Trip Report Disappointing Experience on the Turks and Caicos Explorer II

[buster243]

Well obviously that's on you, it's not the fault of the dive charter that you didn't read carefully. They put it there, it's up to the customer to do their homework. So anything related to "surprise charges and fees" and you having to incur inconveniences for not bringing enough cash should be eliminated from your review because it is not a valid complaint (along with the poor visibility and possibly the choice of dive sites - because as I said as per my experience they were ALL bad). Toss the weird grumble about the "food being too fancy" and the silly rant about the midweek towel exchange and infrequent bed linen swaps (seriusly dude this is a DIVE boat not the Ritz Carlton) there isn't all that much to whine about except maybe the dive crew wasn't as friendly as you'd like and the boat was a bit run down.

Actually, no. Since you directed your post at me (and everyone else who read it), that is not necessarily why I go on a liveaboard. I go on a liveaboard for the convenience and the ability to do a ton of dives in a short period of time without constantly boarding and unloading heavy wet dive gear and wasting time on long boat rides and having all my gear right there ready to go without having to swap tanks and do a bunch of mundane tasks that do not apply when there is a dedicated gear station right near the platform (including a charging station for camera and torch batteries). If I forget something in my room it's never more than a 45 second walk to retrieve it, and on the way back I can usually grab a snack from the lounge. You can't put a price on that.

It seems you took away exactly what you wanted from my review. The comment about the bedding was a simple observation, not necessarily a complaint. While we've been on dive boats that provided better room service, you're reading too much into that remark.

Remember, this is my review, and I’m allowed to express my opinions and experiences. You’re welcome to disagree with me, but this space is for sharing my honest perspective.

 

[Cornellxc]

1) TCI is EXPENSIVE. $1500 is not a lot of cash to bring down there (or anywhere) for a vacation. Bringing enough cash for an emergency in a foreign country is always a good idea. There are plenty of ways to secure it when traveling. A budget friendly destination this will never be.

2) Sorry to hear about the quality of diving, most days of the year vis is 100ft+. You haven't said anything about the sea conditions. If there was a north swell you generally have to hide on the southwest sites and it severely limits options.

3) All the more reason to stay in Grand Turk, eat whatever you want and make 3 dives a day (5-15 minute boat rides). Spend the extra money on diving the Endymion off of Salt/Great Sand Cay and have beers at sandbar after.

4) Cous cous is not exotic or fancy. I'll die on that hill.

 

[DC Diver46]

I think not including port fee/gas prices etc is a deceiving practice. Just like an example that was given by @Wookie about two identical boats and a la cart did better - it is because operators found a way to deceive a customer on the total fees.
On the other hand, it is incumbent on the user to do his own research to determine the final costs ahead of time and avoid surprises.
I like to book through a local dive shop and it is VERY clearly stated what is included and what it is not. The final cost that I pay to dive shop travel is everything except maybe marine park fee if there is one and tips.
Also I disagree with @Wookie that we can not comment on the OPs experiences. He posted here probably to vent, but really to see if he can get support of others or to see if he was off base. I think it is very helpful to have others comment on his experiences (it is not denying them) but looking at everything from the different angles. This is what makes these boards fun and learn from them.

I did this trip about 6 weeks ago. A list of all charges is on the website. Current Onboard Charges | Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Fleet

 

[DC Diver46]

1) TCI is EXPENSIVE. $1500 is not a lot of cash to bring down there (or anywhere) for a vacation. Bringing enough cash for an emergency in a foreign country is always a good idea. There are plenty of ways to secure it when traveling. A budget friendly destination this will never be.

2) Sorry to hear about the quality of diving, most days of the year vis is 100ft+. You haven't said anything about the sea conditions. If there was a north swell you generally have to hide on the southwest sites and it severely limits options.

3) All the more reason to stay in Grand Turk, eat whatever you want and make 3 dives a day (5-15 minute boat rides). Spend the extra money on diving the Endymion off of Salt/Great Sand Cay and have beers at sandbar after.

4) Cous cous is not exotic or fancy. I'll die on that hill.

Not to mention that this boat accepts credit cards without the typical markup.

 

[Beth3141]

The dive sites were disappointing, and the crew knew this before we left the dock. You go on a liveaboard to reach dive sites that are usually inaccessible from the shore and are among the best diving around. Most of our dives were off West Caicos, and they were all poor.

