conditioning is very strong and I was glad I had a light weight hoody to wear in the dining area. Very clean and no musty smells anywhere. Completely barefoot cruise. You board and take off your shoes and are not allowed to wear them again until the day you leave. So be sure to bring anti-fungal foot powder. you will may need it by mid-week.

George Town is not worth visiting, imo. There's nothing there. Glad we stayed in Miami overnight instead. The only problem we encountered was upon leaving George Town. The security women don't know what batteries look like and made us pack our canister light batteries in checked baggage. They didn't believe that they were harmless batteries and got pretty rude, fast.

This was a great trip and I recommend it to anyone looking for a liveaboard in this area. Just be aware that the dives start out on walls that are hundreds of feet deep and there is no shallow diving except for the shark dive which was at around 35 feet and maybe one other wall that had a shallow, 60 foot reef. The currents were mild and we really only had a stiff current on one or two dives as I recall (one of them during one of the night dives).

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Alaska, Hawaii, Florida Keys, Pensacola, Northern Bahamas
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather rainy Seas calm
Water Temp 79-81°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions No decompression diving allowed. Solo divers have to be certified in solo diving.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Large camera table with dedicated towels and low pressure air hose.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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