MV Giamani

Since 2007, the imposing figure of the MV Giamani, an internationally-owned Phuket liveaboard, has been operating dive trips in Thailand and Myanmar.

Accommodating a maximum of 10 scuba divers, the high-bowed Giamani is very spacious and there is always plenty of room for the guests to find their own space. The cabins are all air conditioned with sea view windows and are comfortable and tastefully furnished. The 4 Deluxe cabins are en-suite and 1 Master double/twin cabin are all air-conditioned and have ensuite bathroom facilities.

You can choose to spend your relaxation time in the air-con lounge which is fully equipped with all the entertainment facilities you could wish for including TV, DVD player, music system and library. If you prefer to hang out in the open air, cooled by the sea breezes, then you can either sit in the shade in the liveaboard's roomy outdoor dining area on the upper deck or head to the bow and catch some rays on the sundeck.

The dive deck is spacious and the boat features separate camera rinse tanks and a camera table, so it's ideal for serious underwater photographers. Firmly established as a leading light in the Phuket liveaboard scene, the steel hulled MV Giamani could be a great choice for you.

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Notes: The 6 night trips visit the Hin Daeng, Hin Muang and Phi Phi area, stop at Chalong pier and then proceed to the Similan islands.

Dive experience: Participants are recommended to have PADI Advanced Open Water or Adventure Deep Dive certification to get the most from the trip. Certified divers who have not dived for more than 2 years are strongly recommended to hire a private dive guide.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, soft drinks, hot drinks, dives (as detailed in the trips above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (max. 5 divers per guide), dive insurance, tanks, weights and weightbelts, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (US$ 23 per day) to be paid in advance, dive computer (US$ 9per day), Similan, Surin and Koh Haa park fees at approximately US$ 6 per day, with an entry fee of US$ 15 per park, dive insurance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival.

Optional extras: Scheduled transfers to the boat from Phuket airport and hotels (approx. US$ 15 per person per way), alcoholic drinks, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers (approx. US$ 9 per fill), torch (US$ 3per day), 15 litre tank (US$ 9per 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: M/V Giamani liveaboard trips depart in the late afternoon from Phuket (boarding 15:30-16:00 hrs). A minibus service from all hotels on the island or Phuket Airport to and from the boat can be arranged. For more details, including airlines, see our Thailand travel information section. The last dive of the trip will be at 18:00 hrs on the 3 night Phi Phi itinerary and the 7 night Similan itinerary, no later than 13:00 on the 2 night Hin Daeng itinerary, and no later than 09:30 hrs on the Similan itinerary. The boat returns to port and disembarks at 15:30-16:30 hrs, apart from the 7 night Similan itinerary (returns to port early morning and disembarks at 09:00 hrs). 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): Add the non-diver price to the published price.

Dive clubs and group discounts: See whole boat charter rate below.

Whole boat charter rate (per night): 10% off the published price.

Phi Phi islands, Hin Daeng & Hin Muang (3 Days / 2 Nights - 7 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: Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Koh Ha, Phi Phi Islands, Shark Point and Koh Dok Mai

Day 1
The MV Giamani departs in the late afternoon from Chalong pier. A transfer from Phuket hotels to the yacht can be arranged for you. The liveaboard will leave port and head to Koh Ha while the guests are having dinner., which will be choices from local Thai cuisine and international favourites. The tour leader will give a briefing about the boat amenities, an overview of the diving safari, and introduce the professional crew that will do all in their power to deliver a great tour. Be assigned to your cabin and spend the rest of the evening getting to know everyone onboard. Diving will begin on the next day.

