Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Diving FleetReviews of explorerventures.com

All the dives and services on board

These guys are first class! Not one detail of a well run trip was overlooked!

It was all good! Crew, diving, food ... all 1st class!

Fantastic diving and a fantastic crew. They made sure each diver had everything they wanted before we even knew we wanted it! This boat's crew was fast at taking care of everything from your room to filling your drinks. Amazing customer service. The dive crew was also very good. We had two dive guides that rotated each day between the two groups and both were great allowing the flexibility to dive the way you are comfortable but still making sure the group was safe. The abundance of life is awe-inspiring leaving you wanting to spend your entire trip at Darwins Towers and Wolf. They made sure everyone knew about the dive site, the potential of current and exactly what their expectations were. When we came back the crew was there to help with the gear, help with your wetsuit and had a dry towel waiting for you (along with coffee and hot chocolate!) The food was good and there was plenty of it! The chef was also very thoughtful and made me a Birthday cake for my special day. Amazing trip, amazing diving, amazing boat and amazing crew!

Boat - 16 divers can stay on this boat. Great rooms with either 2 full size beds or one queen/king. Each room had its own A/C. TV's in each with over 300 movies/series to stream (if that is your thing). Private & spacious. Restrooms for each room with showers. Main gathering space was always full of snacks and drinks. Hot tub on the sun deck can't be completely full due to the movement of the boat. Could have been warmer. Everything is clean, AND CLEANED, and in good working order. Very comfortable on this vessel. Crew - Exceeded expectations. Pleasant, enthusiastic, extremely helpful, professional, all the items I would be seeking in an operation. I have 30+ years in Outdoor Adventure Programming and saw so many of my own expectations for best practices from this organization and team. Truly a first class operation. Rooms were cleaned and beds made by staff SWIFTLY. Itinerary - Pace was great. First day, just get acquainted with the crew and vessel. 2nd day, two check out dives and then a land excursion. Then travel overnight to Wolf Island. Wolf Island for day 3 and 5. Darwin Island for day 4. Back to closer islands for day 6 & 7 with two dives each day. Nice tortoise guided tour and shopping with dinner in Puerto Ayora to end day 7. Off the boat after breakfast on day 8 with them getting us to the Baltra Airport with our Dive Guides taking us there. Very good pace. Days started early (6:00am) in many cases with plenty of food and rest time between dives. Food - Buffet style either in the main living/dining area or above deck one the sundeck. Dietary accommodations were met. Fruit and cheese at every meal. The meals were diverse enough and with enough options for variety. Dinners always had wine. Between dives typically had hot chocolate (wouldn’t think it would work as warm as it is down there but it was a welcome treat). Snacks were always available. Coffee, tea, and water available 24/7. Gave us free reign of the beer coolers and liquor after a couple of days. Fresh juices at breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack. Everything was delicious and plentiful. No one went away hungry from my perspective. Dive Guides - Communicative. Dive briefs gave us what we needed. 1 guide for up to 8 divers. Each guide was different but they set you up in groups on day 1 and then the groups stayed the same while the guides switched between groups each day. Varies the experience. These two were also the “program and communication” team for the vessel. Spoke English well and always wanted to ensure everything was going well for us. Diving - Not sure if anything can truly prepare you for this type of diving. My advice, dive as much as you can to be comfortable with diving. That way when you enter these waters with their unique conditions and wildlife you are the most prepared diver you can be. Out of our group I was the least experienced. Hit my 70th dive on this trip. Been certified since 1998. And while I was feeling much better at the end of the week with my diving ability, I wish I had felt better, more confident, at the beginning. But that is an issue for me. Not one with the dive operation. When I told them that my dive buddy and I had come up with a dive plan within their dive plan they understood and we accepted. Temps were mid 60’s - 70’s F. Up to 4 dives a day. All were stunning. Boat Captain and Dive Guides set up a night dive for us per our request. Be ready for currents and underwater swells. Many of the dives, on this trip at least, were “get down to 50’, hang onto rocks, and watch the ocean go by”. Max dive depth were 100’ (never went lower than 85’) for a maximum bottom time of 50 minutes. You take smaller 12 person Zodiak (Panga) boats to the dive sites from the liveaboard vessel. Rear entry for all dives. Both positive and negative entries are needed.

Attentive crew, very few divers, nice food, good cabins

I have made a review of my excellent trip aboard the Blue Manta over the holidays already!

Amazing diving experience and exceptional service