Interested in diving in Asia? Why not dive on a liveaboard! Asia has some of the best dive sites in the world and liveaboards offer a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in this underwater world!
We were able to take advantage of our great fortune of working for a company in Taiwan that encourages diving. Six months after our PADI open water certification, it was time to take advantage of our first Chinese New Year’s vacation. After researching great dive locations for the month of February, we settled on going to Thailand for our first dive adventure. Out of all the options, we decided on a liveaboard trip in the Similans for our first major dive experience.
Liveaboard Diving – Not just for experts
We did struggle with one thing before making our deposit on a four night dive trip: our diving skills. Neither of us had more than a few dives under our belts. We were both worried and excited about the schedule. Three dives a day (with an optional night dive on some days) would more than double the dives on our log. At the time, we just had one dive outside of our certification dives. We were excited to really start taking advantage of our new PADI licenses. But four dives a day? Would we be able to do it? Would we be the only novice divers on board?
Turned out that we had absolutely nothing to worry about. We shared a boat with people from all over the world, and with all sorts of diving backgrounds. For our trip to the Similan Islands, we shared the boat with around 20 divers, five guides, and the boat crew. The guides did a great job grouping us by ability and experience. On our first trip, we were paired with what I called a dive gypsy. Her name was Anna, she was from Spain and grew up diving with her parents starting at a very young age.
Anna did a great job helping the beginning divers feel perfectly comfortable at all the dive sites. The crew did a great job keeping all of our equipment in order. If a hose or a connection wasn’t rigged properly, they were quick with a hand to help out. Not only was the trip great for beginners, it was also a great way to become comfortable with your scuba gear. Even if we hadn’t continued to dive, a liveaboard is a fantastic way for non-serious divers to safely and thoroughly enjoy the sport.
Great for polishing your dive skills
Two years later, we took another another trip to the Similans. This time we opted for a 5 day itinerary, with 19 dives in total. Going on a liveaboard as a beginner was fantastic. But as an intermediate diver, this is where the total experience really shined. In the interim, we had continued to grow as divers, added advanced PADI certification, and gone on a handful of shore and boat dives. By no means were we advanced divers, but we were looking for a good way to expand our experiences. Full disclosure here, our five day trip was also going to almost double the number of dives in our log again.
Our second trip in Thailand was with the same company that provided us with such a great experience the first time around – Similan Diving Safaris. The schedule that fit our vacation plans even put us on the same boat, the m/v Similan Explorer. To get ready for our trip, we upped our exercise regimen a little bit, and purchased some equipment to get the most out of our five day dive safari.
The biggest investment was in dive computers. Since there are a lot of shore dives to be had both in Taiwan and Japan, we felt like this was the best way to break into the life of local recreational diving. We also added a simple action camera with a waterproof housing, and a metal rig for my Gopro to help stabilize filming underwater footage. I’m happy with the results, but there is always more to learn about filming underwater.
We were pretty happy with the results of our first real attempts at using the underwater camera and Gopro!
Capturing a week of diving on the Similan Explorer
The first few dives were beautiful, and a good reminder that we needed to get comfortable with both our rental equipment and the additions to our dive kit. It wasn’t our maiden voyage with new equipment, as we had a shore dive in Kenting, Taiwan a few months prior. But it still took a day or two for us to really slip into full diving mode. This is where the liveaboard experience really paid off. What we learned in the first few dives made the following 15 much more enjoyable.
Our boat crew was really on top of making sure each dive group was 100% ready before getting in the water. Once in the water, our guide Luca kept one eye focused on each of us, and another constantly scanning for marine life. He was able to quickly help fine-tune our weights and trim in the water. Each dive brought us safely to comfortable limits for the day, and the locations and conditions were perfect for refining skills and enjoying the dives.
Dive, Eat, Sleep, Repeat…
Our liveaboard boat was a workhorse, designed for one purpose – diving comfortably and frequently. The dive platform was well designed to get divers and equipment situated quickly and efficiently. Freshwater showers and tubs were on hand to get people and equipment cleaned of salt water. The food was delicious, plentiful, and showcased the talents of the local Thai crew. They had great vegetarian options for my wife, and fantastic coconut curries that were simply heavenly. The cabins were simple, but comfy and with great A/C. Just enough space to have a solid nap, but there was also a sun-deck with mats for a snooze in the fresh air.
Another plus to going to the Similans with this group is that the crew is tight-knit, works well with each other, and the guides are diving almost constantly for the entire season. This means that they also have a lot of tricks and tips for staying on top of your physical condition to keep on diving. That means everything from light snacks to electrolyte packets to alcohol and vinegar mixes to ward off swimmer’s ear. But there is another benefit. Diving the Andaman sea attracts all sorts of divers.
You are not alone, dive buddies come from all over!
On our boat, English was the language that most everyone had in common. But it was not the most common language. You could hear Thai, Spanish, Finnish, Mandarin, French, Dutch, Cantonese, or Italian at any given moment. There was a mix of ages as well. A Finnish teenager was on the boat working on an Advanced PADI course, as well as a retired British couple each with over 400 dives in their log.
Why such a mix? There are many reasons. Obviously extremely clear conditions with over 30 meters of visibility and an abundance of sea life is at the top of the list. The number of great sites and the ability to go where conditions are optimal is another. Certainly, the ease of travel in Thailand and the wide options for inexpensive or luxurious travel is another. Whatever the reason, divers of all backgrounds come together to dive the Similans. The result? Opportunities for sharing stories, experiences, and first hand knowledge of diving other parts of the world.
Last, but not least
Perhaps the best reason for going on a liveaboard is the bang that you get for your buck. International travel is becoming easier and cheaper. Being able to take advantage of 5 day dive trips doesn’t mean breaking the bank anymore. In my experience, it’s difficult to find dive operators that charge less than $35 US per tank for diving. Most days, we had four dives, which would mean at best $140 US per person per day. For roughly $200 per person a day, our liveaboard trip offered a full package. All the dives, full gear rental, meals, snacks, and a private two person cabin, as well as all the entrance fees to the marine parks came for just a bit more than the dives themselves. It also included daily shore excursions to islands in both the Similan and Surin island chains. And it brought us to world class dive locations you could never make it to in a one day boat excursion from the shore. Then, there are the amazing underwater views themselves.
** Big Thanks to Richard Carey for letting us use some of his fantastic underwater images from our first dive on Similan Explorer in 2017. A professional photographer on board adds so much value to the trip! And is something you might want to inquire with the tour provider about before booking a trip if that is important to you.