Caribbean Explorer II – All-In Caribbean Diving Adventure
Travel period
Features
Starting at
Diving around Saba & St. Kitts on a liveaboard
Step aboard the Caribbean Explorer II and indulge in a wonderfully relaxing liveaboard voyage from lively St. Maarten to beautiful St. Kitts, or vice versa. Along the way, sail past the picturesque Dutch island of Saba, a pristine gem in the heart of the Caribbean. This unique dive trip offers the perfect opportunity to explore multiple Caribbean islands while enjoying the comforts of an all-inclusive liveaboard experience.
Whether you depart from St. Maarten or St. Kitts, all dives are made on the same dive sites. Land tours are additionally offered in both destinations to explore the rich culture and nature of these islands.
Diving around Saba and St. Kitts is fantastic. The Caribbean is known for its calm waters, excellent visibility and pleasant temperatures.
The diving at Saba, also known as the “Unspoiled Queen,” is characterized by large undersea mountains and impressive pinnacles. The waters around Saba are protected by the Saba Marine Park, resulting in thriving marine life and exceptional diving conditions.
On the other hand, the dive sites around St. Kitts are unmatched in diversity. Here you’ll find everything from sleeping nurse sharks and recent wrecks to intriguing coral labyrinths.
Best Time to Travel: The best time to dive at Saba and St. Kitts is from December to April. During these months is the dry season and underwater visibility is often at its best, sometimes as high as 30 meters. Hurricane season in the Caribbean officially runs from June 1 to November 30, with peak activity from late August to early October.
Average Temperatures
Wetsuit advice for St. Maarten, Saba & St. Kitts
Generally a 3mm is sufficient, in the colder months; December to April you may also consider a 5mm as the water temperature can drop to 26C.
What will you experience on this trip?
View itinerary here
Day 1 (Friday) - Flight to St. Maarten
Today the journey to St. Maarten begins. If you fly from the Netherlands or France, you may have a direct flight to St. Maarten. Given the flight time and time difference, you will arrive on day 2.
St. Maarten is a unique Caribbean island, divided into a Dutch and a French part. The island offers a charming blend of vibrant culture, breathtaking nature and beautiful beaches. Here one can enjoy delicious gastronomy, exciting nightlife and excellent shopping opportunities, in addition to beautiful diving and snorkeling sites.
ℹ️ Start your liveaboard in St. Kitts? Then, of course, you fly there and not to St. Maarten.
Day 2 (Saturday) - Arrival in St. Maarten
Upon arrival at St. Maarten, after leaving baggage claim, look for the Explorer Ventures driver or take a cab to Bobby’s Marina in Philipsburg. The ship will be waiting for you there. From 3 p.m. you are welcome to board, with snacks or dinner available for late arrivals. After a joint dinner at 6:30 p.m., the Captain’s Briefing will follow at 8 p.m. for important travel information.
By 10 p.m., the boat set sail for Saba, a short 2.5-hour cruise. You’ll arrive just after midnight, but you’ll probably be long asleep by then so you can start your dives tomorrow rested.
Should you wish to take the Liveaboard in St. Kitts, then it is also on board at 3 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. and the first night the boat stays in St. Kitts. Kitts in the harbor because you can dive directly there. If you are in St. Kitts state so you actually do this program exactly the other way around.
Day 3 to 8 - Diving & Island Tours.
Over the next six days, you will make a total of about 27 dives. At Saba you can expect curious nurse sharks, reef sharks, turtles, lobsters and sometimes even eagle rays, seahorses and bat fish. Popular dive sites include Diamond Rock, Man O’War Shoals and Third Encounter. St. Kitts has many different dive sites, including reefs, recent shipwrecks and intriguing coral labyrinths. The River Taw wreck is particularly popular for its vibrant coral growth and vibrant macro life during night dives. Here you can often spot frogfishes and seahorses. The schedule is as follows:
Sunday through Tuesday: Saba
5 dives per day, with the possibility of participating in the optional island tour ($35.00 p.p.) on Monday.
Tuesday: Night crossing to St. Kitts (2 1/2 hours).
Wednesday & Thursday: St. Kitts
5 dives per day
Friday: 2 dives at St. Kitts and lunch; return to Port Zante. Afternoon island tour (optional; $50.00 p.p.) and dinner ashore. Overnight on the boat at the dock.
Day 9 (Saturday) & 10 (Sunday) - Disembarkation and home?
Today marks the end of your wonderful liveaboard journey. Between 07:00 and 08:30 you will enjoy a continental breakfast after which you will leave the ship around 09:00. You will then be transferred to the St. Kitts airport. Not ready to go home yet? Then consider a possible extension at, say, St. Eustatius.
Should you fly only in the afternoon, you may leave your luggage on board (or on the dock next to it) until your departure.
