Stella Maris Explorer, Philippines
8.9 Fabulous - Nitrox available
- Free Internet
- Free Nitrox
“Perfect weather and seeing all those corals and baby/smaller sharks,turtles etc.”
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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- 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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- 10 Exceptional
- Centia M
-
India
Great trip
Everything was great. We were a bit unlucky in the diving (didn't see some of the things I wanted to see) but the boat, crew, food and guides were all fantastic.
- Recommended for
- Food. Crew. Dive guides.
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- 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.
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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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- 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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- 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
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- 9.2 Superb
- Dan S
-
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!
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- 9.6 Exceptional
- Rudy W
-
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.
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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
- Kim C
- United States
This was such a great trip, I am planning on returning next year with my husband!
I am an older female diver (55 years) traveling alone. The crew and dive masters were amazingly professional. I have been diving for 30+ years all over the world and sometimes have encountered micro examples of sexism, but not one this boat and with this crew. The diving itself is amazing, especially for corals and fish life. l live on a tropical island and have seen the damage to reefs over time, so the health and diversity of these reefs was amazing.
- Recommended for
- 1. the diving: the natural beauty was astounding. 2. the food was fantastic. 3. the organization of dive boats was fantastic.
