SY Diva Andaman

SY Diva Andaman is a 35 metre sleek wooden-hulled sailing yacht constructed in 2009 which runs 6 night Similans diving cruises, as well as shorter Phuket liveaboard trips to the southern islands area of the Thai Andaman Sea. Diva Andaman also runs expeditions around the tropical islands of the Mergui Archipelago, including, unlike other liveaboards, cruises to the Burma Banks when weather permits.

With 10 crew to cater for the needs of a maximum of 15 scuba divers you can be assured of plenty of personal attention. Guests can relax in the air-conditioned dining area where you can find chat with other guests, enjoy some refreshments or consult the library of books. Alternatively you can sit on cushions around a low table in a shaded area of the main deck. There is also a large sundeck where you can soak up the tropical Phuket sunshine in style or enjoy a beer or soft drink. Al fresco evening meals are often served here too.

All guest cabins have private bathrooms, mini-fridges and personal safety boxes. The cabins are full of little touches of classic sailing style such as old-school light switches and door latches, sliding wooden doors, in-room barometers and faux old-fashioned oil lamps. Another part of the service that sets Diva Andaman apart is the quality of cuisine served. The menu is varied and imaginative while still being healthy and delicious. The many creations served at each sitting are more deserving of a high quality restaurant than a diving liveaboard - truly impressive. Even the cutlery is consistent with the old-fashioned nautical theme! Another touch of class is the complimentary Champagne on the final evening.

Diva Andaman's energy and impact standards include: reducing fuel consumption, chemical-free toiletries and cleaning products, solid waste collection and no usage of plastic bottle or straws. Additional facilities include nitrox, full scuba equipment included in the price, a 2 tier dive deck with 20 individual storage spaces and a fresh water shower. There are also sea kayaks for exploring secluded areas of the Andaman Sea and the option of traditional Thai massage. The liveaboard's interior is beautifully furnished with wooden paneling throughout the vessel. SY Diva Andaman like any diva, loves to travel in style and enjoy the finer things in life, while cruising the Similans, the greater Phuket area and Myanmar.

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Notes: Please note that for Myanmar trips the bookings will be closed 3 weeks before the trip departure date to allow time for immigration procedures.

Dive experience: Burma trips: Open water with a minimum of 20 logged dives is required. All other cruises require a standard diving certification.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, soft drinks, hot drinks and complimentary champagne, hotel to boat transfers, dives (as detailed in the trips above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (4-5 divers per DM), tanks, weights and weightbelts, scuba equipment, torches, dive computer.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Dive insurance, Similan and Surin park fees at approximately US$ 6 per day, with an entry fee of US$ 15 per park, Burma marine park fees and Myanmar entry fee US$ 250 in crisp US dollar notes. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash or credit card).

Optional extras: Alcoholic drinks, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers, traditional Thai massage. Phuket-Ranong minibus transfers. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival.

How to get there: SY Diva Andaman departs at 6 pm from Khao Lak for Similan trips. Pick up in Phuket/Khao Lak is at 2 pm/4 pm, and you can board between 4-6 pm. Disembarkation is at 9 am. For more information see our Thailand travel information section.

For Burma liveaboard cruises, Diva Andaman departs from Ranong at 2 pm. Boarding begins at 1 pm and there is a transfer service from Ranong hotels. Many guests fly in and out of Ranong on short direct flights to Bangkok. A minibus transfer from Phuket to Ranong is available at additional cost and takes around 6 hours. Alternatively you can fly to Surat Thani from where you can take a bus (3 hours). The boat returns to Ranong at the end of the trip and you can disembark at 10 am.
If you are already in Myanmar, you can be picked up and dropped off in the Kawthuang area, the gateway to Mergui and where the liveaboards make immigration checks at the beginning and end of each trip.
For the Myanmar immigration crossing, you need to come prepared with:

• USD 250 in crisp, new US dollar notes for the Myanmar entry fee and national park fee
• 3 passport size photographs each

The authorities may refuse to accept the equivalent amount in Thai Baht and any US dollar notes they deem to be too old and/or thin! It is advisable to bring only large denomination notes like 50s or 100s. For more information see our travel information section. We will help you apply for an entry permit beforehand. Read more details on Burma entry requirements.

The last dive of all trips will be at around 14:00 hrs on the second last day of the trip. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.

Non-diver rate: None.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of 50% of the published price.

Dive clubs and group discounts: See whole boat charter rate below. 5% discount if you book at least 5 nights, 10% discount if you book at least 10 nights.

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Please ask us for details.

Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock (7 Days / 6 Nights - 20 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock

Day 1
There is an early afternoon transfer from either your Phuket hotel or its airport to Khao Lak which is where the sleek wooden-hulled sailing yacht SY Diva Andaman awaits your arrival. After a welcome cocktail, listen to the safety and trip briefings which are done by the tour leader. Enjoy the buffet style dinner in the air-conditioned restaurant while cruising towards the Similan National Park, leaving Thap Lamu pier at 19:00 hrs. Diving starts on the next day.

Days 2-6
Wake up in the southern Similans, have a light breakfast while the dive guides get everything ready for the diving day that is about to begin: there will be 2 morning dives with a big breakfast served during the surface interval; lunch then one afternoon dive after a couple of hours of relaxation, and then a night dive. Your day of underwater fun ends with a delicious dinner where you can socialise with the other guests and the crew. Main topics of conversation are often what you love the most: the diving and marine life.
You will learn new things before the end of this unforgettable liveaboard safari. Reef sharks, manta rays, green turtles, but also tons of nudibranchs, moray eels, octopus and cuttlefish will welcome you on most of the dive sites in the Similans. A whale shark might also be one of the highlights, when the sea conditions are right.
Koh Bon is a famous cleaning station for manta rays, while Koh Tachai will challenge you with its currents and also deliver huge schools of predators like trevally, barracuda, tuna and reef sharks in search of prey like glassfish that you will see swimming everywhere together in big silvery shadows.
The chef will surprise you with Thai and international dishes. Snacks and soft drinks are available, and a complimentary bottle of champagne per cabin per cruise is also offered.
On the last full day of the trip there will be 3 dives at Richelieu Rock (or Bunsoong Wreck near Khao Lak) before returning to port. Richelieu Rock is often visited throughout the diving season by whale sharks, eagle and manta rays.

Day 7
Breakfast while anchored at the pier of Thap Lamu in Khao Lak. Disembark by 09:00 hrs and be transferred back to your hotel or airport.

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Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock (7 Days / 6 Nights - 20 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock

Day 1
There is an early afternoon transfer from either your Phuket hotel or its airport to Khao Lak which is where the sleek wooden-hulled sailing yacht SY Diva Andaman awaits your arrival. After a welcome cocktail, listen to the safety and trip briefings which are done by the tour leader. Enjoy the buffet style dinner in the air-conditioned restaurant while cruising towards the Similan National Park, leaving Thap Lamu pier at 19:00 hrs. Diving starts on the next day.

Days 2-6
Wake up in the southern Similans, have a light breakfast while the dive guides get everything ready for the diving day that is about to begin: there will be 2 morning dives with a big breakfast served during the surface interval; lunch then one afternoon dive after a couple of hours of relaxation, and then a night dive. Your day of underwater fun ends with a delicious dinner where you can socialise with the other guests and the crew. Main topics of conversation are often what you love the most: the diving and marine life.
You will learn new things before the end of this unforgettable liveaboard safari. Reef sharks, manta rays, green turtles, but also tons of nudibranchs, moray eels, octopus and cuttlefish will welcome you on most of the dive sites in the Similans. A whale shark might also be one of the highlights, when the sea conditions are right.
Koh Bon is a famous cleaning station for manta rays, while Koh Tachai will challenge you with its currents and also deliver huge schools of predators like trevally, barracuda, tuna and reef sharks in search of prey like glassfish that you will see swimming everywhere together in big silvery shadows.
The chef will surprise you with Thai and international dishes. Snacks and soft drinks are available, and a complimentary bottle of champagne per cabin per cruise is also offered.
On the last full day of the trip there will be 3 dives at Richelieu Rock (or Bunsoong Wreck near Khao Lak) before returning to port. Richelieu Rock is often visited throughout the diving season by whale sharks, eagle and manta rays.

Day 7
Breakfast while anchored at the pier of Thap Lamu in Khao Lak. Disembark by 09:00 hrs and be transferred back to your hotel or airport.

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Andaman Islands (19 Days / 18 Nights - 66 Dives)

Trip highlights: manta rays, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: South Havelock, Neil Island, Western Havelock, North Eastern Havelock, South Button, Long Island, Narcondam Island, Barren Island, Invisible Banks, Cinque Islands

Day 1
There is an afternoon transfer from either your local hotel or airport to Port Blair Harbour which is where the sleek wooden-hulled sailing yacht SY Diva Andaman awaits your arrival and boarding between 4-6 pm. After a welcome cocktail, listen to the safety and trip briefings which are done by the tour leader. Enjoy the buffet style dinner in the air-conditioned restaurant while cruising towards Havelock Island, leaving the harbour at 6 pm. Diving starts on the next day.

