MV Celebes Explorer |
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| Wooden mono-hull liveaboard... |
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MV Celebes Explorer is the only Malaysian liveaboard operating in the Sipadan area. It also represents the best option for maximizing the time you spend at Sipadan. Thanks to the high number of park diving permits that this boat has secured, you don't have to worry about whether or not you will make it to the most glamorous dive sites. You can relax knowing you will be doing plenty of dives around Sipadan Island. Choosing this liveaboard normally means that you can dive at Sipadan on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
Length: 29 metres / 96 foot
Beam: 7 metres / 23 foot
Cruise: 8 knots
Divers: 16
• Read our Trip Report
 Customer Reviews
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Built in 2001, MV Celebes Explorer is a wooden monohull motor yacht that can accommodate up to 16 divers. Facilities include air-conditioned cabins and an air conditioned saloon/restaurant with TV, DVD and music system. There is also a sundeck for soaking up the rays and a shaded area for keeping cool or enjoying a massage after a fun filled day diving around the Pulau Sipadan area.
You can choose to unwind in the cool of the saloon, perusing the marine library in a number of languages or in the shaded seating area of the sun deck where the views over the islands can be spectacular, particularly at sunset. For liveaboard lovers, or keen divers who just want to dive Sipadan as much as possible, the comfortable and convenient Celebes Explorer could be our best option.
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| Cabins, Berths, Showers, Bathrooms... |
There are 8 Standard cabins on this Malaysia liveaboard. 2 Queen-size double bed cabins that feature windows are located on the main deck, and 6 double/twin bed cabins that feature portholes are located on the lower deck.
All the cabins have:
- Air-conditioning
- Private en-suite bathrooms with hot water shower
- Towels, hairdryer and soap
- Cabinet, shelves & mirror
- Reading lights
- Safety box
- Bedding
- 24-hour, 240V electricity supply with UK-style sockets
- Fire detectors
- Life jackets
No. of bathrooms / showers - 8 / 9 - hot water |
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| Customer reviews: |
"The gear was reasonable and any issues were sorted out promptly. The staff were a bit abrupt at the beginning but warmed up once they got to know you and realised that you could dive. The facilities were basic but clean (like any dive boat we've ever been on), and the aircon was a definite bonus. The diving at Sipadan itself was incredible. Probably the best diving we've ever done!" - Michelle Reeves, New Zealand ...
"Staff were very friendly and very helpful. Tom and Gerry were very good DM's and communicated well with everyone. The boat was always very clean." - Steve Howarth, Hong Kong ...
"Facilities were good. Food was only fair (we had made a request for non-fried, low fat type dishes, grilled, ect.). Even though there was only 1 other couple on board besides us, it did not appear that our food requests were granted any consideration.
... Staff was fair (only moderately friendly. Could have put more effort into it). Dive guide: Good ... although not all that warm, fuzzy and engaging. Our dive guide Jerry really knew his stuff and pointed out many things of interest during the dives.
... Dives, however, were limited to only 45 minutes. We would have liked to have had up to an hour. We surfaced many time at 45 minutes with plenty of air to spare and could have easily stayed down another 15 minutes without any deco or air issues. Mabul day dives were not that great. The visibility was poor due to the sandy bottom. The night dives at Mabul are much more interesting then the day dives ... lots to see at night! Sipadan diving was awesome!! ... Some of the best 2 days of diving I have ever experienced!
... Based on the permit issues with diving Sipadan, I would highly recommend the Explorer as long as the reservation covers at least 2 of the scheduled Sipadan dive days. Having guaranteed diving at Sipadan is important if one is making the trip all the way to Borneo. Also, being able to reboard the liveaboard after every dive at Sipadan sure beats the multiple interval and lunch stays on all the smaller day boats." - Jeff Berry, USA ...
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