Caribbean Explorer II

Liveaboard · St. Maarten · Official Website
Caribbean Explorer II at anchor in open water

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35 m · 18 guests · 9 cabins · 8 crew members

TL

Caribbean Explorer II is the only liveaboard running the Saba — St. Kitts route in the north-eastern Caribbean. Her 35-metre all-aluminium hull was built by Camcraft in 1978 and recommissioned in 1999. Eighteen guests share nine staterooms across the main and lower decks, looked after by a crew of up to eight. The vessel is registered in Vanuatu and certified by Green Fins as an eco-liveaboard.

Every dive is made straight off the boat. The dive deck takes up the whole aft third of the main deck: an individual gear bin for each guest, a large camera table with a low-pressure hose, charging stations, tank racks, separate freshwater rinse baths for gear and for cameras, a shower and a head. Entries are through the side gates, a drop of about a metre; two in-water ladders hang from the dive platform. There is no dive tender — the RIB is used only to move guests.

The week is busy: up to five dives a day, up to 27 over the trip, including up to five night dives. Saba is the top of a dormant volcano and has been a marine park since 1987 — offshore pinnacles, seamounts, vertical walls and coral labyrinths. Favourite sites are Diamond Rock, Man O’War Shoals, Tent Wall, Ladder Labyrinth and Third Encounter with The Needle. St. Kitts is wrecks and finger reefs: River Taw, Corinthian, Monkey Shoals, Anchors Aweigh, Paradise Reef. Divers hunt frogfish, seahorses and octopus here, and the night dives on the River Taw are the ones guests talk about afterwards.

The upper deck holds a semi-enclosed air-conditioned salon with dining tables, a TV, a video library and a wet bar, with a large sun deck and loungers behind it. The galley mixes local recipes, American classics and the chef’s own dishes: three meals a day plus between-dive snacks. Soft drinks all day; beer, wine and spirits once diving is finished for the day. There is no Wi-Fi on board at all, and cellular coverage does not reach every part of the route.

Every stateroom has its own individually controlled air conditioning and a private bathroom with a shower. The four main-deck rooms have windows; of the five lower-deck rooms, the forward ones have portholes. Cabins and bathrooms have 110 V outlets.

No mark-up

You pay the rate the operator publishes. The only thing added on top is the actual payment processing cost — no fee of ours.

We run the booking

Correspondence with the operator, holding your places, the contract, confirmation and all paperwork sit on our side. Nothing for you to arrange yourself.

Pay by card

We send you a Stripe invoice — pay by card, in your own currency, from anywhere in the world. The transfer to the operator is handled on our side.

Support in your language

We help you pick the cabin and dates, answer questions on the route and gear, and stay reachable until you are home — in English, in your time zone.

We quote the exact amount when confirming the booking: it covers the operator's rate plus the actual payment processing cost. No hidden charges.

Yacht Specifications

Length

35 m

Beam

6 m

Material

Aluminium

Year Built

1978

Capacity

18 guests

Cabins

9

Crew

8 members

Speed

12 knots

Engine

2 × GM 12V71, 450 hp each

Refit

1999

Bathrooms

9

Tender

5 m rigid hull inflatable (guest transport only)

Water capacity

5700 l

Fuel capacity

9500 l

Freshwater maker

4500 l/day

On Board

En-suite bathrooms in every cabin
Individually controlled cabin air conditioning
Air-conditioned salon
Sun deck with loungers
Bar
Camera table and charging station
Separate rinse for underwater cameras
Warm outdoor showers
Audio and video library
Library
Onboard boutique
Snorkeller friendly
Satellite phone
Available for full charter

Diving on board

Up to 5 dives a day, up to 27 a week
Up to 5 night dives
All dives made off the vessel
Dive deck across the aft third of the main deck
Individual gear bin per guest
32% nitrox on board (paid)
DIN adaptors
Rinse hoses
80 cf tanks, 63 and 100 cf on request
Dive and nitrox courses on board

A certification from any internationally recognised agency is required. Decompression diving is not allowed; maximum depth is 40 m (33 m on nitrox). Rebreathers, DPVs and multi-cylinder rigs are not used on board — only a small pony bottle is permitted. Tanks, weights and weight belts are included; all other gear is for hire. Minimum age is 10, with 12 strongly recommended; divers under 18 must carry insurance covering chamber treatment and evacuation. The crew speaks English.

Food and drinks

Three meals a day
Between-dive snacks
Local and American cooking
Vegetarian options
Vegan options
Soft drinks, water, tea and coffee
Beer, wine and spirits included
Hot cocoa after the night dive

Friday's evening meal is not included — that night is ashore in St. Kitts or St. Maarten. Alcohol is served only once diving is finished for the day, and guests under 21 are not served alcohol on board. Tell the crew about dietary requirements at booking: there is a single galley, so cross-contact with allergens cannot be fully ruled out.

