Gentle Giant

MV Gentle Giant is a 27m long Similans liveaboard that dives more than just the Similans. These unique 5 night cruises take in more of the best dive sites in the Andaman Sea than other boats: Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Koh Haa, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Phi Phi, King Cruiser Wreck and Shark Point.

There will be up to a maximum of 20 divers on board, staying in a range of cabins all of which are ensuite, and have seaview windows.

The main social area where guests hang out is the air-conditioned saloon where you can relax in comfort and watch movies on the 55" flat screen TV, listen to music, or browse the library of general and diving related reading materials. Outdoor social spots include the spacious partially covered sundeck which has sun mats and sun loungers for your comfort. There is also a large shaded dining area with soft bench seating where you can hang out and enjoy the fresh sea breezes.

The spacious dive deck features individual diver stations, storage spaces for your smaller pieces of equipment and rinse tanks. Additional diving facilities include the availability of nitrox and 15 litre tanks so you can maximise your underwater time on this complete Andaman Sea cruise.

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Dive experience: Advanced Open Water certification is required, or Open Water with a minimum of 30 prior logged dives.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, hot drinks, return transfers to the boat from Phuket airport/hotels, dives (as detailed in the trips above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (max 5 divers per DM), tanks, weights and weightbelts, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Dive equipment (full set US$ 15 per day), dive insurance, park fees US$ 76 (3 national parks). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash or credit card).

Optional extras: Alcoholic drinks, nitrox fills for certified divers (US$ 7 per dive), dive computer (US$ 9 per day), torch (US$ 3 per dive), 15 litre tank (US$ 9 per day). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: MV Gentle Giant Similan dive charters depart at 9-10 pm from Asia Marina in Phuket. On days of departure you will be transferred to the boat from local hotels and airport at 5-6 pm (boarding at 6-6:30 pm). The final dive will be at around 1:30 pm on the last full day of the trip. The boat will arrive back at the marina around 5 pm, and guests will arrive back at the hotels 1-2 hours later. For more details, including airlines, see our Thailand travel information section. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.

Non-diver rate: 10% off the published price.

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 85% of the published price for their own private cabin.

Dive clubs and group discounts: There is no group discount policy.

Whole boat charter rate (per night): US$ 2,919.

Similan, Richelieu Rock & Khao Lak (5 Days / 4 Nights - 14 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, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Bunsoong Wreck

Day 1
MV Gentle Giant departs in the evening from Thap Lamu pier in Khao Lak after all the guests are onboard. The tour leader will welcome you, assign you a cabin, and explain the boat features in detail and the plans for the coming days. The boat has an air-conditioned saloon with its entertainment and sound system where you can relax in the cool indoors, watching a DVD or reading. A welcome dinner will be served while the liveaboard starts its journey north in the Andaman Sea towards the Similans. After a good night's sleep in your comfortable cabin, the diving will commence the next day.

Days 2-4
The Similan Islands, consisting of 9 granite islands covered in tropical jungle and surrounded by sparkling clear blue waters, are home to some of Thailand’s finest dive sites. The underwater scenery features beautiful hard and soft coral gardens, as well as huge granite boulders and 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. You will likely dive, not only the Similans, but also Koh Bon and Koh Tachai.
Just breaking the surface at low tide, Richelieu Rock is your best chance to encounter whale sharks. Eagle and manta rays are also common visitors 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 currents, and many small species such as frogfish, ghost pipefish and seahorses hide in the cracks and crevices.
The daily routine includes a pre-breakfast before the 1st dive, a hearty breakfast when you surface, then lunch after the 2nd morning dive. Every day you will find different snacks after the 3rd dive to provide energy for the 4th (night) dive that is scheduled before dinner. Main meals are an exciting mixture of international and local Thai cuisine that are served buffet style in the open-air dining area. Red Thai curry, Massaman curry, Phad Thai, spaghetti Bolognese, steak and chips, and fresh seafood are all on the menu.

