Thailand or Maldives liveaboard in feb

[BenLou]

Hi all,
Just wondering if anyone has been to both the Maldives and Thailand on a liveaboard in February or around then and which they feel would be better diving round that time of the year. Ideally we'd love to see whale sharks/manta's/dolphins/turtles and sharks!!! Not asking too much are we??!!!! If anyone could advise us as to which they feel would be best the advice would be most welcome. Thanks to ye all!!

 

[mruseless]

Beware Maldivesliveboards.com....

Do a search on this board, you will find lots of info. Bad operation. Dangerous.

Here's a couple links.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ac...-baani-adventurer-incident-22-may-2008-a.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ac...-bad-air-diver-death-thread-split-thread.html

 

[Zippsy]

Other than that.....

I have been to both places during that time within the past few years. I liked the Maldives for visability, shark action in the currents, almost certain mantas (15 on 1 dive but zero on all others), good chance to snorkel near a whale shark and drift dives. The coral is in pretty bad shape and I missed the huge schools of fish from previous trip. Also, the macro life is not too impressive, IMHO.

In the Similans, I liked the almost certain mantas (2 or 3 on most dives), chance to dive with whale sharks (but missed them), octopus (lots of big ones up close and personal, my first), macro opportunities, larges schools of fish and decent coral. I didn't like the crowds at two of the most popular dive sites but all others were great. I prefer the boats in Phuket.

 

[BenLou]

Mmmmmm, so its looking like Phuket so!! Just couple of quick questions bout that part of the world, girlfriend gonna ask me to ask when she reads this anyway so might as well ask now!! Are there dolphins there?? How about turtles?? And my own question, what liveaboards have you been on and would recomend in Phuket?? Thanks

 

[frogfish]

You'll see plenty of turtles in both Similans and Maldives.

Personally I prefer Maldives as I have found Thailand to be rather crowded in general (good cruise directors plan their dives so that they minimize the number of divers from other boats on the site); also I love the big schools of fish in Maldives - Corals are beautiful, but only below 15m.

 

[Live_in_Sin]

I'd prefer Maldives. most of times, Mantas, WS and HH in one trip. lots of sharks.... but you have to be comfortable doing channel dives (deep & current). Dolphins are often sighted from the boat. Similans are too crowded. often you will see more than 5 boats in the same dive spot.... which means 100 - 150 divers!? well, depends on $$ but Dive boats are nicer in Maldives, and you dive from Dohni not directly from main boat. Ocean Dancer is v nice.

 

[stevenl]

That time of year your chances of manta rays at Koh Bon (part of a Similans cruise) are excellent. The whale sharks should just about be coming in February.

Turtles and sharks: no problem at all, dolphins: you will probably see them from the boat, but swimming with them: no chance. Excellent macro life as well, so I'm sure you'll have an excellent time at the Similans (plus Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock).

The standard trip there is 4 days/4 nights. If yopu can do a trip 2 days longer, I would recommend that. That gives the boat just a bit more flexibility to choose the divesites where there are no boats, and you will be able to stay a bit longer in the North, and possibly also check out the Surin islands.

 

[Zippsy]

Turtles - both places. Dolphins - a decent chance to see them in both places from the boat when sailing. In the water? - apparently 0.001% chance of seeing them. Many years ago I did slip off the back of a moving boat in the Maldives (with the captain's permission) and managed to snorkel well above a huge school of dolphins. They were barely in sight and moved lower when I dived down but it was still a good and apparently rare experience. Not only was I the only person on the boat to see them but the local guide said he did not know anyone who ever saw them in the water before. Obviously he didn't know everyone.

Regarding the crowds in the Similans, there were at least 7 boats at Richelieu Rock and 5 at Elephant Head Rock when I dived there and that definitely was a negative. This covered 2 out of 18 dives on the trip. All other sites, we were either the only boat there or the only other boat didn't put their divers in the water until we were up. I was on the Black Manta there (a ship I work on when it sails from Singapore April - October) so my very biased opinion, if you choose the Similans, is that ship.

Overall, I was happy in both places. I don't, however, have a boat to recommend in the Maldives as the ones I have been on there are too small for my liking.

 

[frogfish]

I have done several trips to Similans/ Richelieu, and can also recommend Black Manta. The Junk is nice as well, although you dive from tenders which is a drawback if you are a photographer.

In Maldives, the best boat I have been on is MV Eagle Ray; it is not luxurious but perfectly adequate and very well run.

 

[ThailandDivers]

I know you didn't ask about Burma but if you want world class diving with little or no other boats around, Burma is the place to go!

You can go on a liveaboard from Phuket, Thailand for 9 days / 9 nights that way you get to see Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock as well as Burma. I went on this trip early this year and I'm taking my dad up there with me again in April next year.

This is the best trip I have ever done. We were in Burma for 5 days and I didn't see another boat the hole time we were there. In the Similans, yes there is a lot of boats but the smaller ones (like the ones that go to Burma) often move away from the other boats and goes to another dive site.

Hope this helped and good luck on deciding where to go..

Sanna