Similan vs Raja Ampat Trip

[jwimberly0510]

My wife and I are looking into an 12ish day trip (Feb 14- Feb 27) to either Thailand with a short Similan liveaboard (Bavaria) or Indonesia trip with Raja Ampat day trips. February seems right at the end of Raja's liveaboard season and I don't see any short duration liveaboards that work with our schedule. In comparing the 2 it seems the Thailand trip is simpler and is what I'm leaning towards as the timing seems perfect but I do have a couple questions to help me nail it down as we're both relatively new to diving.

-Is Raja worthwhile with doing about 3 day trips or should we save for another time?

-Bavaria suggests OW with 10 logged dives which seems pretty beginner friendly. Is that accurate? It'll be our first liveaboard.

-Other suggestions for good chances of seeing pelagics that fit our schedule we should look into?

 

[Centrals]

1. There is no such thing as 3 days LoB to Raja.

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Completely different approach.

2. Diving in Similan is not particularly challenging but there are some deep sites to consider.
3. Koh Lanta is another option. Sites are far so you can find out your adaptation on a rolling boat(if the condition is rough).