Liveaboard Trips to All of Thailand’s Best Diving Sites
Although The Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock are considered the best diving sites in Thailand, there are two other wonderful places to dive, just on the other side of Phuket. Fantastic underwater experiences can be had at Hin Daeng & Koh Haa, too. While most diving liveaboard boats concentrate on The Similans, and more commonly day trip boats dive at Hin Daeng & Koh Haa, there are three liveaboard boats which visit all of the best dive sites in Thailand, throughout the season.
When diving from MV Camic, guests can choose when they join and how long they stay on each trip. The liveaboard boat stays out at sea, circulating around The Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai & Richelieu Rock, and guests arrive and leave on a new, fast, safe and stable speedboat. There is therefore no need to follow schedules set by liveaboard diving trip’s.
While most Similan liveaboard diving safari trips set sail from Khao Lak (100km) north of Phuket, there are a few which cut out the journey by road and sail directly to the Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock from Phuket. And why not? An extra couple of hours spent at sea, sailing into the night, takes nothing out of a Similan diving cruise from the passengers’ point of view.
Choosing the best Similan Islands day trip is not the easiest thing to do. Firstly, nearly everyone books in advance and the boats are either out at sea or moored at the pier far from Khao Lak’s centre. Therefore potential guests don’t get the opportunity to take a look and choose. While all of the diving day trips to the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock are professionally run and safe, there are some differences which could help guests choose one over the others.
When compared to more expensive diving cruises, budget liveaboard trips usually have more guests on board and some cabins which accommodate 4 or 6 guests. The food may be more run-of-the-mill, but is still delicious, fresh and enjoyed by all on board. The marine life, however, has no idea which divers paid extra for luxuries, so the underwater experience is pretty-much the same for all Similan diving safaris. However, what normally separates ‘budget’ from ‘more expensive’ is the complimentary transfers from Phuket to Khao Lak. However, there are at least seven Similan Islands liveaboard trips which offer free Phuket pick ups, and drop offs.
Choosing the best Similan Islands liveaboard boat of diving safari cruise is not getting any easier. Nowadays, there are more boats on offer and just about all of them are excellent value, visiting the best diving sites in Thailand. Some are based on the most competitive prices, while others want to offer luxury to Thailand's best diving. In addition, the various boats on offer all have something different from the others. We have a unique system to help readers filter the boats which they may be interested in, but here we also explain the many other factors.
Liveaboard diving involves spending a few days and nights or more aboard a boat which sails around the best scuba diving sites. Guests and passengers relax on the boat between three or four dives each day. Most days include a trip to a beach or bay. The diving begins early in the morning and the last dive is at night. the Similan Islands in Thailand are extremely popular for liveaboard diving.
