Dive Review of Carribean Explorer I in
Bahamas

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Carribean Explorer I, Jan, 2008, by Harry O'Neil, VA, US ( Reviewer 3 reports). Report 3856.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The boat departs from the main pier in Georgetown, Great Exuma. I arrived a day early and Explorer arranged my airport pickup which went smoothly. I spent the Friday evening at the Club Peace & Plenty. I’ve done several liveaboards, including Explorer’s Turks & Caicos and Saba/Statia boats. The CEI is a little older than the other Explorer Caribbean boats, but for the price, is an excellent value. The five lower level double state rooms share two heads/showers. The upper cabins are en-suite, I believe. I booked in the lower level. There were only nine divers this week, which made for a relaxed pace. The full compliment is 18 and I’d expect it to get crowded, especially on the sun deck and in the lower level showers/heads with a full boat. The crew was two people short, by design, but I was never wanting for anything. All crew members pitched in and worked as an efficient team. Food was very good and the chef readily accommodated special requests. The normal itinerary is Long Island, Conception Island and San Salvador, then reverse back to Georgetown. We had some weather issues, but got to all three islands for some exceptional wall diving. Captain Ian was able to dodge all the heavy stuff and keep us in reasonably calm waters for most of the trip. We missed 4-5 dives due to weather or lack of interest in night dives, but spent three full days at San Salvador. That was the highlight of the trip. Most of the dives were deep walls starting at 50-60 feet. However, most of the fish life was at the crest or on top of the walls, so you didn’t have to go real deep if you didn’t want to do so. On Friday, we dove the wreck, MV Comberback, off Long Island. This was the only real disappointing dive of the trip. I was somewhat disappointed in the numbers of large fish we saw. We did see 6-8 hammerheads and numerous reef sharks, small rays, etc. Most of the usual reef fish were there plus lionfish on most dives, but the reef fish were on the smaller side. Generally the coral was in decent shape compared to other Caribbean trips. There was little sign of bleaching. Also not as much macro stuff as I've seen elsewhere in the Carribean. On departure day, the Explorer arranged for cabs to the airport. Mine never showed up and Captain Ian stayed on top of it until he was able to get me there. His attention to all details was evident throughout the week. There was a dedicated camera table with separate towels and compressed air. The crew was good about enforcing the “no liquids” on the table rule. The dive briefings were excellent. There as a divemaster/instructor in the water on every dive and they were actually watching the divers, not just blindly leading. You could go with the DM or dive with your buddy. Safety was paramount and enforced in a professional manner. One group exceeded their nitrox depth limits and were quietly warned. One diver got blown away and the crew promptly got the dingy to him.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Most places in the Carribean, Florida Keys, North Carolina.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, cloudy	Seas	choppy, no currents
Water Temp	71-74°F / 22-23°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Std. nitrox depth limits. Buddy up and dive own profile. Std. rec. limits (130')
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
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	Separate camera table with "no liquids" rule actually enforced. Separate camera rinse. Crew did an excellent job handling cameras in and out of the water. Compressed air and separate towels available. Few photographers and lots of room. Separate small area for charging on dive deck; would probably get crowded with several photogs.

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Dive Review of Carribean Explorer I in Bahamas

Carribean Explorer I, Jan, 2008,

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 Carribean Explorer I in
Bahamas