Exploring the Best Dive Sites in Thailand
Upcoming Trips |
About the Ship |
Itinerary and Prices |
Contact Us |
Maps and Dive Sites |
Customer Testimonials |
Photo Gallery |
| M/V Scuba Explorer Customer Testimonials |
2009-2010 Season November 25 - 30, 2009 -- Extended Similan / Surin Cruise What a fantastic trip!! Thanks to all the crew for being so friendly, attentive, and professional. A big thank you to Johnathan also for making this an unforgettable experience. A wonderful boat and lovely diving. We hope to come back! Best live-aboard ever! Thanks to the incredible crew and dive time. You made this trip an unforgettable one! I hope we'll be boack on board soon. Special thanks to Johnathan, it was a pleasure having you as our guide and mentor. Special thanks to the chef! The food was deeeliiiciousss! And what a dancer! :) Another relaxing journey into the Similan and Surin Islands. Chill out dives mixed with challenging runs through the infamous currents. Once again, great crew, service, and top notch food. I love the laid-back, intimate style and mix on this boat. A fantastic trip! I have now taken two Similan-Surin tours on the Scuba Explorer and both were brilliant. Wonderful boat. Kind and helpful staff. And all the fishies! Hello everybody and thank you for a wonderful trip again!!! I've been on the boat a couple of times now, and it's getting better trip by trip!!! Great food, great crew, and the best boat in Phuket to get your value out!!! Keep getting on like this!!! See you again in around one month!!! Thank you all!!! November 3 - 7, 2009 -- Similan / Surin Cruise We had a fantastic time on the 4 night cruise doing our Advanced PADI certification. Johnathan was a great teacher and guide and demonstrated a significant amount of patience as well as clear and helpful tutorage. All the staff were friendly and incredibly helpful, and meals were great. We would like to thank everyone for a great trip, and we'll be back to do Richelieu Rock at some stage. No comments for improvements! Great trip!!! Shame we couldn't get to Richelieu Rock coz of all the weather, but the other dives made up for it. Great crew, dive leader was fantastic and delivered an excellent course. Massages were awesome, too!! Loved all the Thai food and the BBQ was a great finish. How could things be made better? --air con seemed to go from really cold to really hot! Tough to get right, but maybe keeping it medium and offering extra blankets might fix it! --we think to cater more for Western customers breakfast meals. Eg. cereal would go a very long way, maybe yogurt with the fruit, etc.
2008-2009 Season April 10 - 14, 2009 -- Similan / Surin Cruise Choosing the right liveaboard for my first dedicated diving expedition wasn't easy, but I'm glad I settled upon Scuba Explorer. The entire experience flowed together with just the right level of surprises to keep things interesting. However, the ability and dedication of the individual team members, and their level of coordination is what really makes this trip special. And just as we had given up all hope, the Manta appeared! It was a very pleasurable trip -- my first live-aboard. The vessel was very well equipped and comfortable. The crew and staff were extremely helpful, polite and friendly. Meals were excellent. Johnathan, my dive instructor, was professional, helpful, provided diving tips, and was a great underwater guide -- he added greatly to the enjoyment of the trip. I hope more 3- or 4-day live-aboards, departing at the beginning of holiday weekends are planned so I can travel from Bangkok and join. March 20 - 24, 2009 -- Similan / Surin Cruise My second trip with Scuba Explorer! I had a wonderful time and improved my diving skills thanks to Johnathan. We had a great crowd and a great crew. See you next time... March 7 - 11, 2009 -- Similan / Surin Cruise The people on the boat are good. Very nice boat and the food is good. Les gens qui travailent sur le bateaux sont dres serviable. Of tres profesionelle sa ma faite plaisir de passe treis pour sur ce batcaux. See you next year. Thanks to everybody for your service and amiability. It was the best and the most beautiful trip of my life. See you soon. Cruise chief Johnathan is very good. Meals and cooks are very good. Stuff - very good. Crew - the best. I'm happy because I had a fun trip. It was a perfect trip! The first dive safari in my life. I've too many positive emotions to describe it on one page! :) Everything was great: diving, meals, service, relationships on the boat, accommodation, etc. I wish you many good clients and non-deco dives :) Next visit to Thailand I'll take this cruse again! Sincerely yours. I very much enjoyed this cruse and the staff are excellent. Cuisine is also excellent. Thank you very much!!! Went very well! Do not like being sent into strong current with only 20 dives, but since then have spoken to you and fully understand your safety systems! Would recommend you to anyone I meet and will see you all in 1 week! Thanks! What can I say? I love this boat and it's crew. It's so hard to find a high level of service and professionalism in Phuket, but these guys have it nailed. For the price you pay, this isn't a deal -- it's a steal! Don't believe me? Come and see for yourself... February 