Trip Report Disappointing Experience on the Turks and Caicos Explorer II

[buster243]

did i read the part right that you incurred $800usd EACH in extra charges ?? how could there be that much that you were not expecting? pls explain.

They did say there were going to be extra charges but never told us the total cost before hand. We did know about the tips and the fuel charges, but never was explained what the cost of fuel charges were. We were also aware of park fees but again was never told a cost. They fill the ship up every two weeks (or so we were told) so wouldn't they know the cost of fuel

Oh come on now, you know that is not what they mean. They are not going to change the itinerary from Providenciales/West Caicos/French Cay to Grand Turk/South Caicos/Salt Cay. Your review started out fine, it became rather ridiculous

I never said I expected them to change things, but I do feel slighted that they knew ahead of time what the dive sites were like. They could have talked about options, but it's not my company nor my crew. They even talked about how bad it was on the way and went anyway.

 

[also_anon_dc]

Thanks for writing up your review! Turks and Caicos Explorer was my first liveaboard in 2020 and I remember it fondly, though, of course, I had nothing to compare it to at the time. There was a DM (Jo?) that has costumes for everyone to wear on dives and I had a ton of fun diving in a pirate costume! Perhaps she is no longer on the boat.

I take issue with your characterization of couscous and spinach or carrot soup as "unusual" though maybe I'm a more adventurous eater. True, I do find traditional American comfort food boring sometimes but I do not think couscous or carrot soup are fine dining or unusual.

 

[Wookie]

Guys. Gals

The poster posted a review of his experience. It was his experience and doesn’t merit critique, Explorer Ventures doesn’t need to be defended, and alternative explanations of dive sites is neither necessary nor warranted.

It was the OPs experience and none of the rest of us would have experienced it the same way.

I thank the OP for his trip report and it is a thorough review of his experience. No need to beat the horse.

NOTE: I have been both Captain as well as engineer for Explorer ventures, but have only been on the T&C as a consultant. I have no dog in that fight.

 

[drrich2]

During our trip, we missed out on exploring the dive sites in Grand Turk, South Caicos, and Salt Cay, each of which boasts multiple well known dive spots.

In 2018 I did a trip on the other liveaboard, the Aggressor boat, which gets similar, usually quite positive reviews. Researching for the trip, I discovered the info. @scubadada listed regarding usual dive site itineraries, and this apparently holds true for both boats.

I'm not weighing in pro. or con. on their selection. My point is people new to the area hear or read about going to 'Turks & Caicos,' and understandably might think they're going to literally dive 'Turks & Caicos.' Nope. Probably not. You're gonna dive Caicos. If you want to dive 'Turks,' you're probably looking at a land-based trip to Grand Turk.

You mentioned vibrancy in one post, I think. As compared to my liveaboard trips (one each) to Belize (2015) and the Caymans (2016), I do think T&C's reef wasn't as vibrant looking (that's been many years and a hurricane ago, granted), but T&C liveaboard diving tends to be on walls that start deep, whereas Little Cayman, for example, has a lot of shallow wall diving where color pops given how sunlight is filtered by the water.

It's had to make everybody happy with food. Some dislike going to foreign destinations and encountering 'burgers & fries,' etc... Some don't like strange, exotic foods. I wouldn't be surprised if a liveaboard operation wanted to show off a bit on food, because people commit to being trapped on the boat roughly a week with no other food options.

 

[bmag78]

Guys. Gals

The poster posted a review of his experience. It was his experience and doesn’t merit critique, Explorer Ventures doesn’t need to be defended, and alternative explanations of dive sites is neither necessary nor warranted.

It was the OPs experience and none of the rest of us would have experienced it the same way.

I thank the OP for his trip report and it is a thorough review of his experience. No need to beat the horse.

NOTE: I have been both Captain as well as engineer for Explorer ventures, but have only been on the T&C as a consultant. I have no dog in that fight.

It most definitely deserves pushback
He accused the captain and crew of being nonchalant, dismissive and unprofessional and EV of being negligent , none of which is true.
Each trip I've done on this boat , including the week before this guy , has basically been the opposite of what he's saying. The crew was excellent and the boat is old but well looked after

 

[Wookie]

It most definitely deserves pushback
He accused the captain and crew of being nonchalant, dismissive and unprofessional and EV of being negligent , none of which is true.
Each trip I've done on this boat , including the week before this guy , has basically been the opposite of what he's saying. The crew was excellent and the boat is old but well looked after

It was his experience.

No pushback is warranted.

Your opinion has nothing to do with his experience.

 

[ontdiver]

I think the exchanges and opinions to date have been respectful and balanced.

Brands are regularly "defended" and promoted in this space so I think that EV should not be treated any differently.

Interestingly, we have so far not heard from anyone else on this particular trip who may wish to offer their own experience.

 

[LI-er]

I bet if the diving was good, none of the rest would have mattered.

But it wasn't, so it did.

I had the same experiences diving T&C a few years ago (land based day trips). Lackluster reefs, not much marine life, not worth a revisit. Same can be said for many or most places in the Caribbean and surrounding areas.

Although there were a few complaints that I believe are without merit. The food was "too fancy" for a dive boat? They "should" have gone to better sites? What makes the Op think the other reefs would have been any better? 50' of visibility is "poor"?. How much further are you going to be looking? Being surprised at the amount of the tip and how it added so much to the cost? First of all, tipping is optional, if you weren't happy with the service don't leave them a single dime. And if you do tip, it helps to be prepared ahead of time by researching the average amount given by divers on a liveaboard.

The Op "won't be returning unless the dive sites improve".

Sad to say that's extremely unlikely to happen, in fact in all probability it's going to get worse. And not just T&C. Everywhere.

 

[Joneill]

It was his experience.

No pushback is warranted.

Your opinion has nothing to do with his experience.

I disagree on the “surprise at extra costs” - the Op should have asked for more detail/clarity on extra costs when booking - that’s on him and his surprise is 100% his own fault - not EV’s fault.

 

[Ranga]

Trip Dates May 24 to Jun 1
The food on board was plentiful and generally good, though some dishes felt too fancy for a dive boat, such as couscous and unusual soups like spinach and carrot.

My apologies for piling on and there may very well have been something lost in translation, but I just had to add that I had a big chuckle at the cous cous of all things being a "fancy" food.