Stella Maris Explorer, Philippines
- 8.7 Fabulous 17 Verified Reviews
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- Internet
- Free Nitrox
- from $ 319 / day
Read 17 more reviewsExcellent crew and service
“White tips, Napolian wrasses, trigger fish, huge schools of jacks, greens and hawksbills, on and on. Besides the dive group leade…”
Highlights
- Fully air-conditioned with carpeted interiors
- En-suite cabins with hot & cold water showers
- Memory foam mattresses and pillows
- Large sundeck with bar and jacuzzi
- Free Nitrox for certified divers
- Up to 4 dives per day at Tubbataha Reefs
Designed with comfort in mind, the Stella Maris Explorer offers year-round liveaboard diving in the Philippines. Ten spacious 'retro-chic' cabins accommodate up to 21 guests. Each cabin features memory foam mattresses, pillows, AC, storage space, and private en-suite bathrooms. The cabins are spread over 3 decks with a choice of deluxe or premium economy, with twin, double, or queen beds available. Social areas include a spacious salon with a large TV and a dining area where expertly prepared meals and snacks incorporating lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and a variety of proteins are served. The top deck offers chairs and loungers either in the sun or covered area, the perfect place to soak up the sun, relax in between dives or enjoy a stunning sunset with a cocktail.
The Stella Maris Explorer yacht offers itineraries to dive the best of Tubbataha in the Sulu Sea and Apo Reef & Coron. Up to 4 dives per day are scheduled to dive in nutrient-rich waters, bringing sharks, mantas, dolphins, and a host of macro critters. Diving is made easy with the 2 custom-designed 26ft/8mtr hard bottom dive tenders, and groups are kept small with a diver-to-guide ratio of 5:1. Nitrox is also available for those certified.
Join the Stella Maris Explorer yacht for a fantastic dive liveaboard in the Philippines. Book online today to reserve your space.
Choose your departure date
Included: VAT, Airport Transfer, Hotel Transfer, Drinking Water, Tea & Coffee, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Nitrox, Beach Towels, Cabin Towels, Complimentary Toiletries, Deck Towels.
Required Extras: Park, Port and Fuel Fees (270-370 USD per trip).
Optional Extras: Gratuities, Alcoholic Beverages, Soft drinks, Nitrox Course (270 USD), Private Dive Guide (600 USD), Rental Gear, Scuba Diving Courses (250-485 USD), Snorkel Gear, Snorkeling Guide, Laundry / Pressing Services, WiFi internet.
Book now, pay later: You can easily place your booking online. We will then hold the spaces for you and you can confirm with a payment later.
* Extra fees are shown per person.
Pay by bank transfer or online with Best Price Guaranteed
Boat features
Food & Drinks
If you have any specific dietary requirements whilst on-board your cruise, you can add this to your special requests on step 2 of the booking form. We advise limiting these requests to religious beliefs or food allergies.
Diving
The crew speaks English.
Gear Rental
There is diving gear available on this boat. Please provide your rental needs on the booking form. See below for further details on inclusions and pricing. Show prices.
Drawings & Vessel Layouts
Accommodation
Boat Specifications
- Year built 1980
- Year renovated 2018
- Length 33 meters
- Deck area 12 sqm
- Beam 6.5 meters
- Top speed 15 knots
- Cruising speed 10 knots
- Engines Single
- Max guests 20
- Number of cabins 10
- Number of bathrooms 10
- Tenders 2
- Water capacity 30 tons
- Fuel capacity 30 tons
Boat Navigation and Safety
Stella Maris Explorer Reviews
- 8.7 Fabulous
- Vessel 7.6
- Crew 8.9
- Food 9.6
- Diving 8.7
- Value 8.6
- 9.2 Superb
- Robert D
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![United States]()
United States
The diving and the crew.
White tips, Napolian wrasses, trigger fish, huge schools of jacks, greens and hawksbills, on and on. Besides the dive group leader, the concept of a safety dive master above the divers gives an added sense of security. Really a fun trip! The dive masters had a great sense of humor and most friendly. My original cabin was adjacent to the engine room which affected my sleep. I was given an upgrade with no charge (there was an empty cabin).
- Recommended for
- Diving Tubbataha reefs, dive guide leaders, friendly staff.
- 7.6 Good
- Fred Louis G
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![United States]()
United States
Comfortable cabin and boat
After pandemic, LiveAboard trip was quite nice. Unfortunately, weather situation wasn't so good. Diving was a little disappointed to us. Will try to do one more time.
- Recommended for
- Cabin, boat, friendly crew
- 9.2 Superb
- Dan S
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![Sweden]()
Sweden
Great transition trip
Excellent diving on Apo Reef and Tubbataha (especially when the current was running). Visiting the ranger station at Tubbataha is a must. Food was delicious and dive guides and staff extremely helpful and went the extra mile. Would recommend going for one of the more spacious rooms as they have higher ceiling. Dive deck is a bit small and it can get a bit messy on the tender boats. The tenders have good ladders and were easy to get into. Can get rocky on the way out so bring seasickness pills. All in all a good experience with lots of fun.
- Recommended for
- 1. Service minded and helpful staff and dive guides. 2. Great diving! 3. Excellent food!
- 9.6 Exceptional
- Rudy W
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![Canada]()
Canada
Crew focus on safety and comfort
The challenges around strong currents and waves,the site itself was so special which was hard to prepare for, seeing large pelagics , the calibre of most divers that were mostly seasoned and included a number of dive masters, the comradery between guests and also crew outside of the diving. I will definitely consider going back at a different time of year
- Recommended for
- Attention to detail re gear as part of safety protocols, thorough dive briefings, accessibility to any crew member for any reason was instant.
- 9.2 Superb
- KyooHwang H
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![South Korea]()
South Korea
Very nice comfortable tour
Even though we didn't see the whale shark, the guides did their best.I would like to thank the crew for trying to make it a safe and comfortable dive.T The highlight is that we had a great time together dancing and singing on the last night.
- Recommended for
- 1) food 2) kindness 3) safe guide
- 8.0 Very good
- Mikolaj R
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![Poland]()
Poland
Amazing experience with a great crew
The owner made a nice gesture by sending us for a trip to the underground river free of charge as our boat was held back in the port due to bad weather. We lost 1.5days of diving, but the crew made sure we recuperated as many dives as possible by diving 5times a day.
- Recommended for
- Crew and Food
- 8.0 Very good
- Gabriele C
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![Germany]()
Germany
I had a fantastic trip
Prestine corals, schools of fish, e.g. Barracudas, Jacks, many turtles, differnt types of sharks and many more.
- Recommended for
- Very friendly and helpful crew. Food was excellent.
- 6.0 Review score
- Jose M
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![Spain]()
Spain
Fantástic.
The guides were very professional. The food was nice.
- Recommended for
- Frendly staff, professional guides and dive was excelent.
- 8.0 Very good
- Gordon R
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![United Kingdom]()
United Kingdom
Comfortable and well equipped boat with well run dive operation, marred only by rather noisy cabin when engine running.
Lovely pristine reefs and walls, with abundant soft and hard coral (especially seafans) and generally great visibility. Some big stuff - though not as much, or as close (for photography) as hoped for.
- Recommended for
- The reefs and marine life (obviously). Crew handling of dives and camera equipment, and very friendly dive staff. More than decent food.
- 6.4 Review score
- Stefan B
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![Italy]()
Italy
It was okay
Tubbataha Reef
- Recommended for
- Tubbataha Reef