17 - 21, 2009 -- Similan / Surin Cruise January 17 - 21, 2009 -- Similan / Surin Cruise We had a fantastic time and beautiful dives with highlights like the hand feeding of sea turtles bananas and watermelon. Very impressed with the dive sites. The dive briefings made the diving more interesting as they went into detail of what type of fish we would see. All the staff are very friendly, helpful, and professional. Anyone thinking of going on a liveaboard, we can highly recommend the M/V Scuba Explorer. Really excellent trip. Highly enjoyed diving around the Similan Islands: great visibility, good depth, and fantastic variety of fish life. Love the pelagics. Thanks Johnathan. Only area of improvement would be pick-up communication. Documentation said 5 p.m. We weren't picked up till 7 p.m. and then drive 20 mins south only to come back up to Phuket. Food was excellent -- full complements to the chef -- great food and wonderful smile. 1st live aboard, and very good 1st time experience. Been to several other tropical coral dive locations in the world, the Similans was not an over-whelming experience. Richelieu would be the highlight, but the visibility didn't help. Operation was well organised and the boat is really clean and comfortable. The staff is very nice and helpful. Food was top rated. The only downside was the DIN adapter rental but Johnathan was quite helpful on his answers and guidance. I'll recommend and probably come back again. The experience of "Live-a-board" was fantastic for me for the first time I do this. I loved the organization, boat, service, environment, everything, the islands, the dive spots, the flora, fauna, and visibility. Really nice boat. Great service, brilliant briefings, good foods. All good it was. It was very nice time. All staff are very kind. Also we enjoyed all divers. We had very great time. I hope to see you again. In fact, I really like Phuket and Similan Islands. So, as soon as possible, I will come here and then we come join again. Thank you for all your help. First, I am very appreciative of all the staff. I never had such a beautiful experience under the water. I saw many different fish and extras. If I have another chance to come here, I'll definitely come back to the M/V Scuba Explorer. I am just starting diving, so 4 times a day was too tight for me, but still I liked it, especially all the staff are kind and treated us well. Thank you once again. See you again soon. I'll be back with my boyfriend. December 28, 2008 - January 3, 2009 -- Andaman Safari Two superb trips in a row over Christmas and New Year. Takuya, Johnathan, Sachi, Miho, and Nara are super-charming and professional. And, you have the BEST boat boys I have ever met. New Year's Eve was incredible and put the other boats to shame. Only suggestion, shade on the top deck would be nice as there is not really anywhere comfortable to relax in the fresh air. Best boat boys, great staff, comfortable boat. A great time. Every time I come on the Scuba Explorer, it just seems to get better and better. The thing that stands out above everything is the staff's commitment to making sure their customers have a memorable experience. The service is beyond what anyone would expect -- there is no other boat like this in the Andaman Sea, fact! I cannot recommend the Scuba Explorer enough to anyone wishing to visit the Andaman Sea. Book now, you won't regret it! December 24 - 28, 2008 -- Similan/Surin Cruise Clever innovations with the use of Powerpoint for pre-dive briefings, print-outs for maps of dive sites, and cool stickers. Suggested next step forward: an espresso coffee maker and jacuzzi on the Sun Deck (ice cube machine?). Wonderful meals! Loved the pineapple rice! I think I've put on 5 kg in 3 days! Really friendly and helpful boat crew... Big spacious Sun Deck -- I fully utilised it! Interesting mix of divers from everywhere, had great fun. Whalesharks and mantas, WHERE WERE YOU??!? GREAT BOAT! Glad we chose it! :) :) The diving was fabulous! The water was clear, the coral diversity and sea life was unbelievable. The only thing better was the super-friendly crew, that was helpful at every turn. Kudos to Takuya for a wonderful trip!!! Great trip. Thanks for the fun! We'll come along again. Rooms great, food was nice, crew were really helpful, staff were cool. Good fun @ the Barbeque, comical dancing from everyone! One of the nicest looking boats in the Similans. Great boat, clean and comfortable. Food is great, especially the BBQ. Crew is great and very helpful. Compliments to the chef for delicious meals. Dive crew from KDS are professional and friendly. Dive briefings are informative and nice touch with the Powerpoint presentation. Dives are brilliant too and will recommend this boat to others. Hope to come back soon! Thank you for giving me opportunity to have my 300th dive and birthday on this cruise!! We expect to see a whale shark next time in the future... Also, we much appreciate the hospitality and support of the staff. Wish you a Happy New Year!! December 4 - 8, 2008 -- Similan/Surin Cruise Very nice and friendly staff, good boat, good food. I missed a place to have a rest after diving. The sundeck would be a perfect for a nap, but without sun cover, it's too hot there. November 