Similan liveaboard, and what else? Mid November to early December...

[ColdAsIce]

Hi Everyone!

Me and a friend are going to Thailand from mid november to early december (3 weeks)...

The only thing we're sure on, is that we're going on our first Liveaboard (Similan)...
ATM, were looking at Manta Queen III and the Pawara:

Besides from the obvious better cabins, are the Pawara worth the extra 10,000 bath (22000 vs. 32000, all in all)?


The rest of the trip is more open. I've been looking a bit at:

Koh Phangan: Wonder what the chances of bullsharks are? And if it's worth the trip?


Koh Phi Phi: Been told there is some good divesites here. Like Bida Nok/Nai?


Any suggestions on places/divesites to visit during that time? We're willing to travel a bit around, if it's worth it


About us:
2 guys. 33 and 34, probably feel a bit younger Friends for years and have done around 40 dives together, mainly in the Red sea. We're both cert. rescue divers, with around 60 & 75 dives behind us. We're pretty low-key, love to meet new people, and to enjoy a beer or 2 after a day of diving (we're danish). One of us are really into wreck diving; the other into critters and photography and of course we both love sharks


All input is greatly appreciated

Regards Ulrik

 

[OnTheSpot]

If you like your comforts and a bit more privacy then go for Pawara, might be worth you looking at MV Dive Race, it's cheaper than Pawara and cabins have en-suite and only 14 divers max (27,000bht). The bull sharks at Koh Phangan are rarely seen but there's always a chance, in that area Sail Rock and Chumphon Pinnacle are nice dive sites.
Yep, Koh Bida Nok & Nai are nice dive sites and Hin Daeng & Hin Muang are very good all can be reached from Phi Phi. You could take a liveaboard that covers Hin Daeng/Hin Muang/Phi Phi and the Similans (7 nights) and would also include the King Cruiser Wreck for your buddy.

 

[Quero]

Are you including marine park fees when you cite THB 32,000 for Pawara? Because a standard twin cabin is 29,700. But anyway, yeah, the main difference between the cheap backpacker boats like Manta Queen III that you can get for 22K and a boat like Pawara is creature comfort--and primarily your own loo. I personally like not having to queue up in the corridor for a shower or to pee.

Koh Phangan is best known for the full-moon beach parties. If that's what you're looking for, it's worth the trek. If not, it's a bit of a pain to get to from Phuket since it's in the Gulf of Thailand (Pacific Ocean) as opposed to the Andaman Sea where Phuket/Similans are located (Indian Ocean). As for bull sharks at Koh Phangan, you might see them on a Sail Rock daytrip, or you might not.

Bida Nok and Bida Nai are both lovely dive sites. They are reachable from Phuket, from Phi Phi, from Krabi and from Koh Lanta.

Other places to visit--I like Koh Lanta because from there you can get to Hin Daeng, Hin Muang and Koh Haa dive sites on daytrips. I also like Koh Lipe, much further south and the dive sites around there like 8-mile and Stonehenge. You've got three weeks, so you could conceivably visit them all for a short time.

There's a budget liveaboard that goes for one week diving around the Koh Lanta sites all the way up north to the Similans and the next week down south to Koh Lipe, so if you wanted to do A LOT of diving, you could get on that boat for two weeks and dive the entire coastline of Thailand from Burma to Malaysia.

 

[stevenl]

Take into account that the guests on the 2 boats you mention are different. On the Manta Queens you'll quite often find backpackers, younger people not spending too much, and important for diving, quite often reasonably inexperienced. Also the guides tend to be not too experienced, especially at the start of the season.

On Pawara you'll find 'more mature' people, and quite often more experienced divers. Also the diveguides tend to be more experienced.

So yes, there is more to it than just the cabin en-suite or shared bathrooms.

 

[ColdAsIce]

Thanks a lot for the answers... There's a bit to look into
Yeah Quero, the Pawara price was including the park fees...

---------- Post added September 25th, 2013 at 03:01 PM ----------

Koh Lipe sounds interesting... So we'll be landing in BKK on thursday nov 14th. at 6.30 AM... What would the fastest way to Koh Lipe be?
We can get a plane arriving in Hat Yai 11.20 AM... Looks like the last boat from Pak Barra leaves at 15.30... Would that be enough time, to do the journey with the minibusses, or do we need to get a taxi all the way to the pier?

Been looking at Fun Diving Koh Lipe - Daily Fun Diving Trips for Certified Divers - Anyone got experiences with them? Else other suggestions is very welcome. How many days would you stay?

So far we're thinking Koh Lipe, Koh Phi Phi, Khao Lak/Similan Liveaboard. That's around a week pr. destination, including travel. Should be doable right? Is it 'enough' time at the 3 places?

Thx in advance

Ulrik

 

[stevenl]

No, would not be enough time at all places. For the best Similans experience you need a 4 day trip, including departure day that means 5 days for that trip. 2 days Koh Lipe, 2 days Phi Phi means including travel around 10 days.

 

[Quero]

Koh Lipe sounds interesting... So we'll be landing in BKK on thursday nov 14th. at 6.30 AM... What would the fastest way to Koh Lipe be?
We can get a plane arriving in Hat Yai 11.20 AM... Looks like the last boat from Pak Barra leaves at 15.30... Would that be enough time, to do the journey with the minibusses, or do we need to get a taxi all the way to the pier?

Been looking at Fun Diving Koh Lipe - Daily Fun Diving Trips for Certified Divers - Anyone got experiences with them? Else other suggestions is very welcome. How many days would you stay?

So far we're thinking Koh Lipe, Koh Phi Phi, Khao Lak/Similan Liveaboard. That's around a week pr. destination, including travel. Should be doable right? Is it 'enough' time at the 3 places?

Here's a sample schedule:
Arrive Nov 14 Koh Lipe
Dive Nov 15-19 Koh Lipe
Ferry to Phi Phi Nov 20
Dive Phi Phi Nov 21-25
Ferry to Phuket Nov 26
Dive Similans Nov 26-30
Non diving day Dec 1.
That's 18 of your 21 days with a little leeway added in, just in case your three weeks includes your travel time from Denmark and back.