Day 2
Your diving experience begins with a check-out dive near Koh Ha, where 2 huge 2 huge open caves are the highlights. The eastern cave is the deepest, starting at 15m.
A substantial breakfast with cooked choices will be served while the boat cruises to Hin Daeng, which is another great dive spot. It is a submerged boulder pinnacle covered with healthy soft corals in various shades of red. A lot of fish action takes place here when the current attracts marine life to the rock, including manta rays and even whale sharks. Schools of reef fish seem to be everywhere, giving great opportunities for some amazing underwater pictures. Lunch is served buffet style on the upper deck and in large portions.
An afternoon dive is scheduled at Hin Muang, while the sunset dive could be a repetition of either Hin Daeng or Hin Muang. Hin Muang's main feature are the purple soft corals and anemones which cover most of the rock. You can discover a great variety of marine marvels in just one dive here, from reef sharks to tiny harlequin shrimps. A short cruise to the Phi Phi islands will follow as you are having dinner. The boat will moor in a secluded bay from where you can enjoy a sky filled with countless stars and the peace around you.

Day 3
Wake up on the final day to hot drinks and cookies before getting ready for an early morning dive at either Koh Bida Nok or Koh Bida Nai at Phi Phi. The next 2 dives will be on the way to Phuket. The boat will then cruise back to Chalong to disembark the guests in the afternoon.

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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 Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Khao Lak: Sea Chart Wreck. Premchai Wreck

Day 1
The MV Giamani departs in the late afternoon from Chalong pier. A transfer from Phuket hotels to the yacht can be arranged for you. The liveaboard will leave port and head overnight to the Similan Islands while the guests are having dinner, which will be choices from local Thai cuisine and international favourites. The tour leader will give a briefing about the boat amenities, an overview of the diving safari, and introduce the professional crew that will do all in their power to deliver a great tour. Be assigned to your cabin and spend the rest of the evening getting to know everyone onboard. Diving will begin on the next day.

Days 2-4
The Similan National Park, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock will be your underwater playground for the next 3 days of diving. Enjoy the swim-throughs between huge submerged boulders that characterise the Similans. Expect encounters with whitetip reef sharks, leopard sharks, nurse sharks, turtles, schools of sweetlips, and smaller delights such as the Similan Islands jawfish and mantis shrimps. Koh Bon is where you have the best chance to see manta rays, while Richelieu Rock will leave you speechless with its abundance of marine life and an opportunity to encounter whale sharks.
The daily schedule begins with a wake up call at 6:30 am and a light breakfast of hot drinks and cookies, followed by an early morning dive. A substantial breakfast with cooked choices will then be served, followed by the second dive. An afternoon dive is scheduled after lunch which is served buffet style on the upper deck and in large portions, while the sunset dive will take place just before dinner at 7 pm.
The last night of the safari will be spent cruising towards Khao Lak.

Day 5
Wake up with breakfast and get ready for another great day of diving, as there will still be 2 more scheduled dives around Khao Lak before reaching Chalong pier in the late afternoon.

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Similan, Surin Islands & Richelieu Rock (7 Days / 6 Nights - 20 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 Islands, Surin Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock

Day 1
The MV Giamani departs in the late afternoon from Chalong pier. A transfer from Phuket hotels to the yacht can be arranged for you. The liveaboard will leave port and head overnight to the Similan Islands while the guests are having dinner, which will be choices from local Thai cuisine and international favourites. The tour leader will give a briefing about the boat amenities, an overview of the diving safari, and introduce the professional crew that will do all in their power to deliver a great tour. Be assigned to your cabin and spend the rest of the evening getting to know everyone onboard. Diving will begin on the next day.

Days 2-6
The Similan and Surin national parks will be your underwater playground for the next week of diving. 9 granite islands covered in tropical jungle and surrounded by sparkling clear blue waters, the Similan Islands are by far the most spectacular dive destination in Thailand. The underwater scenery features some 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 reefs teeming with marine life.
Healthy reefs await your arrival at the Surin islands, 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. Just breaking the surface at low tide, 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 guide 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. Koh Bon and Koh Tachai will provide extra opportunities of catching glimpses of ‘big stuff.
The daily schedule begins with a wake up call at 6:30 am and a light breakfast of hot drinks and cookies, followed by an early morning dive. A substantial breakfast with cooked choices will then be served, followed by the second dive. An afternoon dive is scheduled after lunch which is served buffet style on the upper deck and in large portions, while the sunset dive will take place just before dinner at 7 pm.
The last night of the safari will be spent cruising back to port.