Navigation and safety

Furuno radar, 58 km range
GPS with position alarm
Digital depth sounder
VHF/DSC/SSB radio
Satellite and cellular phone
4 life rafts
25 life vests with strobes
Bilge pump alarms
EPIRB and flares
Oxygen and first aid kits

Cabins

· 4 cabins

Double / Twin

Beds: Stateroom 1 — queen bed; staterooms 2 and 3 — queen bed with an upper twin; stateroom 4 — upper and lower twin beds

Four staterooms on the main deck, next to the dive deck and the aft exit. Each has a window, a cabinet, individually controlled air conditioning and a private bathroom with a shower. Bed types are not guaranteed — state your preference when booking.

Window Individual air conditioning Private bathroom with shower Cabinet for your things 110 V outlets Up to 2 guests

· 5 cabins

Double / Twin

Beds: Staterooms 5 and 6 — two twin beds or one queen; stateroom 7 — double bed; staterooms 8 and 9 — double lower and twin upper beds

Five staterooms on the lower deck, reached by the port-side stairway from the main deck hallway. Each has a cabinet, drawers, individual air conditioning and a private bathroom with a shower. Forward staterooms 5 and 6 sit half a level up and have portholes; staterooms 7, 8 and 9 have no window.

Porthole in staterooms 5 and 6 Individual air conditioning Private bathroom with shower Cabinet and drawers 110 V outlets Up to 2 guests

Schedule & Pricing

St. Kitts — Saba — St. Maarten (northbound)

Boarding at 15:00 on Saturday at Port Zante, Basseterre, with the first night at the dock. Sunday to Tuesday are St. Kitts dive days, up to five dives daily, with an optional island tour on Monday. The overnight crossing to Saba takes about two hours. Wednesday and Thursday are Saba — walls, pinnacles and Third Encounter, with an optional tour up to Windwardside and The Bottom on Thursday. Friday brings two morning dives at Saba, an early afternoon crossing to St. Maarten, an afternoon at leisure and dinner ashore, and the last night on board at the dock. Breakfast and 09:00 disembarkation in Philipsburg on Saturday.

September 2026
1 departure
October 2026
1 departure

St. Maarten — Saba — St. Kitts (southbound)

Boarding at 15:00 on Saturday at Bobby's Marina, Philipsburg; plan to be in St. Maarten by 16:00 at the latest. The vessel sails for Saba around 22:00, a crossing of two and a half hours. Sunday to Tuesday are dive days in the Saba Marine Park, up to five dives daily, with an optional island tour on Monday, then an overnight crossing to St. Kitts. Wednesday and Thursday cover the wrecks and finger reefs of St. Kitts, nights spent on a mooring. Friday brings two dives and lunch, a return to Port Zante, an optional afternoon island tour and dinner ashore. Breakfast and 09:00 disembarkation in Basseterre on Saturday.

October 2026
3 departures
November 2026
1 departure

Prices and availability can change. Get in touch and we'll confirm current dates and pricing.

Included in Price

7 nights / 8 days on board
Dive package — up to 5 dives a day
Tanks, weights and weight belts
Three meals a day, except Friday dinner
Between-dive snacks
Soft drinks, water, tea and coffee
Beer, wine and spirits
Cabin and deck towels
Crossings between the islands
VAT

Not Included

Flights and airport taxes
Friday evening meal
Airport transfers both ways
Nitrox, gear rental and courses
Island excursions
Crew gratuities
Travel and dive insurance

Required extras

Port, immigration and marine park fees (Saba Marine Park included) — $135 / trip
Fuel surcharge — $220 / trip

Optional extras

Airport transfer in St. Maarten — $15–30
Airport transfer in St. Kitts — $10–15
Nitrox — $10 / fill or $150 / week
Saba island tour — $35
St. Kitts island tour — $50
Full gear set (BCD, regulator, SMB, wetsuit) — $150 / week
Dive computer — $20 / day
BCD or regulator — $12 / day each
Wetsuit — $9 / day
Dive light — $10 / day
Dive and nitrox courses
Crew gratuities — 15–20% of the package
Guaranteed single occupancy — +65% of the berth price

Extras are shown per person and are paid on board.

Caribbean Explorer II

from 1708 EUR / 7 nights

Estimated wait time — 24 hours

Caribbean Explorer II

from 1708 EUR

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Caribbean Explorer II

Caribbean Explorer II

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