The diving was wonderful but the crew… The diving was wonderful but the crew was exceptional! They went that extra mile to make their guests happy! The food was artfully done and delicious as well. It was a wonderful experience all the way around! Many thanks to Jennifer as well!

Not a good experience This trip took place in Turks and Caicos on April 20-27, 2024. From the beginning to the end this was a big let down on customer service and dive guides. The boat is older which was fine since I was here to dive. However I shared a room #3 in the back and the a/c didn't work well and never got below 76 degrees in the room. On the 4th night we hit some ruff seas which is no one's fault. However I was woken up by a leaking window above my head with drip, drip, drip on my face and head. I had to turn around and place towels down to soak up all the water coming in. Not very enjoyable. Out of the 7 days the towels in your room are only changed out once. Your towels never get dry from a shower so you are using wet towels for a few days. Allison, Molly & Tristian were our dive guides if you could even call them that. From day one Allison always looked pissed off and hardly said a word to anyone. 19 guests were on the boat and only one dive guide was on each dive. The dive guides rarely did a thing in respect to showing where sea life was. On one dive Tristian did not wear his orange vest so we didn't even know where he was. One other dive Tristian had a hard time locating the boat on return so many of us were sucking on our last bit of air when we surfaced and had a very long swim to the boat. Newbie divers were mixed with experienced divers and the dive guides could care less about anyone. One divers tank slipped and the guide had no idea. Thank goodness another diver came to the rescue. The dive guides make no effort in helping less experienced divers, even when they ask questions or have issues. It's like they can't be bothered. The lack of safety concerns for divers by this crew was terrible. They could have easily taken separate groups who wanted a guide so they could monitor situations since diving abilities of some were far less than others. Never once did these guides do air checks with divers while underwater. Some of the people who were diving had never even dived with the buddy they were given. Several times a buddy would be responsible for a less experienced diver who was in distress. Did the guides offer help or assistance. NO! This is and was so unsafe on so many levels. Jo the cook was amazing! So friendly from day one and would talk to anyone and answer so many questions from food, diving, and more. She helped more than a few divers with weight issues when this should have been done by the dive guides. The food was wonderful and you will not go hungry. Ernie a deck hand was another stand out! Funny, helpful and all around nice guy. Ernie was the first to assist if you needed help with a tank, assisting getting out of the water, and helping with gear. For the first two days of diving we were at sights that were just ravaged with Stony Coral Disease. This is not the fault of the company. Unfortunately this disease has hit this area very hard. Over 80% of the coral is dead here and more in some areas. Thus the reefs lack marine life since coral is sick and dying. The over abundance of Lion Fish also kills what is left of the reef system here. Allison, Molly and Tristian don't talk about this much and when you bring it up they act like it's no big deal and when Molly did talk about it for a brief moment she stated facts that were not true about the Stony Coral Disease cause, progression and effects on the marine environment. The diving was not great here, it wasn't even good. What is happening to the ocean and reefs here are so sad. This is not Explorer Ventures fault. However the lack of care, safety protocols, customer service, and fun aboard this live aboard is entirely the crews fault. I am not rating my experience based on the health of the dive sites here. On the last night the entire crew made a big push for tips, which there share with everyone. I would have preferred to tip only Jo and Ernie as they were the ones who deserved it. Expecting a tip for sub-par to even bad service is ridiculous. I have been on other liveaboards before and the Explore Venture has been the worst experience I have ever had. From poor customer service to dive guides that don't do anything. You might as well just expect that you will be diving by yourself, in an area you know nothing about. Don't expect anything from the crew even if you ask. Don't dive with them unless you are very experienced and comfortable navigating unknown sites with a buddy. Check, double check and triple check all your gear as they don't do this nor help with this. Don't expect the guides to point out any marine life as it's far and few between here and they don't care. Don't expect the crew to say hello to you or sit down and have a coffee or tea and talk to you because it won't happen unless it's with Jo or Ernie. Don't bother saying hello to Allison, she will just ignore you and walk on past with her sour face look that never changes. Other than that I was happy to be in the water!

Exceptional week CPT Rodney is an outstanding leader who always put the safety of all as his number one priority followed closely by diver experience. He communicated with us constantly keeping us aware of all events. He has developed a cohesive team that was flawless. Amber-Purser: Amber is the glue that keeps everything running smoothly. She worked tirelessly all day to make sure that all guests are taken care of. She has an infectious smile, and she brought her energy to everything she did. She was always there to answer questions, help put on gear and help others on the crew when needed. Amber is the backbone of the ship and a real team player. Do not lose her! Julian-Dive Crew: Julian is a great diver and even better dive guide. All his dive briefings were full of where to find the best stuff for that location. Julian’s commitment to divers’ safety was on full display as he called off a dive because of conditions. A true asset to the team. Henry-Dive Crew: Henry is an integral team member who is also a great diver. He always had a willingness to do whatever to make great diving even better. His sense of humor and I can make anything happen attitude makes him fun to be around. He is a rising star. Daniel-Night Watch: Daniel worked in the background making sure the boat and everything on board was always ready for the next day. A leader who the CPT could rely on while everyone was sleeping. Julian-Chef: Julian surprised us daily with new deliciousness at every meal. His skills as a chef and outrageous sense of humor were some of the high points of the week. I can’t believe he does all that in such a tiny galley. And for absolutely no reason, a salad. Terance-Engineer: Terance and I didn’t interact often, but he certainly took care of business. Never was there an issue with any hot water, air, electricity or any other form of logistics. Working in the shadows making sure passenger comfort is a top priority.

Awesome 5 stars I would highly recommend diving in the Galapagos with the explorer ventures Humboldt Explorer boat. Our dive guides were Oscar and Ronnie, they rocked! The entire crew team were so kind and helpful, as my first board it was an awesome experience. I am vegetarian, and there were several people with gluten allergies, vegan etc, the chef made wonderful meals for all of us! The only thing I’d recommend to do differently is allowing tipping with a credit card, Venmo, or PayPal - since carrying a lot of cash is difficult! Or, let people know ahead of time that cash is the only option!

My first liveaboard but you set the standard!!! Everything was so easy, making reservations, payment, directions and paperwork needed once on board. The crew of the Caribbean Explorer II is second to none. I've been around the world diving but the hospitality, kindness, and knowledge was great. I’m a PADI Professional and I was very impressed with the entire crew. We will be back!!!