Turks & Caicos Explorer II
July 14-21, 2012
The incomparable Turks & Caicos Explorer II was
designed from the ground up as a liveaboard dive vessel/corporate charter yacht
in 1995, and was purchased by Explorer Ventures and put into operation in the
Turks & Caicos Islands in February 2005. Equipped with Naiad
stabilizers and a heavy keel, she serves as well in the Turks & Caicos as
she does for longer, open-water excursions throughout the southern Bahamas.
The newly-refurbished luxury vessel carries up to 20 passengers and 8 crew. All
staterooms throughout the vessel have port lights or windows,
individually-controlled air-conditioning, and private ensuite bathrooms.
A comfortable full-width salon, located forward of the spacious dive deck,
provides seating for all guests at once, a wet bar, and an entertainment area
with VCR/DVD and CD stereo. The boat deck, one level up, has ample room for
sunning and relaxing; the flybridge includes a barbeque, wet bar, and
comfortable seating for up to 15. The two VIP staterooms located on the upper
boat deck, as well as the two forward staterooms on the main deck, are equipped
with TV/VCR.
The
dive deck of course include nitrox, individual gear bins, rinse tanks, camera
table, recharging facilities, and ramp-style stair access to the swim platform
for easy access into the water. Scheduling 5 dives daily, including night dives, the vessel boards in Providenciales each Saturday and offers 5 1/2 days of diving each week. You'll explore the 5 different black coral species at Black Coral Forest, the reef sharks of Provo's Shark Hotel, the deep-water gorgonians of G-Spot, and the spotted eagle rays of Double D, along with a multitude of other dive sites along the region's plunging walls. The Turks & Caicos Islands, located 575 miles southeast of Miami, were first populated by the Lucayan or Arawak Indians. Columbus claimed the islands for Spain in 1492, which then in 1670 ceded them to Britain. Dependencies of the Bahamas until 1874, the islands were subsequently controlled by the Jamaican government. In 1962 the islands became a British Commonwealth Colony, which they remain today. |