Best Phuket Liveaboard

[Batfish]

I would personally go for Colona 6 over Mermaid II. The tour leader Mark is a keen photographer, and there are lots of tables for cameras. The one double bed cabin on Colona 6 is nice. Main advantage is that Colona 6 has 14 guests, Mermaid II has 20 max. Overall, Mermaid II is more comfy and more spacious, but Colona 6 is a real divers boat. It's a close call between the two!

Cabins on Mermaid II are big enough to make a double bed. The lower bunk was a bit bigger than single anyway. The bathrooms were big and can easily be made into 2 small ones.

 

[eediver]

I would personally go for Colona 6 over Mermaid II. The tour leader Mark is a keen photographer, and there are lots of tables for cameras. The one double bed cabin on Colona 6 is nice. Main advantage is that Colona 6 has 14 guests, Mermaid II has 20 max. Overall, Mermaid II is more comfy and more spacious, but Colona 6 is a real divers boat. It's a close call between the two!

Cabins on Mermaid II are big enough to make a double bed. The lower bunk was a bit bigger than single anyway. The bathrooms were big and can easily be made into 2 small ones.

OK, one last question. What exactly do you mean by, "Colona 6 is a real divers boat"? That could mean a lot of different things, e.g. less diving restrictions, but maybe at the expense of more rugged accomodations, food quality??, etc.

I am looking for a crew that knows what they are doing, a boat that is clean and comfortable, and some good diving. FWIW, my reference points are my previous boat trips which were all good, especially Palau and Tahiti.

Peter Hughes Sun Dancer - Palau, 1995, hard to believe it's been that long
Matangi Princess - Fiji, 1998
Kona Aggressor - Hawaii, 2000
Tahiti Aggressor - Tahiti, 2003

 

[Batfish]

Well, I mean it is well run, well laid out, good food, has everything a diver needs, and is comfortable enough without being a cruise ship. Also, the dive crew are very experienced in these waters. Mark, the tour leader I have to say is one of the best. You can't really compare Colona 6 to boats like Sun Dancer or the Agressor fleet, though. I mean, the price is less than half.

 

[spcorley]

Does anyone know if Ali is around this season? If so, where can we tag along with him?