MY Sawasdee Fasai; Liveaboard diving in Thailand; 9.2 out of 10 and is rated 'Superb'; from £118, $144, €135/day. Customer Review:
“Sawadee Fantastic (Fasai). Great boat with great staff. Fits a huge amount of divers without getting crowded. Very modern and luxurious. The Similans are awesome as expected, really got the impression the staff knew where to find all the good stuff. Think we had 7 dive masters with us in total.” Recommended for: Boat size, Modernity, Staff.
MY Pawara; Liveaboard diving in Thailand; 9 out of 10 and ; from £110, $134, €125/day. Customer Review:
“Awesome liveaboard for single diver. 3-4 dives a day which is really good compared to longer trips where there is normally only 2-3 dives a day. Got to see seahorses, a leopard shark, octopus, huge schools of barracuda and alot of nice corals. Nice to only have to think about transfer and hotel before and after the liveaboard. Else everything was very convenient.” Recommended for: Small dive groups, many dives, good price.
MY Giamani; Liveaboard diving in Thailand; 9.1 out of 10 and is rated 'Superb'; from £237, $289, €270/day. Customer Review:
“A great liveaboard with personal service. The great thing about the Giamani is that because it is a relatively small boat you are guaranteed almost exclusively dives, with small groups. The quality of the dive leaders is good, and their knowledge of the dive sites is exceptional. Nothing is too much trouble for any member of the crew who are all there to give you a fantastic diving experience. The food is great quality and plentiful, catering for all tastes. Richelieu Rock is an amazing dive site – truly a world top ten and at last being properly protected by the Thai authorities.” Recommended for: Small diving group. Great dive guides. Well organised.
MY Manta Queen 1; Liveaboard diving in Thailand; 8.9 out of 10 and is rated 'Fabulous'; from £95, $116, €108/day. Customer Review:
“Incredible Diving Trip. My boyfriend and I had an incredible dive trip. This was our first liveaboard trip and we are only open water certified. We took the deep adventure course during this trip, which I would highly recommend to those who are not advanced open water certified. Our dive guide Colin was awesome. He made us feel safe and comfortable and brought us to see the most interesting things at each dive site. After each dive he did a quick debrief with us about which fish we had seen and helped us identify the fish we didn’t know. The dives themselves were incredible, with vibrantly colored coral and tons of fish. We enjoyed clownfish, butterfly fish, morrish idols, triggerfish, an octopus, barracuda, puffer fish, nudibranch, moray eels, a sea turtle, a fleeting manta ray and so much more. Although we did not see a whale shark, we were not at all disappointed with the dives on this trip. I would recommend it to anyone.” Recommended for: Tons of colorful fish, friendly and knowledgeable dive guides, comfortable boat with plenty of yummy food.
MY Deep Andaman Queen; Liveaboard diving in Thailand; 8.6 out of 10 and is rated 'Fabulous'; from £138, $168, €157/day. Customer Review:
“Exceeded all expectations. Travelling alone as a woman is a daunting affair. Rocking up to the boat I was a little nervous about being separated from civilisation for several days. How I was wrong in thinking this! The crew took care of my every need. The food was amazing and the level of service the group got in and out of the water was incredible. I never once felt uncomfortable or worried. I enjoyed myself so much that I can’t wait to get back onboard! Thank you to Steve for his amazing attention to detail and excellent management across the board. See you soon!” Recommended for: Crew, comfort and care.
MV Smiling Seahorse; Liveaboard diving in Thailand; 9.3 out of 10 and is rated 'Superb'; from £117, $143, €133/day. Customer Review:
“Amazing from start to end. We spend 4 nights 3 days on the Smiling seahorse , We arrived to this great new boat were everything is in perfect condition , clean and set to a perfect time on board Franck who is the owner also part of the journey have a friendly and professional approach and make us feel like home on board , dives were great living from Ranong our itineraries on the similar island was less busy that other operators. All together we have dives with other liveaboard for the similan islands but we recommend this one as our favourite.” Recommended for: New boat , great choice of dive spot , very professional.
Thailand liveaboard diving includes the Andaman Sea and famous dive sites like the Similan Islands, Richelieu Rock and Surin Islands. Dive around granite boulders and beautiful pristine coral reefs, through caverns and arches and with schools of fish, whale sharks, manta rays, all at bargain prices.
Liveaboard diving in Thailand offers healthy coral reefs with large schools of fish, whale sharks and manta rays for beginner to experienced divers to enjoy. Plus if you enjoy eating Thai food, then you’ll love the food onboard the Thailand liveaboards.
The water temperature in Thailand averages a very comfortable 27-30°C (80.6-86°F).
What is also great about diving southeast Asia and Thailand is how cheap it is, which is why scuba divers return year after year to enjoy this amazing diver’s dream destination. The divers who return to Thailand year after year will enjoy affordable liveaboard dive trips to experience some of the world’s best dive sites.
