Say goodbye to the Caribbean Explorer I

[Papa_Bear]

Next week will be the last charter for the Caribbean Explorer I out of George Town Great Exuma Bahamas! The boat has been sold and at present no new plans are in the works to replace it! We hope they do, the diving in that area is some of the best in the Bahamas! Link to last weeks trip: Two Tanked Productions HD & SD Underwater Productions and video services

 

[deepstops]

Are there no lionfish in that area yet?

 

[Papa_Bear]

Only about a Billion! They are all the way down to the T & C! I was the first to Photograph the first one reported at West Cacios Key in June 2007!

 

[Damselfish]

In their last newletter they did say the CEII would now be in the Bahamas part of the year.

I wonder who bought the boat?

 

[Papa_Bear]

The word is it was sold to some Ecuadorians and will be moved there. Just what I have heard?

 

[scubafanatic]

...I was on this boat in the Bahamas summer '07...and honestly, although the boat was clean, it was looking somewhat threadbare, also, it had a mysterious very noticeable list to one side which was a bit errie when boarding the boat for the first time...I'm not sure how old it is, but it looks fairly aged, both materially and design wise.

I've dove 2 Bahamas liveaboards (JULIET and CE I), and while the deeper reefs/walls were beautiful......animal/fish life was virtually completely gone...and the shallow reefs above 60' were dead/algae covered......I wonder if the ongoing decline of the Bahamas is responsible for CE I being sold/not replaced, as well as JULIET abandoning the Bahamas and moving to Puerto Rico/BVI ?

Karl

 

[Papa_Bear]

I agree in a lot of areas the alga is a problem! The last two big storms helped a lot, but they need more and bigger storms! We traveled from Grand Bahama to George Town Exuma. The Southern Islands the problem is not too bad, but along the Tongue of the Ocean in Exumas it has become a big problem. We only did two dives that had the problem out of twenty! One was Black Tip Wall and it is the best I have seen it in years after the storm! You can see my pictures of last weeks trip posted...... The boat didn't list the last two times this year I was on it, but it is top heavy for sure! Its more about where you go in the Bahamas and the operator.... Many have locked themselves into the same routine and refuse to adjust! I hope they put a full time boat in its place!

 

[deepstops]

The Juliet did not leave the Bahamas because the diving is in decline.

They left because their customers are 80-90% repeat business and those customers want to go to new destinations.

 

[tstormdiver]

I was on the CEXI in May of 2007. I was quite impressed by the amount of life I saw. The hammerheads were the pinnacle in my opinion. The reefs & walls around San Salvador,... I have yet to see better (but then I haven't been diving all that long either). I was very impressed by the crew on my trip. I hate to see her go. I had a fantastic time.

 

[diverrick]

Just got off her a few months ago, and she was showing her age. Diving was freat though. I wonder what the plans are? ARe they going to split between T&C and the Bahamas? or abandon the T&C's, or the Bahamas?