Day 7
Wake up for a final breakfast then disembark and continue with your travel plans..

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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 Deluxe double/twin bunk cabins on the middle deck, and 1 Master double/twin cabin on the upper deck. All beds are 220 x 70 cm.

The spacious Master cabin is on the upper deck, has a sofa-bed to allow for twin sharing.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 5 / 5 - hot water

The liveaboard crew comprises: Enriched air nitrox available - Motorised dinghy - 30m² diving deck & 4m² platform with shower - camera table and rinse tank - air-conditioned saloon with bar, TV, video and music - limited internet/email usage - movie library, fish books and diving magazines - upper deck shaded dining area - sundeck with sun mattresses

PADI certification courses including Advanced Open Water Diver, EANx, Deep Diver and Underwater Digital Photography.

All food onboard the MV Giamani liveaboard is served buffet style and in large portions! You can expect a mouth-watering range of food including the best of the local Thai dishes as well as international favourites, such as steaks, pasta and fresh crispy salads.

The ice maker means that you will never go without chilled liquid refreshment, and you can watch the sun go down over remote Burmese waters with a delicious ice cream.

• Thai, Italian and international meals.
• Open-air buffet-style dining on the upper deck.
• Coffee, tea, drinking water, fruit and biscuits are provided free of charge.
• Soft drinks, wine and beers are also available.
• The dining service begins with dinner on the first evening of the cruise.
• Operator rates their dining as very important.

Customer reviews:

"Fantastic trip - loved every minute of it Dive The World helped to find the correct experience, all good." - Anthony DeCerce, Italy, 22 February 2023 ...

"Fransecso and Alla were great dive masters, overall the trip was excellent!!! Great food & knowledgeable staff. No issues at all." - Geoff Korinetz, Canada, 23 June 2018 ...

"I have physical challenges and the dive and boat crew cheerfully assisted me so that I could dive and photograph underwater comfortably and safely. The crew director, Ricardo and my dive guide, Guido were especially kind and attentive to my needs." - Howard Chew, USA, 1 January 2018 ...

"We had an excellent crew and dive master (Ricardo) on this boat, everyone very friendly and helpful! The organization of the trip, food, diving, etc was admirable good. We had a cabin with own bathroom and this was very comfortable and clean. :)" - Sien Van Liefferinge, Belgium, 20 April 2014 ...

"Everything about the trip was beyond expectations. The liveaboard boat was safe and in excellent condition. The cabins were clean and comfortable. Food was excellent, especially considering the allergies. Staff was superb - Ricardo in particular was deserving of praise. On top of that, the diving was even better. Some tough current on a few of the dives, and one was cancelled due to the tsunami warning. But 2 manta rays on Koh Bon was worth it! Eagle ray following that ... but no whalesharks (Please speak with your boss about that)." - Jeff Gepner, USA, 24 April 2012 ...

"I had a great trip on board of the MV Giamani, really excellent! The staff (both Thai crew and dive staff) were extremely friendly and professional. The choices of the Phuket dive sites, the briefings, and the guides were all great. The food was good, but could maybe use a little bit less oil ... taste is great though. The boat was in very good condition, and the dive deck was tidy, spacious, and operated efficiently." - Thierry Rakotoarivelo, Australia, 23 November 2010 ...

"I wanted to let you know that I was very impressed with the crew and dive personnel on the Giamani. I had a great time and would give them a big Excellent." - Daniel Stoughton, USA, 7 April 2010 ...

"Staff were pleasant and helpful, food was good, simple, tasty. The boat is well laid out. The instructor was very knowledgeable about the Similan dive sites, and fastidious regarding safety, conservation and maintenance." - Philip Harvey, Hong Kong, 3 January 2008 ...