27 - December 3, 2008 -- Andaman Safari Superbe bateau. Super staff et super bonne cuisine. Voyage fabuleaux, les Similan sont toujours aussi belle. Merci pout tout. I had a fantastic time on the scuba explorer and with all the crew. All the crew as very professional and organized a safe diving adventure for everybody onboard. Briefings were fun and exciting and all the guides were amazing to find marine life on every dive. I will definitely come back for another adventure with M/V Scuba Explorer and its crew... one more thing, the food is amazing!!! Thank you for a wonderful trip. It was a great tour. It was fun to feel like a rich bastard. On this boat there is everything you need except for a little more girls. It is a good crew for all of them, but I thought that I would lose some kilos. With such a good chef (cook) I think that I have put on some kilos. Thank you all for some amazing days. November 8 - November 12, 2008 -- Similans/Surin Terrific boat and crew; good food, clean, a good atmosphere. Dives were well organised and the dive team knew the sites well. Excellent support in post dive fish identification. Suggestions: sundeck is under utilised, some cushions and some shade. Signs in the bathroom about toilet paper! English dive briefings could benefit from similar props to the Japanese. Fresh brewed coffee. Since 4 dives in the day, first dive could be earlier. Towel racks in the room. Nitrox. Good boat, nice cabin (some bugs though), food was great. Staff friendly and helpful. Things that could be improved: more structured briefings to better understand reefs and fish life. More dives at same dive site. All in all: I am very pleased with this trip and would like to recommend it and do it again! October 30 - November 1, 2008 - Hin Daeng/Hin Muang Absolutely fantastic trip. Loads of thanks to Scuba Nick for recommending it. He was spot on! Definitely be back again. Really enjoyable trip. Hin Muang and Hin Daeng excellent. So much to see, never dived these dive sites before. Hopefully, not for the last time. Great food, great staff, great boat. Well recommended. Nice dive deck, yummy food... However, I lost my Rumble Fish T-shirt...urgh! Bloody brilliant. Great boat, great crew, great food, nice people -- couldn't ask for more! Diving was spectacular, even though I am new to the sport. Would highly recommend the whole experience. October 30 - November 5, 2008 - Andaman Safari A++++ Living in Phuket, I have found it very difficult to find an enjoyable liveaboard experience. Last season, I discovered the Scuba Explorer, and it is the only boat I choose to use now. I had three fantastic trips last season, and the first trip this year was equally good. As always, the level of service and professionalism was exemplary. This will, by no means, be my last trip. Super-duper trip!!! Only positive things. Will come again. Great crew/staff/instructors/tour leader. Food and accommodations were very good too. Will come again and will highly recommend the Scuba Explorer. Cons: Not enough Japanese food!!! :-) "What a fantastic experience." Crew: Captain -- brilliant captaining. He knows what he's doing and has a great crew. Communications excellent. Dive deck service, first class service. Thank you. Cook/Housekeeping -- excellent food whole trip. Staff -- First Class, made us feel very welcome, knowledgeable and attentive. Dive site selection excellent with good flexibility. Boat -- superb. Affordable luxury. Premium boat at excellent price. Big, roomy, comfortable. The Suite was excellent. What might help: covering on top deck, additional spare diving kit, chocolate bars and spare cigarettes. Would I come again? Definitely *** Would I recommend? Absolutely *** I
love the trip! And very good fun. The good thing in my life of this trip I never forget. This so nice I never have done in my life, this first time. I love so much!! I will be back. Happy life. Everything so good. Great boat. I really like this boat as there are lots of space but with a good layout. People can still be able to sit together and socialize. Boat crew are very helpful. Food is excellent and lots of variety. Dive crew: I like the briefing, I think it's very knowledgeable about the marine life. All the dive crew are great -- very nice and reachable at all times on the trip. One thing I would recommend for the boat is to have more books and diving magazines in English. I'll definitely recommend people to come on this boat. Great fun. Thanks to all the crew. Excellent trip/boat/crew -- one of the funnest liveaboards I have ever been on as well as the best food. Will remember this boat with fond memories. Only comment to make in terms of improvement is to get Nitrox on board. It really helps out with all the repetitive diving. This was a wonderful trip and I enjoyed diving and meeting you. We had a great time and saw many interesting species of fish and corals. The food and service was exceptional. I would upgrade your dive equipment to BCs with dump valves since I was provided one. I would also recommend tying the dive ladders to secure them while traveling. The boat is well laid out and we kept to a great schedule with the luck of good weather and calm seas. Well run, organized boat with a great atmosphere, staff and crew.
