Dive memorable. Dive in Thailand!
Why Dive Cruise trip in Thailand is a memorable experience?
Dive cruises in Thailand are the best way to enjoy the most from tropical heaven. Dive cruises allow you to enjoy dive sites and paradisiac beaches accessible only by cruises.
On a diving cruise, you can dive up to four times daily and experience early morning and night dives. Additionally, Cruise diving will enable you to explore beautiful and inaccessible dive sites.
Taking holidays on a Thai diving cruise is the best way to dive! Diving cruises are very comfortable and relaxing. You only have to focus on diving, eating, and sleeping!
Where to have a Dive Cruise trip in Thailand?
The Similan and Surin Islands in the Andaman Sea are home to Southeast Asia's best dive sites, accessible only with a diving liveaboard.
Surin National Park
The Similan and Surin islands were established in the early 1980s as national parks and are arguably locating Thailand's best dive sites. They are known for their prolific marine life and warm, clear waters surrounding beautiful, uninhabited, lush islands with gorgeous white sand beaches.
Dive the famous Richelieu Rock in the Surin Islands between February and April. If you are lucky, you will see whale sharks there! Conditions can vary significantly, being an open-ocean site. It is best suited for experienced divers, as the Richelieu Rock's maximum depth is 30 meters (100 feet). The best times to dive at Richelieu Rock are early morning or sunset. Divers generally go around the rock and take refuge inside when the current becomes too strong. There is a lot of macro life to discover. Between February and April, whale sharks come to feed, to the delight of divers.
Similan National Park
The sites of Koh Bon and Koh Tachai are exceptional places to see manta rays in Thailand.
As at Richelieu Rock, the currents can vary considerably on Koh Bon. Beautiful corals can be seen on the drop-off, where you can spot fantastic macro and small creatures.
The corals of Koh Tachai are magnificent. When diving at Koh Tachai, be prepared to descend quickly between 14 and 30 meters (45 to 100 feet), as the currents can be powerful at the start of the dive. You can often spot pelagic fish here - barracudas and jacks, and if you're lucky, manta rays and whale sharks.
How to go to the Similan and Surin Islands?
Most diving cruise ships visit Similan and Surin Islands in one trip, departing from Khao Lak or Ranong.
Koh Lanta National Park
Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are fantastic dive sites located in Mu Koh Lanta National Park, 100 km south of Phuket, and are among the best dive sites in the Andaman sea and Thailand. Hin Daeng and Hin Muang dive sites resemble the Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock.
Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are world-class dive sites with a high chance of seeing Manta Rays and Whale Sharks.
Hin Daeng - Red Rock, and Hin Muang - Purple Rock, are named after the beautiful red and purple corals covering their tops. The visibility is often excellent unless the waters become extremely rich in plankton, thus attracting more significant marine life, such as manta rays and whale sharks which pass through throughout the season. Greater depths and stronger currents make these sites only suitable for more experienced divers (20+ dives).
Tarutao National Park
Located in the far south of Thailand, off Satun Province in the Andaman Sea, Tarutao National Marine Park covers an area of 1,490 km². The Tarutao National Park comprises 51 pristine and uninhabited islands divided into two groups: The Tarutao group of islands is located east, and the Adang-Rawi group is in the west.
Tarutao Island is the largest and most visited island in the national park. With its mangrove forest, the island's river is navigable with a dinghy. While exploring the island, you will find several hiking trails with a large waterfall and a small restaurant where the "rangers" of the national park are located. You will discover good anchorages and good spots for cruise diving. With its wild environment, Tarutao National Park attracts many tourists searching for paradise on earth.
Koh Lipe Island
Koh Lipe is a small island located in the southern part of the Andaman Sea. Koh Lipe is located in the province of Satun, near the island of Langkawi (Malaysia), about 70 km from the mainland. Koh Lipe is the only inhabited island in the Butang group of islands, making Tarutao National Park. Today Koh Lipe attracts tourists from all over the world with its stunning beaches and excellent diving sites.
The most famous dive site near Koh Lipe is 8 Mile Rock, named after its distance from Koh Lipe. 8 Mile Rock (or Eight Mile Rock) is a pinnacle with a top location at 15 meters below the surface and is surrounded by depths of 50 meters. It is covered by purple and pink-colored soft corals. Marine life is diverse and plentiful here, with regular sightings of whale sharks, leopard sharks, barracudas, and hidden frogfish.
A few kilometers north of Koh Lipe is Hin Chabang, another beautiful coral garden with much marine life common to the Andaman Sea. Hin Chabang is a pinnacle with the top only a few meters below the surface and a maximum depth of 16 meters, which makes the Hin Chabang site very accessible to Open Water divers.
Like most dive sites in the Andaman Sea, Hin Chabang is subject to tidal currents, but it is usually possible to find sanctuary on either side. The current is also essential to bring the nutrients the corals need, and they strive on the Hin Chabang dive site! It also brings pelagics, and it is not uncommon to encounter tunas or even Manta rays.
Hin Chabang is one of Thailand's most beautiful dive sites, with sandy patches covered in whip coral protecting commensal shrimp, seahorses, strange muck diving creatures, and very dense coral covering the rocks.
Safety considerations for Cruise Diving
Diving within the limits of your level of diving training and your abilities is essential to guarantee the best level of safety during your dives. You can contact our team to assess your level and plan additional training during your diving trip to ensure you enjoy your diving cruise experience fully.