The accommodation
The stay and surroundings
Caribbean Explorer II
The award-winning Caribbean Explorer II has room for 18 passengers and has a fun, energetic and hard-working crew dedicated to personal service. With years of experience in the liveaboard industry, they set high safety standards and ensure you have an unforgettable diving vacation.
During your stay aboard the Caribbean Explorer II, you will be spoiled with delicious food. The menu features a mix of locally inspired recipes, American favorites and gourmet dishes devised by the chef. On board, you’ll enjoy three meals a day, plus snacks between dives. In addition, you have unlimited access to soft drinks, juice, tea, coffee and, once the daily diving activities are completed, alcohol, beer and wine.
As for accommodation on board, the Caribbean Explorer II features 9 double cabins, each comfortably furnished. All cabins have private bathroom facilities and most have queen-size beds. After a day of diving adventures, these staterooms offer a comfortable place to relax and recharge for the next day.
Explorer Ventures
Learn more about boat organization
Explorer Ventures is a leading liveaboard dive travel company that has been around for nearly four decades. With a fleet of ten ships, they offer unique and varied itineraries to eight destinations worldwide. What sets this organization apart is their commitment to treating guests like family, their comfortable and well-equipped boats, and their carefully crafted itineraries.
A key aspect that places Explorer Ventures at the top of the liveaboard industry is their commitment to sustainability. Under the“Dive Green” initiative, they have pioneered the promotion of environmentally friendly practices in the diving industry. They were the first liveaboard organization to be accredited in 2018 as a “symbiotic partner” with Green Fins, a joint initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme and the Reef-World Foundation. Their Galapagos fleet was also recently designated as the first and only PADI Eco Centers in the Galapagos Islands.
At EWDR we offer from Explorer Ventures on the Galapagos the Humboldt Explorer & Tiburon Explorer. Other destinations we offer are the Black Pearl in Palau and the Turks & Caicos Explorer.
Optional Land Tours on Saba & St. Kitts
The Caribbean Explorer II offers two optional island tours. These tours give you the chance to experience the unique beauty of Saba and St. Kitts to explore and experience the local culture and history.
Saba, is one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean Sea. The tour starts in Fort Bay and takes you on a drive through beautiful landscapes and traditional villages with their distinctive white buildings, red roofs and green doors. Along the way, stop at several viewpoints and end in Windwardside, where you can visit a museum and local stores. The tour ends with a visit to Jo Beans glass store, known for its handmade glass beads.
St. Kitts, formerly known as St. Christopher, is an island with diverse landscapes – from sandy beaches to lush green fields and rainforests. The tour begins in Sandy Point and takes you through the fishing village of Old Road Bay to the Caribelle Batik Factory, housed in an old sugar cane plantation. After strolling through the tropical gardens, travel to Bloody Point, the site of a historic massacre among the Carib and Arawak Indians. The tour ends at Brimstone Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Travel costs
What is included
This travel package is US$ 2.704 per person based on two people in one cabin. The trip can be extended as desired. A number of things are included by default in this travel package.
Prices are subject to price changes, increases or changing exchange rates. Flights are always based on the cheapest possible booking class.
Want to know more about the possibilities? Get in touch with us!
Included in this trip, from US$ 2.704 p.p.
- 7 Overnight stays in a stateroom
- Stay on the basis of All-Inclusive
- Approx. 27 dives
- VZR, Calamity Fund & Administration fee
Excluding
- Flights Saint Martin & St. Kitts from US$ 951 p.p.
- Transfer airport - boat and v.v. approx. US$ 26 p.p.
- Port, MP & Immigration fees approx. US$ 111 p.p.
- Fuel surcharge approx. US$ 206 p.p.
- Dinner on Friday (Day 8)
✈︎ The quoted (international) flight prices are indicative prices and based on departures from Europe.
However, we can arrange flights from any location worldwide.
Booking your own flights is of course also possible.
Optional
- Nitrox approx. US$ 143 p.p.
- Diving equipment approx. US$ 143 p.p.
- Land tour Saba approx. US$ 34 p.p.
- Land Tour St. Kitts ca. US$ 48 p.p.
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Frequently asked questions about this diving vacation
Diving general
Diving directly from the big ship.
Directly under the boat.
Maximum of 5 dives per day.
Diving equipment
INT. DIN adapters are available for rent for $20.00 p.w.. There is limited availability.
Yes, the cost is $10 per tank or $150 for the whole week.
Yes, for $150,- p.w. not including computer a $75,- per week and diving lamp $20,- per week.
Liveaboard
Air conditioning is centrally controlled.
Yes, individual air conditioning.
Yes, there are no single cabins. Should the boat not fill up completely, you may get lucky and get your own cabin. It is also possible to book guaranteed single occupancy, here you will be charged an additional 65% of the sale price of a passenger cabin.
From the boat’s platform.
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