MV Koon9

MV Koon 9 is easily the largest Similan Islands scuba diving liveaboard. The boat is 52 metres long, and more than 10 metres wide. Most Similan liveaboards are 26-30 metres long. Koon 9's huge size enables it to stay stable and comfortable when crossing between islands, and gives everyone on board more space to enjoy their diving holiday. Even though up to 30 divers can stay overnight, there's still plenty of room, plenty of food, & lots of seating space.

The boat has twin and double cabins. But the twin cabins can be turned into doubles, with a huge bed. All of the guest cabins have a large sea-view window, air conditioning, a private en suite bathroom and some have a smart tv. Solo guests who stay in a twin cabin only share with another guest of the same-gender. But you normally spend most of your non-diving time out of your cabin, in the communal areas. And Koon 9 has lots of space, both inside and out. On the upper deck there is a large air-conditioned lounge saloon with comfy sofas & armchairs and a huge tv with multimedia and Ninento games console. The large indoor dining room has plenty of tables for you to enjoy delicious Thai and western food throughout the cruise. And between the wonderful meals, there's always fruit and snacks available, plus soft drinks (sodas) for free.

Koon 9's sundeck is also incredibly large. Up here there are sun loungers and soft seating. Guests can have coffee in the morning or drinks in the evening while enjoying panoramic views and a lovely sea breeze. And of course if you want to sunbathe, you have plenty of space and opportunity up here. This sundeck area is also very photogenic, so expect to take some selfies!

Let's not forget that this is a scuba diving boat, and you join these trips to jump into the crystal-clear Andaman Sea. Thanks to its width, Koon 9 has a massive diving platform. Everyone gets their own tank slot and storage space for gear between dives, and for personal items when diving. The floor surface is non-slip and everything is in the correct place. The team of boat crew will help you with your gear, and into and out of the diving tender dinghies. If you're certified to dive with Nitrox, it's available on Koon 9. Our guests' feedback about the trips is always very good, especially about the quality and condition of the rental gear. 

And another thing that makes Koon 9 such a great boat to join is its choice of itineraries. You can choose to join for trips, which start in the morning six days a week and stay aboard for one, tow, three or even four nights! Or, if you join on a Wednesday it's in the evening and you can stay until Friday, Saturday, Sunday or even Monday late afternoons. This is made possible by daily speedboat transfers from the mainland. Therefore, you can join in the morning and stay as long as you like, or join on a Wednesday evening, too.

In early 2025 our team joined Koon9 and the video of our experience is on our 'pictures' tab. We were really impressed with how Koon9's systems work. Guests who join by speedboat in the morning arrive on a nearly-empty boat, because all of the overnight guests have already jumped in for their mid-morning dive. Then by the time the new guests are ready to go diving, those others are coming out of the sea for an early lunch. The whole day's diving and meals are staggered like this, so that the dive sites, diving platform and mealtimes are never crowded. Don't worry about being among the second wave of guests to the meals, because the wonderful kitchen team are constantly cooking and serving fresh & delicious meals. We also really admired quality of the rental gear, the team of instructors and the quality & service everywhere on the boat.

The boat's itineraries are explained in more detail on the 'Itinerary tab.'
But in summary you can join for almost as long as you choose.
Whichever itinerary you choose, it's almost certain that your dive trip on Koon 9 will be an unforgettable experience!

Most guests join Koon9 in the morning for 2D / 1N or 3D / 2N trips.
Although we strongly advise everyone to stay in Khao Lak the night before departure, you can stay in Phuket and get an early morning transfer that costs 500 THB/person.