Similan, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai & Richelieu Rock (5 Days / 4 Nights - 14 Dives)
Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, and Khao Lak wrecks
Day 1
The Junk departs from Tab Lamu pier in Khao Lak in the evening after all the guests have been transferred from their hotels around Phuket, Khao Lak or Phuket International Airport, and are onboard. The tour leader will welcome you onboard, assign a cabin to you and explain in detail the boat features and the plans for the coming days. A welcome dinner will be served while the liveaboard starts its journey towards the Similans. Arrival at the islands is due at midnight. After a good night's sleep in your comfortable cabin, the diving will commence the next day.
Days 2-4
The Similan Islands are by far the most spectacular dive destination in Thailand, consisting of 9 granite islands covered in tropical jungle and surrounded by sparkling clear blue waters. The underwater scenery features beautiful hard and soft coral gardens, as well as huge granite boulders and dramatic rock formations that form swim-throughs and canyons. Drift diving is common here as the currents run over rich reefs teeming with marine life. Up to 4 dives a day will leave you with a better knowledge of the marvels that lie in this marine park.
Richelieu Rock is your best chance to encounter a whale shark. Eagle and manta rays are also common visitors here during the diving season. Your guides will probably plan more than one dive at this unforgettable site. Huge schools of trevally and barracuda cruise in the currents, and many tiny species such as frogfish, ghost pipefish and seahorses hide in the cracks and crevices.
There will be a full breakfast (bread and a toaster at your disposal, eggs cooked in different styles, bacon, ham, fried beans, fruit yoghurt, pancakes, or rice soup for a more traditional Asian meal) followed by a 2nd dive during the morning, then an afternoon dive after lunch and a surface interval that can be spent relaxing or snorkelling. Lunch is served buffet style, with different choices of white or brown rice, noodles, plenty of vegetables, fresh salad, seafood, meat, and also curry and cooked vegetarian dishes. A night dive will end a perfect day in the water. Dinner is at 18:00 hrs (before the night dive) and consist of a variety of Asian dishes, plus more familiar western meals such as Italian pasta, pork steak and fries, Mexican food, or goulash and potatoes.
Day 5
2 more morning dives and breakfast before disembarkation in Khao Lak. Transfers back to local hotels or Phuket Airport are also provided.
Similan, Surin, Richelieu Rock & Khao Lak (7 Days / 6 Nights - 19 Dives)
Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Surin Islands, Richelieu Rock, and Khao Lak wrecks
Day 1
The Junk departs from Tab Lamu pier in Khao Lak in the evening after all the guests have been transferred from their hotels around Phuket, Khao Lak or Phuket International Airport, and are onboard. The tour leader will welcome you onboard, assign a cabin to you and explain in detail the boat features and the plans for the coming days. A welcome dinner will be served while the liveaboard starts its journey towards the Similans. Arrival at the islands is due at midnight. After a good night's sleep in your comfortable cabin, the diving will commence the next day.
Days 2-6
The Similan Islands are by far the most spectacular dive destination in Thailand, consisting of 9 granite islands covered in tropical jungle and surrounded by sparkling clear blue waters. The underwater scenery features beautiful hard and soft coral gardens, as well as huge granite boulders and dramatic rock formations that form swim-throughs and canyons. Drift diving is common here as the currents run over rich reefs teeming with marine life. Up to 4 dives a day will leave you with a better knowledge of the marvels that lie in this marine park.
Richelieu Rock is your best chance to encounter a whale shark. Eagle and manta rays are also common visitors here during the diving season. Your guides will probably plan more than 1 dive at this unforgettable site. Huge schools of trevally and barracuda cruise in the current, and many tiny species such as frogfish, ghostpipefish and seahorses hide in the cracks and crevices. Healthy reefs await your arrival at the Surin islands as well, home to the greatest variety of hard coral in Thailand. Napoleon wrasse, yellow-masked angelfish, bumphead parrotfish, barramundi, as well as lots of turtles that still come ashore here to lay their eggs.
There will be a full breakfast (bread and a toaster at your disposal, eggs cooked in different styles, bacon, ham, fried beans, fruit yoghurt, pancakes, or rice soup for a more traditional Asian meal) followed by a 2nd dive during the morning, then an afternoon dive after lunch and a surface interval that can be spent relaxing or snorkelling. Lunch is served buffet style, with different choices of white or brown rice, noodles, plenty of vegetables, fresh salad, seafood, meat, and also curry and cooked vegetarian dishes. A night dive will end a perfect day in the water. Dinner is at 18:00 hrs (before the night dive) and consist of a variety of Asian dishes, plus more familiar western meals such as Italian pasta, pork steak and fries, Mexican food, or goulash and potatoes.
Day 7
Disembark in Khao Lak after breakfast. Transfers back to local hotels or Phuket Airport are also provided.
Phuket & Phi Phi Islands (4 Days / 3 Nights - 11 Dives)
Trip highlights: turtles, non diving activities
Diving environment: beginner divers, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Phi Phi Islands, Shark Point, King Cruiser Wreck, Anemone Reef, Koh Dok Mai, Racha Noi, Racha Yai
Day 1
Join The Junk on a short safari to explore the very best of Phuket and Phi Phi. You will enjoy a mixture of colourful reefs, submerged pinnacles and limestone walls. There is the possibility of night dives and the tour is suitable for dives of all levels. The trip departs from Chalong Pier in Phuket at 7 pm, after all guests have been collected from their hotels around the island. The tour leader will welcome you onboard, assign a cabin to you and explain in detail the boat features and the diving plan for the tour.
