Recommend a liveaboard in Nov (arr. into BKK, 5-10 days, solo traveller in mid 20s)

[Bah]

Hi,

I'm looking for a recommendation of a live aboard for a trip sometime in November this year (my dates are relatively flexible - it needs to be after 01Nov11 and needs to finish before 30Nov11).

I'm travelling solo, so ideally I'm looking for a boat that'll have divers in a similar age range / be geared towards backpackers. I'm arriving into Bangkok, but I figure it'll be relatively easy to catch a flight / train / bus if necessary.

Can anyone help with a recommendation?

Cheers

 

[stevenl]

Check out this boat or this one. Both comparable boats, geared towards backpackers, and excellent value for money.

 

[Quero]

The season officially starts in November, so you will have lots of choice of dates, with no restrictions. There are a few things that differentiate one backpacker boat from another, and the ones that seem to make the most difference to my divers are 1) whether transfers are offered from Phuket and 2) whether there is Nitrox available on board. The boats of Khao Lak Scuba Adventures, the Manta Queen boats, offer both. Another boat, the Dolphin Queen offers Nitrox, but no transfers. If you are traveling from Bangkok only to dive, perhaps transfers from Phuket are not important. However, Dolphin Queen do have trips to Burma this season, with their first trip in the second half of November, if you're up for an adventure. These boats are comparably priced and appeal to the kind of traveler you describe yourself as.

 

[stevenl]

There are a few things that differentiate one backpacker boat from another, and the ones that seem to make the most difference to my divers are 1) whether transfers are offered from Phuket and 2) whether there is Nitrox available on board.

Nitrox I understand, but why is it important whether the boat offers transfers from Phuket? All that matters is that the transfers are done, so why should the boat have to do it?

 

[Quero]

Many customers, especially budget travelers, prefer to have everything included in one price with no additional costs. The three boats I mentioned all do a good job of that in that even the cost of marine park fees is included. At least that's what these customers tell me when I present options that include transfers (and other costs) and ones that don't. I've had a number of customers want pickups at the ferry terminal from Phi Phi, for example, and others who just go straight to Khao Lak and don't need any transfers from Phuket at all. A lot of people who do need transfers enjoy getting to know some of their boatmates on the journey to Tap Lamu as well. In other words, for some people, a private head matters; for others a double bed matters; for some transfers matter. It's all up to the customer to define what does and doesn't matter.

 

[stevenl]

Many customers, especially budget travelers, prefer to have everything included in one price with no additional costs.

That is why we always include transfers from Phuket and Khao Lak. I thought everybody did that, but apparently not.

 

[Quero]

Of course everybody can do that, but when the operator takes care of the transfers, the transfers are more seamless. No getting dropped off at the pier and waiting for the operator's staff to arrive; no getting dropped off at the dive center and sitting around for who knows how long until the local transfer takes divers to the pier, etc. I've never had a diver not make it to the boat, regardless of the manner of the transfer, so it all works out, but I've found that it's just smoother when the operator takes care of it.

Hope you have a great season, Steve.

 

[Bah]

Thanks for all the responses.

I've finalised my flights now, I'm arriving in Bangkok on the night of 11/11 and leaving from Bangkok around noon on 11/19. So I guess I just need to find something that fits that schedule (11/12 - 11/17).

 

[stevenl]

Check this one, departure on the 12th for 4 days/4 nights.

 

[Phuket diver]

Hi Bah,

If you are looking at a backpakers oriented, I would recommend you to look at Scubacat Diving website. We have two two liveaboards operating in
the Similans area.

The schedule for M/V Scuba Cat is departure everyday and you can stay for how long you desire, for the second liveaboard M/V Scuba Adventure, we will put the schedule for next season by the end of this week.

take care of you