2007-2008 Season April 26 - 30, 2008 The Scuba Explorer is a top notch, first class operation. One of the best experiences in my life. From start to finish the staff and crew looked after me and catered to my every need. A very laid back time with exceptional service and hospitality. 5 star liveaboard. I will be back. The Scuba Explorer is a great boat. It was my second time on the boat going to the Similans and I really enjoyed it. The staff is great and the boat crew are fantastic. I really had a good time. Definitely going to do it again soon. Thanks a lot for such a great time!!! :) April 11 - 15, 2008 Fantastic dive trip!! We had a wonderful experience. The dive crew were very professional and well prepared. The boat crew were very attentive to assure our comfort and well-eating :) Johnathan went above and beyond his call of duty by not only being an amazing divemaster, but also as a cross-cultural liaison with our Japanese friends. We'll certainly consider Scuba Explorer in the future. March 25 - 29, 2008 The Scuba Explorer is a comfortable and clean boat, very friendly staff who take care of your every need. The dive instructors are very knowledgeable and know the dive sites well. All in all, a great trip. I had fun on the boat. The diving was great and the dive sites were amazing. The boat crew are the best boat crew I've seen. They do a very good job, always helping you. The staff here are very friendly and they do their jobs well as well. March 8 - 12, 2008 Lovely boat, great rooms, fantastic food, really helpful crew. "By far and away the best liveaboard in the Similans" (and we've been coming for ten years!) ...And Johnathan is a brilliant tour leader. Conscientious, attentive, and incredibly professional. Fantastic atmosphere despite the huge language barrier which the Tour Leader did a great job to crack. The boat boys were the best I've ever seen -- bar none! Overall, it seemed everyone on the boat had a great time, a given maybe, considering it's a "once in a lifetime" trip to the Similans -- but there is something special and exceptional about the M/V Scuba Explorer. I'll be coming back! Boot, Crew, Instructoren waren super! Essen immer sehr gut! Tauchplatze sowieso 1. CLASS! Alles in allem SPITZEN TRIP! February 28 - March 3, 2008 Great trip to the Similans. Very helpful, friendly all the time, and Johnathan explained to us all about the area as well as Japanese culture. Diving off the boat is so easy and the underwater world is incredible. The food is excellent and there is always plenty. The sundeck is great, but could use some more shady places. Thanks to all the staff from Kata Diving. Had a great time. Very friendly boat staff members who were helpful all the time. Johnathan, as our tour leader, impressed us not only with his knowledge of the dive sites, but also his service oriented manner. The boat itself is of a higher standard with enough room for everyone. The only thing missing was a shaded area on the sundeck. All in all, a brilliant liveaboard! Thank you. February 9 - 13, 2008 Attentive and well organised crew. The boat is well run and clean, and the food is a nice mix of Thai-Japanese-Western. A partial roof on the sun deck would be preferred. The mirrors in the rooms are too low for westerners/tall people. The boat boys are especially attentive and are very helpful with handling the equipment. The literature on the boat is very Japanese-oriented -- more English books would be great! January 31 - February 4, 2008 It was a very nice trip! Getting to know Japanese people better was also a nice experience for me. The size and comfort of this boat was a lot more than what I was expecting to have! I was also very thankful for some diving tips that I got from Johnathan. First of all: Thank you to the crew! This was a very nice trip on the nicest boat and the best crew. Getting in and out of the water was very well organized. Unfortunately, because of the great food, I didn't lose any weight. I enjoyed the beautiful dive sites and it was interesting to see how Japanese people write their logbooks. For sure: I'll be back! What a nice trip! :-) Apart from the wonderful diving sites I have to mention the staff: very helpful and attentive. Also great cooking. Asian as well as European style. We've had a very interesting view into Japanese culture. One point you may want to work on: sun protection on the sun deck and showers compatible to European