Thailand Liveaboard dilemma

[neil2412]

Hi all,

am having a major dilemma in selecting a Liveaboard for my trip to phuket in December this year .

I can't seem to choose which liveaboard to choose from, there are so many choices.

My current choices are :
Boat Name : MV Scuba Adventure
Company : Scuba Cat
Trip : 7D/7N - Similan & North
Max 16 Divers
39K Bht Per pax
Departure : Chalong

Boat Name : MV Andaman
Company ; Sea Dragon
Trip 7D/7N - Similan & North
Max 20 Divers
35K Bht Per Pax
Departure Khao Lak

The main question I have is :
1. Is it better to take a shorter trip like 4N on a more luxury boat like Pawara or Halelujah ? Maybe even the Junk
2. What is better , Luxury or more dives ?
3. Should I consider Burma ?
4. My budget is around 40K per person, what other choices do I have ?

Thanks for the inputs in advance

Thanks

 

[darrenlowjq]

Doesn't really answer your question but if you book MV Pawara on the 6-10th Dec trip I'll see you there.

 

[neil2412]

Doesn't really answer your question but if you book MV Pawara on the 6-10th Dec trip I'll see you there.

Actually it would help if you can kinda explain what made you choose Pawara over the others

thanks

 

[darrenlowjq]

Well basically it came down to that the boat had good reviews and they beat the competitors on price for the equivalent trip. They also have nitrox included in the price so that sweetened the deal. I booked a budget cabin plus got an early bird discount which brought it down to about 23k baht. It didn't occur to my buddies and I to consider a longer trip than that so can't tell you about the pros and cons for longer vs shorter trip. I'm personally ok with less creature comforts on land so long as the diving is good, but even then the budget rooms seemed pretty good judging from the pictures. Only con as far as I can tell specifically for me was that I wanted to dive manifolded doubles but the boat doesn't cater for that, but that wasn't a deal breaker for me.

Disclaimer, this will be my first time in Similans and therefore my first time on the boat as well, so take my input for what its worth.

 

[Aquavelvet]

One of my main criteria for choosing a liveaboard boat for the Similians is how well organized the dive deck is. There will be five dives a day, so ease of gearing up and getting in and out of the water is an important consideration.
I've been on two trips so far. The first was on the MV Pawara operated by West Coast Divers, and the second was on the Manta Queen III, operated by Khao Lak Scuba Adventures. Both were nice boats, however the dive deck on the MQ III was a bit more crowded, making for a little more work to get in the water. The other big difference is that almost all the cabins on the Pawara have ensuite bath, which is far more convenient than shared facilities. I had one of the few ensuite cabins on the MQ III, so no issues for me, but it was painful to watch the rest of the guests crowding around the common sinks to brush their teeth in the morning.
I found that five days of diving was both fun and exhausting. On a longer trip, I would probably skip some dives to save some energy. The five day trips do a good job covering the better sites in the Similan and Surin Islands. The extra two days on a 7 day trip add sites further north into Burma. From what I've seen and heard, the farther north, the better the dives sites. Both of my five day trips included Richelieu Rock as well as Koh Bon and Koh Tachai, which are fabulous sites. I've heard Burma is more like those.


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[Hintermann]

I prefer a week's trip in the "Phuket" area to get the best value out of the trip. Both boat options seem to offer that choice. I have not been on either but looking at the specs, they seem basic but adequate.
Why don't you shop around a bit more before making the decision. I went on MV Nautica, which was not that much more expensive but better appointed with en suite facilities etc.

 

[darrenlowjq]

I went on MV Nautica, which was not that much more expensive but better appointed with en suite facilities etc.

When was this trip of yours? I believe this boat was bought over by a Singapore dive op and doesn't do Phuket anymore but I may be mistaken.

 

[Hintermann]

When was this trip of yours?

November 2011.

 

[darrenlowjq]

Yeah I believe that boat changed hands last year, now doing mainly Tioman and Indonesia sailing from Singapore.

 

[nudisusie]

Hi Neil

I took the ScubaCat MV Adventure southern 3 night trip in December 2014. Its a good boat with basic facilities - not much by way of creature comforts but the cabins were fine just for sleeping- not much room to swing a cat! Shared bathrooms (3) were workable. Most of the between dives time was spent on the upper deck where we also had meals. No one really used the lounge- its pretty small. The dive deck was fine. I felt cramped and the boat was not full, but I'm used to a lot more space on liveaboard trips. The key was ensuring the dive teams were organised so not everyone was out there at once! The crew were good. The company has changed hands since I was aboard so I can't attest to the continued quality of the boat, crew or guides

If you're taking the 7-night combo then I think thats a very good itinerary choice. 7 nights Similans only could be a bit repetitive and I've found the dives in the south (Koh Haa especially) to be better quality. We didn't make 4 dives per day - on any of the days but did manage 2 dives on our disembarkation day- something to bear in mind when comparing prices/dives and also if you;re not intending to spend longer in Phuket post cruise you may have to miss some. Due to rain and storms we didn't make it to Hin Daeng - thats not typical weather for mid Dec but it can happen!

I've dived on the Junk (in Timor-Leste) and the boat was way better quality - lots more space and much nicer cabins all ensuite. The dive deck had loads of room and doubled as an outdoor lounging area (ScubaCat doesn't have that really) They have quad cabin share which can keep the cost to a minimum - you might get lucky and not have to share with 3 others. I know several of the same crew are on board and they were lovely! There is currently 10% discount on all trips in Nov and Dec 2015 but it ends today (30th Sept)! 4 nights quad 27K THB, 6 nights quad 35K THB

I've not been on the other boats mentioned so no comment there.

I've dived in Myanmar (Burma) from Siren in 2010. I didn't rate it overall for the price and hassle of getting into the country from Phuket - we lost a whole day waiting at the border - both ways! trip highlights were Koh Bon and Koh Tachai! That said it was xmas/new year and the dive season in Myanmar / Mergui Archipelago is more feb- apr if you want to see sharks & mantas. I'd def skip it if you are only able to come in December.

If you fancy a beer when in Phuket just give us a shout - Enjoy the trip!
Susie