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.
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.