Similians

[rjeudi]

Hi there Keralucu,

I am heading out to Thailand at the end of January for a 5 day liveaboard and I've beem considering the viking. But, the price is pretty steep so i've been trying to find a fairly comfortable liveaboard. A friend of mine who worked on the Jonathan Cruiser a couple of years recommended it. And since It seemed like you had a good time with them, if you have the chance i would love to hear more about your time with them. For example, how clean were the facilities, was the food any good? And finally, how was the bathroom situation, according to the website there's only two with showers.

Cheers,

p.s. I would love to hear from anyone else who've been on the J.C.

 

[DORSETBOY]

Kingfisher divers were fantastic and very reasonably priced, their website is www.kingfisherdiving.com - I think they go the farthest north of all the dive companies in the similans which means getting dive sites that arent overcrowded.

Greg Jenkins

 

[dinesh]

if so, hey there!

 

[quaddan]

To add more recent experience into the mix I highly recommend the folk at Bubble Blue ( http://www.diveguide.com/p4837.htm ) in DAM Nam (just north of Kao Lak). Having made 7 trips to Thailand I recommend getting off touristy Phuket to enjoy less crowded boats and greater negotiating space with the company operators.

Bubble Blue could not have been more accommodating to this quadriplegic and his party of four. This was a great surprise after the cookie cutter approach we experienced on Phuket.


The owner was with the Thai National Park service for 17 years and photographed our dives for us. He knows his stuff. The dive instructor was Swiss and the rest of the staff was Thai. I mentioned in passing I had no wreck diving experience, he headed to a wreck that was a remarkable experience for us and served as icing on the cake.

I'll give their web address here.

http://www.diveguide.com/p4837.htm
quaddan - travelling at the speed of trust...

 

[chantana]

Hi! I lived in Khao Lak, directly in line with the Similans, for a few months. Season is just ending there now (April) and will reopen in October, due to monsoons. However, I'm not sure the exact dates that the islands themselves close, but it's something you should check into. It's a longer trip from Phuket, but only slightly and Phuket has more in the way of nightlife and is busy year round. Khao Lak is a roadside town, with literally two roads but all the shops are closing or closed at this time of year. If you went at a different time of year, I would really recommend catching a liveaboard in Khao Lak and staying a day or two for the quiet there. There are big resorts and small bungalows and it's a bit cheaper as far as food. Liveaboards will discount if you show up on the day they are leaving and offer them cash. My boyfriend got on one for 5,000 but I was doing divemaster there although the norm is probably 8,000 baht if you catch them in the right mood. Average trip costs are from 14,000 to 25,000 baht depending on the boat/shop, for 4 days. It's 39 baht to the US dollar.

 

[Batfish]

"My boyfriend got on one for 5,000 but I was doing divemaster there although the norm is probably 8,000 baht if you catch them in the right mood"

Now Now...Don't y'all start thinking that you can get boats for this price as a matter of course. It is normal for last minute spots to be sold very cheap to local staff and DM's, but as a rule, do not expect super cheap backpacker bargains to the Similan Islands. Some boats are certainly desperate for business, as new boats are being introduced each year, and the old ones struggle to fill up. There seems to be a slight over supply right now, especially at the start and end of the season. During peak times, however, you can't find any places, not even on the old barges.