size. After all: we'll be back for sure. January 7 - 11, 2008 I've been at many different dive boats in Thailand but Scuba Explorer and the staff are definitely the most professional and nicest ever! The boat itself is perfect, the Thai staff on the dive deck are really professional. You don't need to think for yourself because they are always one step ahead. The food was delicious with a very good mix of Thai and Western dishes. The tour leader managed to mix the dive sites very well, chances for both big and small things. Johnathan was professional and relaxed as our dive guide. He was very helpful and kind on the boat. A nice guy with a warm personality! I don't have anything negative to say so keep up the good work. I'm going to recommend the Scuba Explorer and Kata Diving Service to all the people I know because it's a small price to pay for setting this kind of luxurious diving trip. Snorkeling with the turtle was a big bonus. I'm definitely coming back again! P. S. The barbeque was a perfect ending and to see Duan dancing all night was fantastic! By far the best Thai staff I have ever met. Miho is very competent and has a control that is rare. High standards on the boat, and the food was the best food I have had on a liveaboard boat. My complements to the chef. Excellent tour leader. Best regards and thank you. The whole trip has been great. The dive guide was really good, a lot of different places to see. The staff has been so nice, very helpful. The food was really good and a great mixture of Thai/Japanese/Western food. The standards on this trip have been really high and it's going to be hard to take another liveaboard after this. I had a really good experience with this liveaboard. There were only 6 guests but I think I would have felt the same even if there were more people. Our guide Johnathan and our divemaster Miho were really good. Helpful and friendly and they together with the other staff made us feel really "at home". ALL the staff on this boat were exceptionally good and so was the food. A very good mix of Thai, Western, and Japanese. I am also very satisfied with the boat. Good cabins and a lot of space everywhere. I also liked the possibility to have a massage on the boat. I was happy with the massage I got. If I go on a liveaboard in Thailand again (and I hope so), I would definitely want to go on the Scuba Explorer again. January 3 - 7, 2008 I thought that this trip was very good. I especially liked the relaxed atmosphere, without any rush. The crew was very friendly and helpful. For me the help in setting the equipment and getting in and out of the water was very appreciated because it saved my energy for diving. I had a great time on the ship. Friendly staff. Great atmosphere. Thanks to Johnathan, diving was an unforgettable experience. Standards on the ship are very good. Johnathan gave a lot helpful hints to help improve my diving. We had a good opportunity to meet a new culture. I really liked it. It was a lot of fun to go diving with you! The staff was great! Very friendly and helpful. At the beginning it seemed as though we might be a little isolated, but we got to meet a lot of interesting people and we found out a little about a new culture (thanks Johnathan!). December 22 - 26, 2007 This has been a lovely diving cruise, with great dive sites and some unique marine topography. The staff really makes you feel special. They are professional and friendly. Great massage! Great idea to have on board. The food was delicious -- Christmas BBQ and a Birthday cake was the cherry! Best quality boat I have been on so far -- could have spent a few more days here! I had a great cruise, the dive sites are very beautiful and the entire crew is very professional and knowledgeable. The Christmas party will stay in my memory forever, especially the delicious food, fireworks, and Japanese show. The boat is definitely the most comfortable I have ever been on. Sharing a couple of days with all those Japanese divers was fun and very interesting. Thanks to everyone for a great cruise. Other Customer Comments: The food is nice, the people are helpful. It's really a great dive trip and enjoyable and fun. Fantastic boat, staff, and crew! My best liveaboard ever. Everything gone smooth. Very friendly people and staff. Highly recommended. Staff - all very helpful and friendly; Food - heaps of food, fresh and nice; Accommodation - Suite very nice, very clean and tidy. |