Days 2-18
Out in the western Andaman Sea, nestled in the Bay of Bengal is a remote archipelago that defines India’s eastern frontier - the Andaman Islands. Known for its endemic wildlife, indigenous tribes, and dense rainforests, it was also among Jacques Cousteau’s most exciting dive explorations and is truly a voyage for adventurous explorers. This vast expanse of water requires liveaboard access, enabling exploration of the eastern volcanoes of Barren Island and Narcondam, the famous Invisible Banks, and a voyage that can traverse the southern islands in the Duncan Passage. The diversity of flora and fauna, the topography, stunning visibility, the sheer isolation and unique ecological status of the region make it a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar islands is highly regulated and restricted by the Indian government.
There are various manta ray cleaning stations at Barren Island, plenty of large schools of bumphead parrotfish, barracuda, and batfish, green turtles, eagle rays, Malabar groupers, Napoleon wrasse, as well as plenty of healthy and largely untouched reefs.
Each day there will be 2 morning dives with a big breakfast served during the surface interval; lunch then one afternoon dive after a couple of hours of relaxation, and then a night dive. Your day of underwater fun ends with a delicious dinner when you can socialise with the other guests and the crew. Main topics of conversation are often what you love the most: about the diving and marine life. The chef will surprise you with Thai and international dishes. Snacks and soft drinks are available, and a complimentary bottle of champagne per cabin per cruise is also offered.
On the last full day of the trip there will be 3 dives before returning to port where you can enjoy a champagne party and dinner on board.

Day 19
Breakfast while in the harbour of Port Blair. Disembark at 8 am and be transferred back to your hotel or airport.

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Burma South (7 Days / 6 Nights - 18 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: High Rock, Rocky Island, 3 Islets, Black Rock, Burma Banks, Rocky Peaks, Western Rocky

Day 1
There is an early afternoon transfer from either your Phuket hotel or its airport to Ranong which is where the sleek wooden-hulled sailing yacht SY Diva Andaman awaits your arrival. After a welcome cocktail, the Thai immigration procedures to stamp you out of the country, and the safety and trip briefings are done by the tour leader, the liveaboard cruises to Kawthaung where each guest will have to go through Burmese immigration to enter Myanmar. Enjoy the buffet style dinner in the air-conditioned restaurant while cruising towards the Mergui Archipelago. Diving starts on the next day.

Days 2-6
Wake up in Burma, have a light breakfast while the dive guides get everything ready for the diving day that is about to begin: there will be 2 morning dives with a big breakfast served during the surface interval; lunch then one afternoon dive after a couple of hours of relaxation, and then a night dive. Your day of underwater fun ends with a delicious dinner where you can socialise with the other guests and the crew. Main topics of the conversations are often what you love the most: diving and marine life.
You will learn new things before the end of this unforgettable safari. Reef sharks, manta rays, green turtles, but also tons of nudibranchs, moray eels, octopus and cuttlefish will welcome you on most of the dive sites in southern Burma. A whale shark might also be one of the highlights, when the sea conditions are right.
The chef will surprise you with Thai and international dishes. Snacks and soft drinks are available, and a complimentary bottle of champagne per cabin per cruise is also offered.
On the last night of the trip the boat will return to Kawthaung.

Day 7
Breakfast will be followed by Burmese immigration procedures, then Thai immigration procedures before disembarking at 10 am in Ranong and be transferred back to your hotel or airport.

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[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].

There are 4 double bed cabins, 2 twin bed cabins and 1 Triple cabin on the Diva Andaman Phuket liveaboard. All the cabins have 2m long beds and are located on the lower deck.

Cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 9 / 9 - hot water

Crew comprises: Nitrox - 24m² dive deck and 15m² platform with fresh water shower and rinse tanks - Sea kayaks - 80m² air-conditioned restaurant on the main deck - open-air dining area on the sun deck - DVD player and screen, movie library and music system - Fish ID books, diving books, magazines and board games - 50m² shaded area - 100m² sundeck with deckchairs and sun mattresses

The excellent dining experience on this Phuket liveaboard consists of a range of both Thai and international cuisine, of a standard seldom seen on liveaboards in this area. It is served at a large communal table in the dining area, or on the sundeck, with staff on hand for drinks and additional service. Shorter trips ensure the freshest of ingredients and all snacks and soft drinks are included in the price.

• Thai and international buffets served onboard.
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served with an attendant waitress in the indoor restaurant or open air dining area.
• Biscuits, fruit, tea & coffee, drinking water, soft drinks are included free of charge. Complimentary Champagne is also served on the final evening.
• Fine wines, beers, spirits and extra champagne are available for purchase.
• Vegetarians, vegans and those with dietary restrictions can be catered for with prior notice.
• Dining service begins with lunch or dinner, depending on the cruise route.

Customer reviews:

"We can only says good things about this trip, the liveaboard boat, food, manager and the crew are excellent." - Jose Luis Calvo, Spain, 29 November 2011 ...