Similan Island 3 Day 3 Night Luxury Liveaboard Cruise | M/V Scuba Explorer Luxury Liveaboard

Similan Island 3 Day 3 Night Luxury Liveaboard Cruise

Similan Island 3 Day 3 Night Luxury Liveaboard Cruise

Cruise Information

Everything you need to know about this luxury liveaboard diving cruise including cabin details, marine park fee's and scuba diving options

Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock for 3 days and 3 nights!

The MV Scuba Explorer is the most comfortable and luxurious liveaboard cruising the Similan Islands. With sofas on the upper deck and a spacious sundeck there is plenty of room to fill out log books, chat with other divers or fall asleep counting fish in between dives. This 36.8m steel hulled yacht accommodates a maximum of 22 guest in 11 fully air-conditioned cabins, she is also a very spacious vessel with a large saloon and comfortable outside areas being larger than you would expect on a diving vessel, plus our diving deck is big enough to comfortably fit 40 divers, though we have a maximum guest limit of 22, so you will never feel like you are fighting for space or treading on people aboard the Scuba Explorer.

You will be picked up by minivan transfer from Phuket airport or your hotel in Phuket and taken to the Scuba Explorer where we depart from Patong pier in the evening, arriving at the Similan Islands the next morning just in time to do your first dive of the trip. The Scuba Explorer arrives back at Patong pier on the morning of the 3rd day where a minivan will be waiting to transfer you back to the airport or hotel. The fantastic food on board is a mixture of Thai, Western and Japanese, there is always plenty of choice at each meal and plenty of fresh made hot snacks in between dives. All meals are cooked fresh on board and we do a big Western style delicious BBQ on the last night of the cruise.

There is a full time complimentary bar for tea, coffee, including a fresh ground coffee machine, milo, cookies, toast, jam, peanut butter, Nutella, fruit and candy. There is also a fully stocked drinks fridge and all soft drinks, beer and wine are free for the duration of the trip. 4 dives are done per day with the option of an extra night dive, allowing you to dive the maximum amount of times per day. After your last dive of the day relax with a beer or glass of wine and chat to the other guests about all the amazing things you have seen that day.

The Things You Can See There!

The Diving & The Dive Sites We Will Visit

This cruise is 2 full diving days in the Similan Islands with four dives per day plus each night an optional night dive, so potentially you can do 5 dives each day if you are up for the adventure. The cruise includes 4 – 5 dives at Richelieu Rock, and a mixture of dives at Koh Bon & Koh Tachai.

Koh Bon is a wonderful way to start the Similan Island liveaboard cruise, with visibility of up 40m, crystal clear blue water, and the chance to see the majestic Manta Ray. Koh Bon is known for being a Manta Ray cleaning station and often the reason divers love this site but there are many other reasons to enjoy this dive. The West ridge is home to so much life, you can spend the whole dive swimming over the top of the ridge watching as the Emperor snapper and Golden trevally come down to feed, the Oriental sweetlips swimming in schools around the beautiful plate corals, table coral and yellow soft corals that cover the ridge. Schools of Red Tooth trigger fish, Big Eyed snapper and fusilier swim amongst each other. Octopus, Pipefish and Moray eels hide in the cracks; you can also find many types of unusual nudibranch sitting on the wall. There is so much to see, 2 dives are done here for that reason, especially if you are lucky enough to encounter the magnificent Manta Ray, you will definitely want another dive on this site.

Koh Tachai Pinnacle is known for its beautiful coral gardens, huge granite boulders and crazy currents; this makes it one of the most exciting dives in the Similans. The currents bring with them nutrients to feed the big fish which make this site a must to dive, schools of Batfish, circling Barracuda on top of the pinnacle , Giant Trevally, Tuna and Napoleon Wrasse are frequent here. Keep an eye out into the blue as you may see a Manta Ray swimming gracefully past, or look up into the shallows as Whale Shark have often been sighted here. There is a lot to find on this dive site amount the giant gorgonian fans and whip corals in the coral garden, you may see a Hawksbill Turtle silently swimming by, or look under rocks to find Devil Scorpion fish, Ornate ghost pipefish, octopus and many other beautiful marine life. 2 dives are done on this pinnacle and the night dive is done at the Reef where you get shallower depths giving you plenty of time to explore where you will find many shrimp, crabs, lobster and other creatures that venture out a night.

