Caribbean Explorer II Liveaboard

[Colin]

My wife and I just got back from a trip aboard the Caribbean Explorer II liveaboard. For those who are not familiar with this boat, it sails in the Eastern Caribbean around St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius (Statia) and St. Kitts, and it also has a unique schedule, in that passengers have the option of picking up the boat in either St. Maarten and leaving in St. Kitts, or vice versa. We decided to join the boat in St. Maarten, because of the easier flight schedule.
We started by getting down to St. Maarten on Saturday, the 15th. We had super flights from Milwaukee to Charlotte, then direct to St. Maarten. 5:30 am out of Milwaukee, and arriving in St. Maarten around 3 in the afternoon.
The boat carries a maximum of 18 divers, but we were fortunate, in that there were only 5 divers last week! Talk about sweet! No crowds under water, plus once the crew saw how we dove, they usually would let us dive our own profiles as along as we came back aboard with 500 psi, etc. etc.
The crew was going through a bit of change....there was a new captain aboard for his first week, but he was supervised by the fleet captain from Explorer Ventures, the parent company. Also aboard were three instructors/guides, the chef, engineer, and the purser, who unfortunately couldn't dive due to a hand injury. All very nice people, experienced divers, and excellent naturalists.

Ok, let's talk about the dive procedures first.
When arriving, you are greeted by a member of the crew, who shows you to your cabin, and from there on, you are at home. You are assigned a dive station, where you gear is kept for the entire week. Under your station there is a large storage locker for extras like fins, lights, etc. Your BCD never comes off your tank for the week. Once you exit from a dive, you simply take your first stage off, and the crew then knows to fill your tank from whips that are above your station. They cap the tank after filling, and when it's time to dive again, you just have to put your first stage back on, and turn on the air. Really simple.
Every day there are 5 dives planned....two AM, two PM and one night dive after dinner. The first dive briefing was usually around 8:15 am, with the dive right after. Second dive around 10:30 and then lunch at noon. Afternoon dives were at 1:30 and 4, and the night dive typically around 7pm  or so.  Before each dive, we were given a very thorough briefing inclusing what to expect as far as conditions, reef structures, marine life, and even whhat type of photo gear to use (wide angle, macro, etc.)
The dives are all guided, if you wish; certainly the newer diver would appreciate that.