Days 2-3
With its mini-walls and shallow coral gardens predominating, there are a host of dive sites to choose from around the Koh Phi Phi National Park. Wildlife is varied with blacktip reef sharks common, tigertail seahorses, ornate ghost pipefish, cornetfish, octopus, scorpionfish, bluefin trevally, barracuda and more. Along the route there are some incredible views from the boat, including Phi Phi Island’s famous beaches and limestone karsts climbing vertically from the sea. There will be opportunities to leave the yacht and take a sight-seeing trip with the dinghy.
Shark Point and Anemone Reef are covered with colourful soft corals and anemones with a variety of fish, from barracuda to seahorses, and for the lucky ones of course, the iconic leopard shark! The King Cruiser is a car ferry wreck that is covered with soft corals and hides some wonderful gems, such as huge lionfish and turtles, as well as being home to schools of snapper. Koh Dok Mai is a tiny piece of sheer rock sat between Shark Point and Phuket but dives here can provide amazing memories! From a spacious cavern to frogfish, ornate ghostpipefish and even bamboo sharks, ‘Flower Island’ never fails to surprise.
Racha Noi has some of the best visibility of all sites in the area. Often described as a ‘mini Similans’ the granite boulder topography is also unique compared to other areas. It offers hard coral reefs, boulders with large swim throughs and the beautiful pinnacle on the south point of this island. Strong currents can make the point challenging, however with a year round chance to see manta rays, it is worth the effort to dive here.
Racha Yai is an excellent place to begin as it is blessed with sloping hard coral reefs, small bays with white sandy bottoms, and a choice of wrecks on the west coast. Titan triggerfish, clownfish, porcupinefish and yellowtail barracuda are found here.
Although The Junk can't control the quality of your underwater experiences, it can ensure you of a first class dining experience. First is a light breakfast before the first dive. For some that just means a cup of fresh coffee and maybe a slice of toast with marmalade or cheese. Then after the first dive the kitchen serves up the Full Monty - eggs (different style every day), bacon, ham, fried beans, fruit yoghurt, choice of bread, pancakes, warm croissants, fresh tomatoes and cucumber, or rice soup for guests who want to have a traditional Asian breakfast. Lunch is an Asian affair - 3 or 4 accompanying dishes built around seafood, meat and some vegetarian dishes. The meal aims to be nourishing yet light and healthy at the same time. Often there will different kinds of rice, maybe some noodles, and plenty of vegetables and fresh salad. Dinner is normally taken around 6 pm and consists of a full complement of Asian dishes and some western food which could be pasta, pork steak and fries, Mexican food, or goulash and potatoes. In between meals there is always fresh fruit available, cookies in a jar, and after the night dive there will be something sweet waiting for you. This could be doughnuts, banana cake, cheese cake, custard, fruit in syrup, or nuts.
Day 4
Again a wake up call and a light breakfast will start the day before the first dive. After a full breakfast and dive 2, lunch will be served. After dive 3, snacks will be served as the boat returns to Chalong for disembarkation at 4 pm.
Phi Phi islands, Hin Daeng & Hin Muang (5 Days / 4 Nights - 14 Dives)
Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles
Diving environment: advanced divers, caverns, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Koh Haa, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Phi Phi Islands, Shark Point or King Cruiser Wreck, Koh Dok Mai
Day 1
Join The Junk on a short safari to explore the very best of the southern Andaman Sea of Thailand. The trip departs from Chalong Pier in Phuket at 7 pm, after all guests have been collected from their hotels around the island. The tour leader will welcome you onboard, assign a cabin to you and explain in detail the boat features and the diving plan for the tour.
Days 2-3
Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are submerged boulder pinnacles covered with healthy soft corals in various shades of red and purple. A lot of fish action takes place here, especially when there is a current, including manta rays and even whale sharks. Koh Haa is famous for its cavern systems. With its mini-walls and shallow coral gardens predominating, there are a host of dive sites to choose from around the Koh Phi Phi National Park. Wildlife is varied with blacktip reef sharks common, tigertail seahorses, ornate ghost pipefish, cornetfish, octopus, scorpionfish, bluefin trevally, barracuda and more.
Shark Point is covered with colourful soft corals and anemones with a variety of fish, from barracuda to seahorses, and for the lucky ones of course, the iconic leopard shark! The King Cruiser is a car ferry wreck that is covered with soft corals and hides some wonderful gems, such as huge lionfish and turtles, as well as being home to schools of snapper. Koh Dok Mai is a tiny piece of sheer rock but dives here can provide amazing memories! From a spacious cavern to frogfish, ornate ghostpipefish and even bamboo sharks, ‘Flower Island’ never fails to surprise.
Although The Junk can't control the quality of your underwater experiences, it can ensure you of a first class dining experience. First is a light breakfast before the first dive. For some that just means a cup of fresh coffee and maybe a slice of toast with marmalade or cheese. Then after the first dive the kitchen serves up the Full Monty - eggs (different style every day), bacon, ham, fried beans, fruit yoghurt, choice of bread, pancakes, warm croissants, fresh tomatoes and cucumber, or rice soup for guests who want to have a traditional Asian breakfast. Lunch is an Asian affair - 3 or 4 accompanying dishes built around seafood, meat and some vegetarian dishes. The meal aims to be nourishing yet light and healthy at the same time. Often there will different kinds of rice, maybe some noodles, and plenty of vegetables and fresh salad. Dinner is normally taken around 6 pm and consists of a full complement of Asian dishes and some western food which could be pasta, pork steak and fries, Mexican food, or goulash and potatoes. In between meals there is always fresh fruit available, cookies in a jar, and after the night dive there will be something sweet waiting for you. This could be doughnuts, banana cake, cheese cake, custard, fruit in syrup, or nuts.
Day 5
Again a wake up call and a light breakfast will start the day before the first dive. After a full breakfast and dive 2, lunch will be served as the boat returns to Chalong for disembarkation at 2 pm.
[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].
