Stella Maris Explorer, Philippines
8.9 Fabulous - Nitrox available
- Free Internet
- Free Nitrox
“The cabins on the boat are very good, the food is amazing and the crew too.”
Highlights
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, WiFi internet.
Required Extras: Park and Port Fees ($270-370 / trip).
Optional Extras: Gratuities, Alcoholic Beverages, Soft drinks, Nitrox Course ($450), Private Dive Guide ($830), Rental Gear, Scuba Diving Courses ($360-570), Snorkel Gear, Snorkeling Guide, Laundry / Pressing Services.
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
Drawings & Vessel Layouts
Cabin Types
Stella Maris Explorer Reviews
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- 8.9 Fabulous
- Vessel 8.2
- Crew 9.3
- Food 9.6
- Diving 8.8
- Value 8.5
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- 9.2 Superb
- Fabian F
-
Argentina
Excellent option to visit Tubbataha
The boat is very good, the cabin very spacious and with good comfort for storage. The meals were very good and the attention of the crew was excellent.The dives are superlative, in very transparent and warm waters. Large number of pelagic fish, including many reef sharks (gray, whitetip, silvertip, and blacktip)
- Recommended for
- Diving in spectacular places. The boat in general and the cabin in particular. The friendly crew and good food.
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- 9.6 Exceptional
- David S
-
United States
Highly recommend
We had a great time on the trip. Very nice people and the staff was really great.
- Recommended for
- The staff was fantastic. The food was excellent. The diving most mostly excellent with a few dives with poor vis.
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- 10 Exceptional
- Michelle C
- United States
Love this trip and would highly recommend
Dive crew and staff were phenomenal. Tikz, king, Jaz, leyon (Rodger) were great dive guides. I felt very safe with them The boat was clean and plenty of space to lounge around. The food was so good. It felt like a culinary experience. The sites were all so beautiful. So may green sea turtles and black tip/white tip sharks. Corals were vast and colorful.
- Recommended for
- Staff. Views. Food.
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- Claude B
- United States
Superb dive service and guiding experience!
The high points are the quality of the dives and the exceptional guide experience. Each group has a lead guide and a sweep or safety guide, a really excellent arrangement for drift dives with a wide variety of experience among the divers. The reef is healthy with a great variety of sealife on view. The guides are skilled underater and enjoyable company on board the boat. The cabins are quite small with minimal storage space, and mine had neither window nor porthole. Bedding was very comfortable. The food was simple but abundant and generally tasty, with excellent variety and nutritional balance. Beer and simple wine selections were available for sale, but you can bring your own liquor if you prefer. A good machine ground beans and prepared coffee 24 hours a day which I appreciated when jet lag had me awake at 0400. The chase boats delivered us to the dive sites with rides of 3-10 minutes. The water temp was typically 80-81 F with mostly mild currents except for one "washing machine" experience. Passengers were widely varied in nationality and age which made for pleasant and interesting conversation on board. Based on my review of other operators on this route, the Stella Maris seems like a good value for the money.
- Recommended for
- Dive guides and dive quality. 24 hour coffee and snacks. Engaging companions.
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- Zixiong G
-
China
Excellent liveaboard
Excellent food, great crew members and guides, and best corals in Philippines. How do you know I encountered a whale shark on the second dive 😼
- Recommended for
- Excellent food. Free nitrox. Good luck.
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- 10 Exceptional
- Tamanna D
-
India
What a great first experience!
It was our first liveaboard, and we're spoiled for life! Everything was perfect from the crew to the food to the dives! Special shoutout to our dive guides Rambo and Leyon, who were extremely perceptive and attentive to our needs and went out of their way to make the dives comfortable for us. All in all, it was a great first experience! 10/10 to the kitchen staff that kept us so well fed - sardine pizza FTW! The boat was really clean, and all other amenities were top-notch too! Highly recommended!
- Recommended for
- Dive Crew. Hospitality. Dives.
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- Henricus B
-
Netherlands
Best crew ever and most sharks ever!
Tubathata is truly beautiful.A visit to the ranger station is a welcome change in the trip.Apo reef nice closure in the whole.For the Stella Maris crew, nothing is too much.Big chapeau also at the end of the season safety net!
- Recommended for
- Hospitality crew (nothing too much) Quality food Comfort
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- 8.4 Very good
- Taj H
- United States
Friendly and Fun
It's always great to be on a liveaboard with like minded people - DIVERS! We saw so much sea life in Tubbataha and I finally got my first siting of a whale shark. Food was plenty and tasty and friendly crew and fellow divers!
- Recommended for
- Crew, Beauty of Marine Park, and Diving
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- 8.0 Very good
- Alistair F
-
United Kingdom
Nice trip to Tubbataha
This was a good trip to a nice dive location. Good dive guides and very good company (both crew and fellow divers). Nice boat.
- Recommended for
- Great Diving, great people, good food
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- 10 Exceptional
- Serge L
-
Canada
Our most beautiful diving trip
The dives all different and magnificent, the smile and the welcome of the staff at all times, the meeting of the other divers, the pre-dive briefings.All the conditions were met for this trip
- Recommended for
- The dive sites, the Stella Maris Explorer team, the quality of the meals and the temperature