The most popular areas of Thailand to dive include Koh Tao and Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand, and then Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta and Phuket in the Andaman Sea.
Thailand is on the edge of the Coral Triangle, which is why it has amazing underwater sea life and great healthy coral reefs.
The Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock offer the chance to swim with whale sharks. Whilst Mergui Archipelago in remote Burmese waters and the southern pinnacles off Phuket, divers experience amazing underwater sea life together with dramatic underwater topography.
The Similan Islands and Mergui Archipelago are very close to Thailand, which makes Thailand the perfect place to hop aboard a liveaboard cruise and explore these amazing places.
You can choose between short or long liveaboard dive safaris to the Similan Islands or go south to Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lipe, and Koh Lanta National Marine Park.
Table of Thailand Liveaboards
This list of Thailand liveaboards is in descending customer rating order, so the liveaboards with the highest customer rating will be at the top of the list. To filter this table for the features that are important for your Thailand liveaboard trip, select from the list of filters below.
Note: The above “Price Per Day” was correct at the time of producing this article, as was the exchange rate used to convert the GBP cost to US Dollars and Euros. For an up-to-date cost for your chosen liveaboard, please visit the “Book” link above.
Similan Islands Diving
Liveaboard diving in the Similan Islands is breath-taking, which is why many scuba divers come back year after year. If you love shark diving, the Similan Islands don’t disappoint, as you can spot whale sharks, whitetip sharks, blacktip reef sharks, leopard/zebra sharks, guitar sharks, nurse sharks, bull sharks and the infamous tiger shark.
On top of diving with sharks, you can dive amongst huge granite boulders with caverns and arches accompanied by large schools of fish and you may meet Napoleon Wrasse too.
There are strong currents in this region, which means you need to be an experienced diver with an advanced diver certification. Then you also have the chance to enjoy a night dive or two, which is when you get to see those underwater creatures that come out at night.
Richelieu Rock Diving
Richelieu Rock is one of the best dive sites in Thailand, and is an isolated pinnacle about 10km (6.25 miles) east of Surin Islands and 100km (62.5 miles) north, north east of the Similan islands.
It is only the very top of the rock that will be visible at low tide and presents as a shipping hazard, as it is submerged at high tide.
It is when you dive below the surface, after jumping in from the dive liveaboard, when the true wonder of Richelieu Rock becomes apparent. The rock is in a rough shape of a horseshoe and is made up of several rocks, pinnacles, overhangs and small caves. The maximum depth is about 35 meters (115 feet) to the bottom, but most dives are at between 20-28 meters (92-99 feet).
Richelieu Rock is a limestone pinnacle that slopes steeply down to the bottom on its north and west side. Richelieu Rock attracts whale sharks and manta rays due to the upwellings that are rich with plankton. But this dive site is also home to many pelagic fish including barracuda.
But then in between the excitement of the large pelagics, whale sharks and manta rays, don’t forget to enjoy Richelieu Rock’s purple soft corals and sea fans.
Surin Islands Diving
The Surin Islands has one of the highest hard coral diversities in Thailand, not to mention the small cove beaches and great snorkelling sites for those non-divers onboard.
Mergui Archipelago Diving
Mergui Archipelago of Burma is in the north of Andaman dive area. This dive area was only opened to divers in late 1990, and is still very much an undisturbed ecosystem.
Mergui Archipelago is best suited to experienced divers as it is a remote location with currents and open water diving. These north Andaman liveaboards operate between October to May when you have the best visibility and surface conditions.
South Andaman Diving
Some of the best dive locations in south Andaman are Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. These are two underwater pinnacles that are covered with anemones, sponges and sea fans. But you may be also lucky to see whale sharks and manta rays in this area too.
But be aware that there are strong currents here too, which is suited to experienced divers. The south Andaman liveaboards also visit Koh Ha and Koh Rok, which are uninhabited islands with white-sand beaches. But under the surface, you’ll discover one of the best-preserved coral reefs in the country.
Manta Rays and Whale Sharks in Thailand
To enjoy liveaboard diving with manta rays and whale sharks in Thailand, the best dive sites are Koh Tachai, Koh Bon, Richelieu Rock and the Similan Islands.
Best Time To Dive Thailand
The diving in Thailand is year-round so there’s no best time to dive. Having said that, peak Thailand diving season for the Gulf of Thailand is from May through September and for the Andaman Sea is from October through April. There is great visibility, which is up to 30 metres (99 feet).
I hope you enjoyed this page about Thailand liveaboard diving
I’d love to hear from you. Tell us about your adventures of diving and snorkeling, in the comments below. Please also share your photos. Either from your underwater cameras or videos from your waterproof Gopro’s!
If this article hasn’t answered all of your questions. If you have more questions either about snorkeling or scuba diving (or specifically about Thailand liveaboard diving), please comment below with your questions.
There will also be many more articles about scuba diving (and snorkeling) for you to read and learn about these fabulous sports.
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