Similans Live Aboard vs. Resort in Khao Lak

[Beaner]

Any SCUBA advice regarding diving the Similans (Thailand) this April is greatly appreciated. Due to the holiday (Thai New Year) things are booking up & with just a few days in the Phuket/Khao Lak area to dive, we are down to choosing a lovely resort in Khao Lak (LaFlora) & taking speedboat day trips to the islands to dive or staying on a live aboard (M/V Somboon 3) which looks nice but requires us to share a bathroom with other guests for 3 days. Being a spoiled American, I am torn about whether being right at the best dive sites is worth the sacrifices of our own loo & the other land based activivites we may miss.
HELP!

 

[charlie-in-thai]

Hey Beaner,

Although I don't do much scuba diving these days, I will say one of the best times I've had over here (for 300 bucks) was doing a 4-day liveaboard out to the Similian and Surin Islands. Albeit, this was some 5+ years ago, I doubt much has changed and this is one of the best, if not the best areas to dive in Thai waters. The only downer was the number of dive boats that go to this popular area from Khao Lak and Phuket, which can make the jostling for space and clanking of tanks frustrating when something of interest is spotted.

Our boat was spacious, the food was good and plentiful and the cabins/beds adequately comfortable - most operate on a double bunk, 2 sharing basis. Yes, the toilet was shared but always kept clean. Luckily, we were blessed with the other guests in our group being friendly and fun people, which only added to the experience. The instructors were 1st rate to boot. There were 4 dives per day available (you didn't have to dive them all, but we did), all at different islands/reefs, the last of which each day was a night dive in the early evenings.

If you're coming to Thailand to relax, spending some time on the beach and experiencing a little Thai culture and really cant do without all the fine trimmings, then stay at your resort and take a day trip or two by speedboat. I'm not sure how many dives you will get that way, as the islands are a ways offshore.

However, if you're a dive fanatic, then definately do a live-aboard and put up with a minor lack of creature comforts. You will cover many more dive sites, get more hours in the water and hopefully be left, as I was, with an unforgettable experience.

Surely, you will be here for at least 10 days, so why not do both?

Hope this helps.

Charlie :friday

 

[Richard_Dicosim]

I was in Thailand around April last year, I did a liveaboard to the Similans with Phuket Diving, Similan Dive, Liveaboard Phuket and Thailand by Diving Thailand. there where shared bathrooms aboard this boat, BUT I didn't slum it while I was in Thailand we did the fancy restaurants and the works... AND the best food I had in Thailand for a month came from the cooks on this boat!!! the staff was great the prices where very reasonable and the diving was great. the water was choppy some days and I think by the time you got out to the dive sites on a speed boat your back would be hurting!!!!!!

if you have never tried a liveaboard boat, I couldn't think of a place where your dollar to quality would go further! There are more upscale boats in the neighbor hood but I feel that your paying for what you see underwater, as long as I can sleep comfortably.

Richard