Richelieu Rock, the reason divers dive the Similans and Surin Islands, is one of the most visually stunning dives site. Purple and red soft corals cover the horse shoe shape pinnacle, teaming with so much life you will not know what to look at first. Whether your interest lies in the huge and diverse amount of fish life, the small macro life, or the one creature high on everyone’s list of things to see, the Whale Shark, every diver will have a different and unique experience on this dive site. Multiple dives are done here so you are able to get as much out of this dive site as you can. Witness the marine life hunting on the evening dive, the Seahorses hiding camouflaged to their surroundings, the shrimp dancing in the cracks or be lucky enough to dive with the Whale Shark as they feed on the plankton rich waters.

Marine Park Fee

All Scuba Explorer liveaboard trips include a marine park fee that goes exclusively to the conservation efforts for the marine park you are visiting, in this case the Similans Marine park benefits from your contribution and allows the Thailand government to police and regulate fishing activity in the area and keep an eye on Turtle populations.

The marine park fee is not included in the trip price, so please bring the correct amount with you on the cruise.

This trips marine park fee is:

  • Park Fee: 1,400 THB

Cruise Itinerary

This cruise starts at Koh Bon, with 2 dives there and 2 dives at Koh Tachai pinnacle on the first day, you are then given an option of dong a 5th dive at night on Koh Tachai reef. The boat then moves overnight to Richelieu rock where is stays for the full day, doing all 4 dives and the option of a 5th night dive here, something no other boats offer meaning we get the whole dive site to ourselves. After this we set sail back overnight to Patong pier, arriving the next morning for check out at 11am and transfer to Phuket airport or your hotel in Phuket.

Download Trip Itinerary

Important Information!

  • Free pickup on departure day from your hotel, if you are staying in Chalong, Kata, Karon or Patong.

  • Free drop-off on return day to your hotel, if you are staying in Chalong, Kata, Karon or Patong.

  • All standard and deluxe cabins are shared unless a private room is requested in advance or at the time of booking.

  • Private rooms are available for an additional 50% of that cabins trip price.

  • The National Park Fee will be collected before the boat departs on departure day.

  • Please bring tips for the guides/boat crew as it is not included in the trip price.

  • Any other fees will be charged upon return, before dis-embarkation.

Cabin Options

We have 4 cabin types onboard the Scuba Explorer so you can pick your level of luxury & comfort



Inside look at the luxury cabin on the Scuba Explorer

2 Person Share - Double Bed

Luxury cabins are the Crème de la Crop of liveaboard rooms, we can assure you there is absolutely nothing else like it in Phuket for the price. You get a comfortable queen size bed, fridge, walk in bathroom and shower, desk, throw pillows, couch and wardrobe. You'll be relaxing in style in these big spacious rooms, they also have large panoramic windows so you won't miss a moment of what's going on outside, each window has adjustable blinds and of course the room is fully air-conditioned.

Luxury cabins make great honeymoon suites and are perfect for couples or married folks. There are only two luxury suites onboard and they usually get booked first, so don't miss out, book it now!

Book Luxury Cabin
Inside look at the deluxe cabin on the Scuba Explorer

2 Person Share - Twin Single Beds

Deluxe cabins are a nice step up from the standards, deluxe cabins are a bit more spacious with plenty of storage spots, plus you get your very own mini fridge, stocked with complimentary water and soft drinks. The beds are a little longer and you also get a large window looking out on the beauties that are the locations we visit. Standard cabins only have a small porthole to look out of.

Deluxe cabins are on the main deck so you have very easy access to the diving deck and upper common areas, no climbing up and down the staircases 5 times a day like those guys in standards. Deluxe cabins also have three power sockets, standards come with just one. For the small price increase from standard to deluxe you would be crazy not to book a Deluxe package while onboard with us.

Deluxe cabins are dual single beds, but there is one deluxe cabin onboard with a double bed, again perfect for couples, but it is usually the first room to be booked on our liveaboard trips, don't miss out!

