Similan Dive Season?

[WHITES Justin]

Hi There,

I am heading to Thailand at the end of April for about a month and I want to do a liveaboard trip to the Similans. I have read that the Similan season runs from Oct-May so I am wondering if I will make it in time if I am there in May. Also, do boats stop servicing the Similans at all during the year or is the dive season just the best time to go?

Can anyone reccomend a good liveaboard operation which is competitively priced and well run?

Cheers,

Justin

 

[Quero]

Most liveaboards will have ended their seasons by May, but there are always a few that manage to get enough bookings to run trips during the month. The problem is that they will not confirm trips until they get enough bookings, so you have to find an operator that's willing to put you on a waiting list, and then you cross your fingers and, well, wait and see. The trip may go, or it may be cancelled due to lack of minimum numbers.

There are far too many liveaboards to list the ones that are priced competitively and well run! The best course of action, IMO, is to set your target date range, get somebody here to make some phone calls for you to see which ops are *really* considering running trips, and get your name down pretty soon. I don't advise waiting till the last minute for May trips as the dynamic of the market tends to favor early cancellations of the trips at that time of year, even when they are published in the company's schedules. An op is more likely to leave the trip "open" longer if they have a seriously interested customer.

The other wrench in the works is the Thai government. The official website of the Similan Islands National Marine Park states that it is open from September 1 to May 30, but I suppose these dates can be overridden and shortened somehow.

 

[Zenobiz]

I agree with Quero, though you should book you trip early in May. The reason is, that the numbers of tourist is pretty low from the end of April and you'll see more and more cancellations from the live aboard operators, by the middle of your holiday.
There is a lot of good boats around, so it's diffecult to recommend a specific one. Try the website highclass-adventure.com to check many of the boats and schedules.