Similans Liveaboard

[Scuba Jim]

I worked in the Phuket diving industry for a number of years. I know the area pretty well.

While you may want to walk around on the islands etc, there are better places to go if that is what you want to do and throw a bit of diving in. But if this is the area you want to dive then take it from me and the others that a Similan trip combing Koh Tachai, Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock is the best option. Or better still, go up into Burma. You can get ashore on most of the Similans and Koh Tachai, though Tachai is not as dramatic.

When the whale sharks are around (not always and only between feb & May) Richelieu Rock is great but in my opinion the best dive sites in that part of Thighland are Hin Daeng & Hin Muang, which are way to the south of Phuket. But you cannot go ashore there, as they are just rocks sticking out the water.

I would recommend a boat called Faah Yai. She sleeps only 10 in en suite cabins, and one, the master cabin, has a nice double bed, is on the main deck and has nice picture wondows. The only snag as far as you are concerned is that she only does Burma.


Check ou the Thailand section on my web site: http//:[url]www.scuba-safaris.com[/URL]

Here's an interesting shot for you. Taken a while ago, and in a hurry, so the exposure is crap (I had about 5 secs to take it and it only partically worked, so I apolgise in advance!). A whale shark swiming right under the Sai Mai at Rechelieu Rock. Those were the days when whale sharks popped out the woodwork every dive. Not any more

 

[Bacchus]

Had a great couple of weeks in the area. Stayed on the Scuba Cat although it may be a bit less accomodating than you require. Smaller "berths" with bunk beds. It seems as if they may have put a new boat in line this year. (see their web site scubacat.com). Dive masters were top of the line and the food was great.

We did have the rare December opportunity to see a whale shark. Other than that a fair amount of white tips, leopards, turtles and a few rays. The Similans were great but on reflection I can't see spending more than a week there. Another draw back was that we didn't see anyone with Nitrox there. Doing 4-5 dives a day was hard on the system.

 

[RSdiver]

Undoubtedly the Ocean Rover is the most luxurious and best setup for dive photographers. World famous underwater photographer, Mark Strickland owns/operates it and it is the best equiped plus you get Mark's expert UW photo advice:
Ocean Rover Website

Others to consider are listed on Siam Dive and Sail's website, a Kata Beach Dive shop owned/operated by John Williams (Brooks Institute of Photography graduate). The Fah Yai is a very nice ship to consider.
Siam Dive and Sail's Website

Both John and Mark are Americans who have lived for more than a decade in Thailand and they recently co-authored the lonely planet dive guide to Thailand. Email John and tell him exactly what you want, I have used him several times and not been dissappointed.

Here are a some photos from my last trip to Richielieu and Burma on the budget boat Sai Mai:
23 Underwater Photos from my last Live aboard trip to Thailand and Burma

 

[billfish]

from a Similan/Richelieu liveaboard. The boat was the Mermaid II, and I can highly recommend it. The boat is set up for diving convenience. It has a huge dive deck and platform -- very convenient -- and two Zodiacs for incredibly fast pickups. Other boats I saw had one or none. Most dives were done with the boat dropping us over the site, and the Zodiacs picking us up after the dive wherever we wanted to surface. There was seldom any need to navigate back to the boat. And never any surface swims. I never once waited for pick up for more than 30 seconds after surfacing. Once you’re back on the boat, you don’t touch your equipment, and your tanks are filled by the next dive. The dive leaders were extremely accommodating and knowledgable. I can’t say enough good things about the trip leader, Philip. He was always thinking about how to arrange our schedule to hit the dive sites when there were less boats around, and the conditions were best. Never once was our schedule adjusted for the convenience of the crew and dive leaders. His dive site briefings were excellent. The atmosphere on the boat was great. The boat itself is big -- one of the biggest doing the Similans -- and has a wide beam for a spacious feel and a smooth ride. It takes 16 passengers in 8 berths. There were 14 on my trip. The berths were twin bunk bed style with two rooms(four people) sharing a toilet/bath. It is at the higher end of the price range -- about 150 USD/day. It’s not white-glove luxury, but I don’t want that when I dive.

The negatives were few, but there were some.

The food was just adequate. It was a mix of Thai and western, which was fine, but I thought a little more care could have been taken in its preparation. You will not be wowed by the food, but you will not go away hungry. But there were insufficient snacks between meals.

The air conditioning system was a bit screwy. The fore berths were a little cold, and aft ones a little warm. Try to get a berth midship.

There was no photo lab. This didn't effect anyone however, since all of the serious photogs were using digital.

Let me qualify all of this by saying that it was my first liveaboard. Some of my abservations may be tainted by my lack of experience.

I haven’t commented on the diving. It was great, but for now I’ll just asumme that most of you already know about the destination, and are most interested in finding a suitable boat.

I would be happy to reply to questions. PM me if you like, but if you have a question whose answer might benefit others, keep it on the board.

Cheers,

Billfish