I've had 2 disappointing experiences (Turks and Caicos Explorer II and the Tiburon Explorer in the Galapagos) with the Explorer Venture fleet and will no longer book with them. My T&C trip had a substitute captain. Later I met a couple that was on the boat 2 weeks earlier with the regular captain. They said it was a great trip. For my trip the first 2 days of diving were just as you described (there was honestly nothing to see), we didn't go to French Cay with the captain claiming bad weather, and the 2 Friday morning dives were canceled because the captain said we couldn't make it back to port before the tide went out making the water level too low to reach the dock. Those on board doubted the captain's statements because he started the trip saying we might not go to French Kay because of the weather and during the entire trip the weather was excellent. Why would the itinerary list 2 Friday morning dives if we had no chance of doing them?

The Tiburon Explorer is a beautiful boat (excellent food, luxury cabins, great crew), but I experienced one of the worst dive masters I've ever had. He shot through the water disregarding the critters to be seen and never slowed down no matter how many times we asked.

 

[ontdiver]

A couple of quick comments:

• Captains and crew rotate regularly for all the reasons you would want them to be doing so;
• The captain has absolute authority with respect to the risk posed by weather;
• Weather sometimes gets better; sometimes it gets worse;
• If you are unhappy with a particular DM you should raise this with the Captain; he will want to know what happened and should be expected to take corrective action as required.

 

[Beth3141]

A couple of quick comments:

• Captains and crew rotate regularly for all the reasons you would want them to be doing so;
• The captain has absolute authority with respect to the risk posed by weather;
• Weather sometimes gets better; sometimes it gets worse;
• If you are unhappy with a particular DM you should raise this with the Captain; he will want to know what happened and should be expected to take corrective action as required.

Honestly, your reply seems to assume I am clueless. My post was regarding a pretty nutty captain (by the end of the trip, all the divers thought he was a bit nuts after he threw a tantrum over a simple question asked tactfully by one of the divers) and a DM that nothing would have helped while onboard and you think my asking the captain to speak to him would have helped? I didn't list all of the issues. On one of the last dives of the trip, he actually left the water 20' into the dive w/o telling anyone. He got cold. Yes, that can happen, but you don't just take off. Fortunately DMs were rotated and the 2nd DM was very good.

 

[ontdiver]

Honestly, your reply seems to assume I am clueless. My post was regarding a pretty nutty captain (by the end of the trip, all the divers thought he was a bit nuts after he threw a tantrum over a simple question asked tactfully by one of the divers) and a DM that nothing would have helped while onboard and you think my asking the captain to speak to him would have helped? I didn't list all of the issues. On one of the last dives of the trip, he actually left the water 20' into the dive w/o telling anyone. He got cold. Yes, that can happen, but you don't just take off. Fortunately DMs were rotated and the 2nd DM was very good.

With respect, your initial post was lean on details.

 

[Still Kicking]

The Tiburon Explorer is a beautiful boat (excellent food, luxury cabins, great crew), but I experienced one of the worst dive masters I've ever had. He shot through the water disregarding the critters to be seen and never slowed down no matter how many times we asked.

I totally agree the DMs can make or break a trip. I've had great guides (Humboldt Explorer, Quino El Guardian) and poor guides (Nautilus Belle Amie). As long as a boat is safe, I am there to dive so I take everything else as it comes. Generally, I have found food good and plentiful, accommodations clean and comfortable, if basic. No complaints.

The Belle Amie was a great boat in all regards except the guiding -- park everyone on a reef and wait for someone to hit minimum gas. I wouldn't go back.

On a separate note, the OP's review seems to confirm the general consensus that -- sad to say -- Caribbean diving is bad and declining fast. I am heading to other destinations.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It wasn't fine dining, but we've been on a few liveaboards on never saw these type of dishes. It was unexpected to say the least. We never went hungry at anytime. For us, we thought they were showing off.

I haven't done many liveaboards (three, I think), but the one that had the "showiest" food was the Red Sea Aggressor (the one that burned). The dishes were tasty and just fine--no complaints--but some of the presentations bordered on over-the-top, like a fancy hotel buffet. I suspected the Egyptian cook had attended a culinary school with emphasis on hotel service and was proud of his skills. (You can get a lot for your money in Egypt.) We didn't find it impressive so much as amusing.

The couscous and carrot soup you mentioned are hardly exotic--we have made those things at home--but I would be happy with almost anything, so long as it is plentiful, good quality, flavorful, and not cooked to death.