Stella Maris Explorer, Philippines
8.9 Fabulous - Nitrox available
- Free Internet
- Free Nitrox
“Good dive guides and very good company (both crew and fellow divers). ”
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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- 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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- 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
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- 9.2 Superb
- JEAN LUC S
-
France
Recommended trip
Very good pickup service for transfers to hotel, the dive guides are very professional and attentive to all requests .......
- Recommended for
- Quality of dive sites. Sympathy from all the staff. Quality of meals.
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- 9.2 Superb
- Paula M
-
Spain
Great holidays
It was a nice experience. The crew and guide dives are always taking care of you. It was a pleasure to spend some time in this boat with this people :)
- Recommended for
- Really cool guide dives. Amazing crew. Tasty food, you cannot stop eating.
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- 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..
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- 9.2 Superb
- Denis R
-
Philippines
Great organization of the cabin crew
The boat is very small for 21 divers, it would be great for 16, but the organization and the competence of the staff make everything run perfectly, which at the beginning I would never have believed possible. Nice cabins, great food, common areas reduced to a minimum, staff from 10 and praise. I expected more from the level of diving for how renowned this location was. Very good organization of liveboards
- Recommended for
- Friendliness of the staff, food and cabin
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- 8.0 Very good
- Gordon R
-
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.
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- 9.6 Exceptional
- Robert D
- United States
Wonderful trip.
You old divers? No problem on the Stella Maris! I have over 1100 dives and dove with with this crew before. Never felt safer, their Safety DM always close, a lot of personal attention.
- Recommended for
- Biodiversity of Tubbataha. Dive guides. Food.
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- 8.4 Very good
- Franz V
-
Germany
Tubbataha with whale shark
A really nice tour to Tubbataha Reef. Good boat with friendly crew and especially nice diving. There were always highlights and encounters with whale sharks.
- Recommended for
- Whale shark. Coral. Sharks.