Day 5
The final day will bring your diving to an end on a high note by conducting 2 dives at sites near Khao Lak. Then Gentle Giant will make its way back to port where you will disembark the boat in the afternoon and be transferred back to your hotel.
NOte: these trips sometimes use the Asia Marina in Phuket. Please check exact port details for your trip above.

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Similan, Richelieu Rock & Hin Daeng (7 Days / 6 Nights - 22 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity

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, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Koh Haa, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Phi Phi, King Cruiser Wreck and Shark Point

Day 1
MV Gentle Giant departs in the evening from Asia Marina in Phuket after all the guests are onboard. The tour leader will welcome you, assign you a cabin, and explain the boat features in detail and the plans for the coming days. The boat has an air-conditioned saloon with its entertainment and sound system where you can relax in the cool indoors, watching a DVD or reading. A welcome dinner will be served while the liveaboard starts its journey north in the Andaman Sea towards the Similans. After a good night's sleep in your comfortable cabin, the diving will commence the next day.

Days 2-6
The Similan Islands, consisting of 9 granite islands covered in tropical jungle and surrounded by sparkling clear blue waters, are home to some of Thailand’s finest dive sites. The underwater scenery features beautiful hard and soft coral gardens, as well as huge granite boulders and 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. You will likely dive, not only the Similans, but also Koh Bon and Koh Tachai.
Just breaking the surface at low tide, Richelieu Rock is your best chance to encounter whale sharks. Eagle and manta rays are also common visitors 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 currents, and many small species such as frogfish, ghost pipefish and seahorses hide in the cracks and crevices.
After the last dive on Day 4, MV Gentle Giant will begin to travel south in the Andaman Sea. On the next day you will continue your Andaman Sea cruise by diving some of the best sites in the southern region, including Koh Haa, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, which are among the best loved sites of the region.
The daily routine includes a pre-breakfast before the 1st dive, a hearty breakfast when you surface, then lunch after the 2nd morning dive. Every day you will find different snacks after the 3rd dive to provide energy for the 4th (night) dive that is scheduled before dinner. Main meals are an exciting mixture of international and local Thai cuisine that are served buffet style in the open-air dining area. Red Thai curry, Massaman curry, Phad Thai, spaghetti Bolognese, steak and chips, and fresh seafood are all on the menu.

Day 7
The final day will bring your diving to an end on a high note by conducting 3 dives at sites including Phi Phi Island, King Cruiser Wreck and Shark Point. After the final dive, Gentle Giant will make its way back to Phuket where you will disembark the boat late afternoon and be transferred back to your hotel.

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Phi Phi islands, Hin Daeng & Hin Muang (5 Days / 4 Nights - 15 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: Koh Haa, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Phi Phi Islands: Bida Nok, Bida Nai, Kled Kaew Wreck, King Cruiser Wreck, Shark Point, Koh Dok Mai

Day 1
Join the Gentle Giant 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, Highlights might be blacktip reef sharks, barracuda, seahorses, nudibranchs, frogfish, and the tour is suitable for dives of all levels.
The trip departs in the evening from Chalong Pier in Phuket, after all guests have been collected from their hotels. The tour leader will welcome you onboard, assign a cabin to you and explain in detail the boat features and the plan for the next few days. Dinner will be served while the boat starts its journey.

Day 2-4
Each day will begin with a wake up call and a light breakfast before the first dive of the day. After a full breakfast and dive 2, lunch will be served. After dive 3, there will be snacks and relaxation time. Then there will be dinner and another sunset or night dive. Main meals are an exciting mixture of international and local Thai cuisine that are served buffet style in the open-air dining area. Red Thai curry, Massaman curry, Phad Thai, spaghetti Bolognese, steak and chips, and fresh seafood are all on the menu.
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 Ha 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.

Day 3
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.
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 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.
After dive 3, snacks will be served as the boat returns to Chalong where you will disembark the boat and be transferred back to your hotel.

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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].

1 Master double bed cabin and single bunk bed, 1 Deluxe cabin with double bed, and 8 standard twin bunk bed cabins. On the upper deck are the Master cabin and 2 Standard cabins. On the main deck are the Deluxe cabin and 6 Standard cabins.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 12 / 12 - hot water