Similan Islands and others on a Liveaboard

[rutgerduetsch]

Hi there

Will be finishing up my studies by the end of this year and was planning on exploring thailand over Nov & Dec. I have read up a lot on the Similan Islands, Surin Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai & Richelieu Rock and have decided that i would love to explore these places.

I have read that 4days is the min to have a chance to explore these sites, this is also however more or less my max amount of time i have as i am on a tight budget. Accommodation is not a factor, being able to be out there is all i'm looking for.

So if anyone has any tips or advice on who to talk to, when to book and so forth please post.


Thanks

p.s. is there anything cheaper than the M/V Andaman, i LOVE the M/V Nangnuan but only offers 3days/2nights and not a trip to Richelieu Rock.

 

[stevenl]

AFAIK nothing cheaper than the Andaman.

 

[Deefstes]

I won't be able to tell you who is the cheapest operator but I would like to at least put South Siam Divers (Liveaboard Phuket) on your radar. Check them out. We dived with them in March and I was very pleased with their operations and they weren't any more expensive than the other operators we considered.

What I also liked about them is that they have a liveaboard that stays at the Similans on a permanent basis and then have daily transfers by speedboat to and from the liveaboard. This means you are not bound by departure times and trip durations as you are with other liveaboard. You decide when you want to go and for how long you want to stay.

 

[Sinbad Scuba]

Not cheap BUT TOTALLY AWESOME is The Junk - Diving Phuket Liveaboard Thailand - The Junk Diving Liveaboard Vacation Great boat, great crew, great dives.

 

[finbob]

Deefstes: Wow, that's very interesting! I would have certainly checked out South Siam Divers. I am booked with Sea Bees Divers. Have you heard of them? I have a 'back to back' Liveaboard tour of to the Similan Islands from Khao Lak in Nov. 2011. 1st Trip (3-days): Koh Bon, Koh Tachai & Richelieu. 2nd Trip (3-days): General Similan.
Any advice/insights?

 

[Deefstes]

Deefstes: Wow, that's very interesting! I would have certainly checked out South Siam Divers. I am booked with Sea Bees Divers. Have you heard of them? I have a 'back to back' Liveaboard tour of to the Similan Islands from Khao Lak in Nov. 2011. 1st Trip (3-days): Koh Bon, Koh Tachai & Richelieu. 2nd Trip (3-days): General Similan.
Any advice/insights?

Yeah, I am not personally familiar with Sea Bees but I've seen their name bandied about on this forum by the people who know and they seem to have a very good reputation. I only found out about them after we had returned so I never considered them as an alternative for our trip. From what has been said here though I got the impression that they are a tad more expensive than most other operators. But, like I said, I don't really know them and I might be giving you erroneous info here. Rather wait for some of the knowledgeable members like Quero or Bowmouth to respond.

 

[Quero]

There are cheaper boats than Andaman, but they cater to the Thai market and are available only through dive clubs and shops in Bangkok that charter them for specific trips and then sell the spots. This is problematic in many ways given that a foreign diver may not have anybody to socialize with during the trip, and may not even have an English-speaking guide whose dive briefings you can understand. Amongst the agents and operators able to work with foreigners (and with a registration through the Tourism Authority of Thailand), the Andaman is about as cheap as it gets. Do keep in mind that we are discussing a recreational activity that has inherent risks and that going for the absolute cheapest option may not be the wisest course of action.

Next, in relation to South Siam, it's a great option for people whose schedules can't fit in with a regularly scheduled liveaboard trip. In my experience (and yes, I've sailed on S. Siam's boats), it's more enjoyable to be on a trip which doesn't have people coming and going every day. You get more time to get to know your ship-mates and there are fewer divers on the boat at any one time. But when you've got dates that aren't flexible, South Siam is a good choice with good customer service.

Regarding Sea Bees, this is a good op with a good reputation. But the divers on their liveaboards are overwhelmingly German speakers, so socially it can get a little lonely on a SeaBees boat for anybody who doesn't speak German. For that reason, I don't generally recommend them to my non-German/Swiss/Austrian/etc. customer. SeaBees daytrip boats have more non-Germans, and it's only one day, so it's a different sort of situation than for a liveaboard.

 

[dingopauly]

I can recommend Santana in Patong, I was on their new year liveaboard and it was great. they do a 4 day trip for under 20k baht. Thailand Phuket Liveaboard Similan Island - Myanmar Burma live aboard Mergui scuba diving Thailand liveaboards Similan liveaboard.

 

[stevenl]

Sorry, but this is ridiculous.

They have a very old boat, no real maintenance done for years, compressors not working, not enough food on board, none of the staff with any money in case of emergencies, are charging national park fees but not paying them to the national parks, etc.

We have stopped using them because they are cheating the guests and are unsafe.
There one pro which has kept them going the last years has been their tourleader, who is excellent.

 

[Scuba Jaime]

Dear Rutgerduetsch


If your buying decision is based solely on price alone, then quite simply I don't think you can put it any better than
my fellow Scuba Boarder (stevenl) did above when he said "AFAIK nothing cheaper than the Andaman"

However, if your looking for real value for money Rutgerduetsch, then maybe check out MV Manta Queen I and II,
who dive at all the places you want to visit - Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock.

I also heard that Scuba Diving Phuket Similans Liveaboards & PADI Dive Courses, Scuba Diving daytrips in Phuket Thailand offer the cheapest deals for Similan Liveaboards inThailand which has got to be worth a look right!?


Anyway good luck mate!