Book Deluxe Cabin
Inside look at the standard cabin on the Scuba Explorer

2 Person Share - Twin Single Beds

The standard package is the Scuba Explorers lowest priced option, but don't think you are going to be put into tiny cabins or lost for spots to place your gear, the standard cabins that you'll be staying in are actually pretty awesome. Each standard cabin has two single beds, some in bunk configuration some side by side, you don't get your own fridge in standard cabins, but you do get a small wardrobe, fresh towels, blankets and dresser. The beds are also tall person friendly, a few of our staff are well over 6ft tall and fit comfortably. That is also another great feature of the Scuba Explorer as a whole, it truly is a big person boat, if you have ever spent time at sea you'll be familiar with cramped boat spaces, walkways and tiny cabins, but on our boat, you could probably play baseball in the hallways.

Standard cabins are great for friends and couples as they are shared rooms, but take note here because all cabins are a max of two persons, no 4 bunk dorm style rooms on our liveaboard, so you will never be grouped with someone who snores or you don't like, unless you are travelling with them. We pretty much guarantee that you will find our standard cabins far better than many hostel rooms and probably many motel and hotel rooms, weary travellers and excited divers will always find comfort and a good night's rest in our standard cabins. All cabins including standards are fully air conditioned with adjustable vents to tweak it to your preferred temperature level.

Book Standard Cabin

2 Person Share - Bunk Single Beds

These cabins are still pretty nice, essentially the idea is to only really sleep in your rooms so, really, what more do you need than a bunk to dream in and some space for your luggage?

Book Standard Cabin

Helpful liveaboard Info

Helpful & general information about our luxury liveaboard diving cruises



Liveaboard
Locations
Parks

Almost all the places we visit onboard the Scuba Explorer from Phuket Thailand, like the Similans Islands, Southern Andaman, Adang and Myanmar are located deep within marine national parks that are situated in waters claimed by, or that are very close to mainland Thailand.

The main reasons the diving in these marine parks is so spectacular is simply because there are people who care enough about these locations to keep them protected and in beautiful condition for us divers. To continue keeping the parks as memorable as they are, requires a small fee for each diver that enter the parks to help pay for the area's general up-keep and protection from industry and fisheries.

These fees are different at each park and are dependent on how long the Scuba Explorer is visiting for, so please be aware that marine park fees are not included in the cost of your liveaboard package. You will typically sort out these fees just before departure and once there you'll realise just how small a price it is to pay to be diving in these well preserved, sometimes heritage listed, wonders of our giant blue ball we call Earth.

Onboard the Scuba Explorer you will not find any bleeding heart hippy communes, we are professional divers that believe humans can interact peacefully and safely with the marine environment without damaging it. Obviously we all have an impact, and thus it is up to us to mitigate that impact, so that the reef and marine life may live and prosper for future generations to experience their wonder.

So whilst onboard the Scuba Explorer we do ask that you try to minimise plastic bottle usage, please use the bins provided for rubbish and cigarette butts (fish really don't like them) and no flushing anything but natural waste in the toilets. Whilst Diving please be mindful of the corals, as they take thousands of years to grow, and only seconds to be destroyed by the accidental fin kick or dropped equipment.

One last thing, if we catch you touching, riding or harassing any of the marine life, you will hastily be left on a deserted island populated by starving circus bears. We will not tolerate the touching or harassing of wildlife, especially the Whalesharks!

Contact us

Departs From Tablamu Pier

All our liveaboard trips depart from Tablamu Pier (Phang-Nga Province), with free pickup transfer from your hotel on the day of departure if you are staying in Phuket or Khaolak.





We will arrange all pick ups and drop offs before and after the trip, this way you get free transfers to and from the liveaboard and then there is no confusion or lost travellers.

The following lists the area's that included in the free pickup, if you are outside these area's you will need to contact us and arrange something.

  • Patong Beach/ Kathu area: 17:00-17:30

  • Chalong Bay/Kata/Karon Beach: 16:30-17:00

  • Rassada Pier/ Phuket town/ Panwa Beach: 17:00-17:30

  • Kamala/Surin/Cherng Talay/Talang/Ao Poh: 17:30-18:00

  • Airport/ Nai Yang Beach/Mai Khao Beach: 18:00-18:30

  • Khaolak/ Nang Thong Beach: 19:00-19:30

  • Outside Khaolak center area: 19:00-19:30 ( 1,000 Baht per pax extra charge )

Tablamu Pier is located outside of Phuket, hence why you need to transfer via minibus to ge there before departure. We use this pier because it is the shortest distance by straight line to the Similan Island's, which means less overall travel time for our guests and crew.

Don't Miss Out

Book your luxury Similan Islands liveaboard holiday by contacting us or reserving your spot online.

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