Dive Review of Turks & Caicos Explorer II in
Turks and Caicos/Provo, W. Caicos, French Cay

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Turks & Caicos Explorer II, Mar, 2009, by Greg White, IL, USA ( Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 4781.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We have previously done Grand Turk, but wanted to try a different area of Turks & Caicos, so a liveaboard seemed like the best option. We were a little worried about damage after last year's hurricanes, but we saw no damage that we could definitely attribute to those hurricanes, which apparently hit Grand Turk much harder than the other areas of T&C. The T&C Explorer II is a relatively comfortable boat and Jean-Francois and his crew do an excellent job. Everyone seemed to honestly enjoy his or her job and interacted well with the passengers. We were told that several people were filling in for others who were off that week, but we didn't notice any problems - they never missed a beat. My only concern was when we were told that David, an Englishman, would be filling in for the cook. Knowing the reputation that English cooking has, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I needn't have worried. David had apparently been a professional chef before, and his cooking was outstanding. Not only did he bake a different kind of fresh bread every day, but he prepared outstanding vegetarian entrees for my wife and me, who are vegetarians. All mechanical systems on the boat seemed to function well for the entire week. If there were any problems, we were never aware of them. We were the only outsiders in with a group organized by a dive shop from South Carolina, but it was a diverse group with some folks from Ohio and others from Texas. All were friendly and made us feel welcomed. The crew initiated a game in which a rubber ducky was hooked onto someone's dive gear while we were underwater. Whoever had the ducky after the last dive of the week supposedly had to buy beers for everyone. This game kept us amused all week as we tried to find more devious ways to transfer the duck without getting caught. It was also a great ice breaker and helped us get to know one another. One aspect of the T&C Explorer II, which has been mentioned by others, is that it swings a very wide arc at anchor. This has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that almost wherever you go on the dive site, you can be sure the boat will eventually swing over your location. This can eliminate a lot of searching for the boat. On the other hand, it can seem like an awfully long time waiting for the boat to swing back over your spot if you're cold and ready to get out. Also, doing a safety stop on the hang line can be either a real adventure as you take a high-speed tour of the reef, or a challenge trying to maintain constant depth as the line tries to whip you up to the surface. The diving was good but not great. Diving around Northwest Point and West Caicos was generally undistinguished, although we did see some reef sharks and lionfish, but the reefs were covered with a thick layer of green algae. This area is known as a migratory path for whales, and we did see several on the surface, but never any underwater. Diving at French Cay, where we spent the last two days, was much better than the other locations, with a greater variety of life and none of the green algae. The overall diving would have been much better if the entire trip could have been spent at French Cay. The only thing I wish I had done differntly would be to bring a heavier wetsuit. We knew water temperatures would be a bit cool, but I thought my usual 3 mil with hooded vest would be okay, but it wasn't enough. Some people wore 7 mils and were still cold, so a heavier wetsuit is a definite must in this area at this time of year.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Extensively throughout Caribbean and Central America, some in California and Hawaii.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, dry	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	76-78°F / 24-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	100-200 Ft/ 30-61 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	1 or 2
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Turks & Caicos Explorer II in Turks and Caicos/Provo, W. Caicos, French Cay

Turks & Caicos Explorer II, Mar, 2009,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Turks & Caicos Explorer II in
Turks and Caicos/Provo, W. Caicos, French Cay