Stella Maris Explorer, Philippines
8.9 Fabulous - Nitrox available
- Free Internet
- Free Nitrox
“Tubbataha is a very beautiful destination We dive into warm water with very good visibility that allows us to enjoy the beautiful …”
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: Fuel Surcharge (240 USD), Park and Port Fees (270-370 USD / trip).
Optional Extras: Gratuities, Alcoholic Beverages, Soft drinks, Nitrox Course (450 USD), Private Dive Guide (830 USD), Rental Gear, Scuba Diving Courses (360-570 USD), 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
-
- 8.9 Fabulous
- Vessel 8.2
- Crew 9.3
- Food 9.6
- Diving 8.8
- Value 8.5
-
- 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.
-
- 9.6 Exceptional
- Nicolus V
-
United States
Comfy boat, delicious foods, good gear, nice guides!
This liveaboard was wonderful! The boat was very comfortable with a variety of community spaces to hang out in, private bathrooms with showers in each cabin, and plenty of storage space for all of our belongings. The meals were always very yummy and offered a variety of options for different preferences/needs. We each rented BCDs and regs and one of us rented a wetsuit, all of which were in good repair and functioned well. Our guides were friendly and fun, and had us feeling safe at every turn. Notes: - Though the description says "nitrox available" it should actually read "nitrox required", as we discovered once on board during the orientation. We were not nitrox certified but the training was offered to us onboard for $420/person. - While the diver-to-guide ratio is 5- or 6-to-1, it actually plays out as 10 or 11 divers in each group with one leading guide and one safety guide at the back of the group. - When they take you to the ranger station, wear clothes you don't mind being in the water in. You'll be waist-deep for group photos. - Gear rental is separate, paid in cash before leaving the boat (BCD $12, reg $12, wetsuit $8). - Beers and sodas are separate, paid in cash before leaving the boat (beers $3 each, sodas $2 each). - Tips are suggested on the last day, with the crew splitting whatever you leave in the envelope and guides being given theirs by hand individually, all paid in cash before leaving the boat. Really our only complaint about our time with this company was that there was a group of 4 other guests onboard that were constantly grabbing onto coral, breaking coral, getting too close to wildlife and scaring it off, etc and we did not feel that this issue was handled sufficiently by the guides. Though the guides gave them ongoing verbal reprimanding, when the behavior continued incessantly there were not any further consequences, such as being pulled from dives early or having to miss future dives. During the orientation, someone from the park came onbaord to tell us that if we saw anyone violating the park rules we should report it, but when we talked to the guides about reporting the ongoing, unchanging behavior we were told not to because the boat/company would be shut down. We definitely felt this issue could/should have been handled in a more appropriate way. But other than that, we had a great time on this boat and would most definitely recommend it!!
- Recommended for
- The (smallest, cheapest) cabin had plenty of storage space and a private bathroom with shower.. The foods were varied, delicious, and plentiful.. The dive gear was high quality and well-maintained..
-
- 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
-
- 8.8 Fabulous
- Wolf H
-
Germany
Very good trip even though the reef didnt show the big stuff, such as whale sharks, hammerheads, manta rays
Everything went well on Stella Maris, no short comings. Dives were explained in very much detail. Food is very good and support for the divers is excellent.
- Recommended for
- Well maintain daily routine, timely pick-up and return to Hotel/airport. Food was very good and well served. Crew was very helpful and tried to get the diver guests to the best spots.
-
- 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.
-
- 9.6 Exceptional
- Amos M
- United States
Amazing!
The scuba diving along with awesome company and great food
- Recommended for
- The diving, the crew, and the food
-
- 9.6 Exceptional
- Zander R
-
Australia
Wonderful diving experience with an experienced diving crew
Excellent camaraderie onboard, all crew were super lovely, gear was very well looked after and the boat moved around freely to avoid chop and other dive boats. Felt very well accommodated, everything went very smoothly and we had some wonderful wall dives. If you don't like sleeping on satin, bring your own sheets.
- Recommended for
- Great instructors, great food and a really well appointed boat
-
- 9.2 Superb
- KyooHwang H
-
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
-
- 9.2 Superb
- Serge S
-
France
Very experienced
We had a great stay on the Stella Maris.From the welcome on the boat in the presence of the owner to the end, the service was of a high quality. Everything was done to make our stay a success.Thank you to all the crew, the captain who brought us to port, all the sailors always taking care, thanks to the team in the kitchen for treating us to excellent dishes and to finish a big congratulations to the divemasters, especially Ryan and Rambo for their dynamism and the quality of their accompaniment.Thanks to all of you, Tubbataha has kept all its promises with magical seabeds, sharks at all the dives, turtles, rays, schools of barracudas, carangues, fish by the thousands and what about corals which are just extraordinary by their number and colorsThank you very much!👏🏼💪🏼😀
- Recommended for
- The seabed, the crew of the boat, the supervision of the divemasters
-
- 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.
