Trip Report Similan liveaboard with DiveRace

[Centrals]

@Cornbread O'Malley
American and Japanese are well known for generosity on tips!!
Some boat has a dedicated tip box for the crew while other has not. So I tend to tip the crew and guide separately.
US$1.00~ B35.00
So how much? It is really entirely up to you. And the staffs won't be chasing you or questioning the meager sum that you had contributed! This is Thailand not USA. LOL.
10% of the trip is very generous in my book but some will give a lot more.
Hard to get item in Thailand is greatly appreciated. Authentic or even used NBA jerseys, MLB cap will go down nicely.

Enjoy your trip and don't overthinking on tips.

 

[diveUAE]

I'm headed to Phuket for The Junk liveaboard in about two months to dive the Similans. Your description of the place has me very excited. I'm also spending a few days in Phuket doing day boats to see the dive sites east of Phuket.

We got of our LOB for South Andaman sea yesterday. Safe to say we’re not impressed.
Koh Haa dive sites (dived 4 different ones), my husband described as “atomic wasteland”, bad viz, nothing much to see.
Hin Mueng a disappointment as well (I have a feeling the cruise director did not really know how to time the dives there).
Hin Daeng a bit better.

To my surprise the dives around Phi Phi were nice (lots of nudies and even a ghost pipe fish), last dive at Koh Doc Mai was ok as well - lots of pretty nudies (we did see a seahorse, but not the promised bamboo sharks as the dive guide did not know where he was and wasted time going back and forth:-( )

 

[Cornbread O'Malley]

We got of our LOB for South Andaman sea yesterday. Safe to say we’re not impressed.
Koh Haa dive sites (dived 4 different ones), my husband described as “atomic wasteland”, bad viz, nothing much to see.
Hin Mueng a disappointment as well (I have a feeling the cruise director did not really know how to time the dives there).
Hin Daeng a bit better.

To my surprise the dives around Phi Phi were nice (lots of nudies and even a ghost pipe fish), last dive at Koh Doc Mai was ok as well - lots of pretty nudies (we did see a seahorse, but not the promised bamboo sharks as the dive guide did not know where he was and wasted time going back and forth:-( )

That sucks to hear that some of the sites did not measure up to your expectations. I hope your next trip will yield better conditions. My itinerary has me departing out of Thap Lamu and visiting sites west of Phuket island and the mainland. I won't venture by Koh Haa or Hin Mueng. I do have all-day day boat charters booked for Phi Phi and Koh Doc Mai leaving out of Chalong Pier so will take a gander at those sites.