Current Trip Report: Caribbean Explorer II (Saba/St.Kitts/St.Maarten)

[EVMarketing]

Caribbean Explorer II; July 28 to August 4th, 2018
Destination: St Kitts, Saba, St Maarten
Water Temp: 80F | Visibility: 100ft+
Sightings: Frogfish, turtles, nurse sharks, big schools of horse-eye jacks

St Kitts had remarkable visibility this week, showing off the finest diving conditions despite the surface swells and chop. Dive site Old Road Bay was able to be explored a little more than usual, revealing parts of the deeper reef where the corals are even more thriving and haven’t yet been affected algal overgrowth. It was a beautiful new section of reef.

Marine life sightings in St. Kitts included many juvenile drums & trunkfish, morays, frogfish, big sleeping rays, numerous turtles and barracuda, nurse sharks, an array of crabs and shrimps, slipper lobsters, massive lionfish and big schools of horse eyed jacks.

The crossing to Saba was a bit bumpy and the wind on the first day at Saba was relentless but didn’t affect the diving. Stunning visibility again all around the island, especially on the wall dives.

A bright sunshine yellow frogfish has made his home at the bottom of the Tent Wall mooring, which is an exciting way to start our dives there. The rest of the dives here were gorgeous, with sparklingly clear water until we left.

Friday afternoon we had a smooth crossing to St Maarten and a lovely wrap up dinner with the guests. A good week!

 

[EVMarketing]

Caribbean Explorer II; August 11-18, 2018
Destination: St Kitts, Saba, St Maarten
Water Temp: 80F | Visibility: 100+ft
Sightings: Spotted Morays, Juvenile Spotted Drums, and lots of Frog Fish!

In St. Kitts we enjoyed our frequently spotted frogfish, dozens of juvenile drums, spotted morays, sharptail eels and crabs and both the Corinthia and Old Road Bay. Divemaster Tay discovered a new frogfish at Old Road Bay and our recent find in the Kindergarten at Paradise Reef is still there much to our delight. Several divers were seeing frogfish for the first time.

Everyone took advantage of the opportunity to see a bit more of St Kitts topside with a Tuesday afternoon land tour with Percy. It was a gorgeous sunny day with great visibility to see many of the surrounding islands from Brimstone Fortress, in it, a favorite on the tour by far. Several guests returned with colorful Carrabelle Batik shopping bags containing handmade batik sarongs.

We switched up things a little bit with the dive schedule and featured a dusk dive prior to the evening meal in lieu of a post-dinner night dive. Our longtime friend Larry brought some freshly caught Wahoo for the grill which was appreciated by all. A nice way to end our stay in St Kitts before moving on to Saba.

The 28 mile crossing to Saba was very smooth and we dropped anchor well before midnight. An early Wednesday morning rain had pushed through treating the early risers to a lovely rainbow with their morning coffee on the sundeck. We started our time in Saba diving at Tent Wall. Great conditions, good vis, no current. Divers were able to head off in both directions along the wall, getting nice photos of sharks, huge tube sponges and barrel sponges protruding from the wall. Little whip coral shrimp, lobsters, and crabs were spotted along the way. We continued our time on Saba visiting many of the favorite sites. The last dive was at Tent Reef and divers enjoyed sharing their final moments with the likes of sharks, turtles, eels, and massive schools of Chromis, wrasse and snappers.

Overall a great week; lots of fun.

 

[gert7to3]

Could anyone tell me specifically where Explorer Ventures docks it boat at St. Maartens? Just trying to figure out where the dock is in proximity to the hotel I booked. Going down there in January. Since I am traveling in mid winter, from Michigan, I decided to go a couple of days early.

 

[EVMarketing]

Could anyone tell me specifically where Explorer Ventures docks it boat at St. Maartens? Just trying to figure out where the dock is in proximity to the hotel I booked. Going down there in January. Since I am traveling in mid winter, from Michigan, I decided to go a couple of days early.

Hi Gert, Caribbean Explorer II docks in Philipsburg at the East end of Great Bay. Anywhere in this area along Great Bay Beach is a 5-8 minute walk away from the dock.

 

[ml3456]

going to be there in a week. Can't wait. What is the water temp now? Thanks Mark

 

[EVMarketing]

going to be there in a week. Can't wait. What is the water temp now? Thanks Mark

Hi Mark, last week's trip report shows around 80F at depth and roughly 85F at the surface. Have a wonderful trip, and happy diving!

 

[gert7to3]

Thanks for your reply about the dock at Phillipsburg. Is there an office where I could drop off my gear earlier on the day we board? I am staying up near the airport. Want to see the planes landing at Maho Beach. I would either meet with other members of my dive group at the airport Saturday afternoon or drop stuff off in the late morning, then do some more touring around the island from Phillipsburg.

 

[EVMarketing]

Thanks for your reply about the dock at Phillipsburg. Is there an office where I could drop off my gear earlier on the day we board? I am staying up near the airport. Want to see the planes landing at Maho Beach. I would either meet with other members of my dive group at the airport Saturday afternoon or drop stuff off in the late morning, then do some more touring around the island from Phillipsburg.

Hi Gert,

If you are in Phillipsburg, you can leave your bags with Caribbean Explorer II around noon, however you will not be able to board until 3pm. You can explore the island from Phillipsburg side, however its a 35-minute drive (much more if heavy traffic) from the airport/Maho Beach to Phillipsburg. If you'd like to see the planes landing, I would suggest staying near the airport and then driving over to Phillipsburg in the afternoon with other guests. Also, a local tip would be to look at the airport's website and see when the larger planes are taking off, then plan around that schedule. The larger planes are exciting to watch!

Please call our reservations agents if you have more specific questions, they will be able to discuss your options in more detail over the phone - 1.800.322.3577. Enjoy your trip! - Rachel, EV Marketing.

 

[gert7to3]

Thank you.