MV Hallelujah

Hallelujah is a custom built 35 metre steel-hulled motor yacht designed for stability and comfort. The boat can accommodate up to 25 divers on 4 night liveaboard diving charters to the Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock.

Hallelujah has a large diving deck and platform, with plenty of storage space for ease and convenience. While not scuba diving, guests can relax in the air-conditioned saloon/dining area with its entertainment and sound system. The delicious buffet-style meals can be enjoyed in the indoor or open-air dining areas.

Sun worshippers can head upstairs to the huge sun deck which spans the length of the liveaboard and is equipped with chairs and loungers. This is also a great place to enjoy panoramic views of the beautiful tropical islands and watch the sun set over the turquoise sea.

All the air-conditioned guest cabins are spacious and have private en-suite bathrooms with hot water showers. They have large windows which allow guests to enjoy the stunning scenery from the comfort of their cabins as well as doors that open on to the outside of the yacht for a cooling breeze. The whole vessel is stylishly furnished with wood panelling throughout the interior. MV Hallelujah is a superb choice for top quality accommodation and great diving made easy while cruising on this Similan liveaboard.

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Dive experience: Participants are recommended to have Advanced Open Water or Adventure Deep Dive certification to get the most from the trip. Open Water certified divers must have dived within 6 months to date of departure. Otherwise, Advanced Open Water Diver course is mandatory on board.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, soft drinks, hot drinks, return transfers to the boat from Phuket hotels and airport, dives (as detailed in the trips above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (4-5 divers per DM), tanks, weights and weightbelts.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment US$ 18 per day, dive insurance, Similan and Surin park fees at approximately US$ 67 per 4 night trip. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash only).

Optional extras: Alcoholic drinks, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers (US$ 82 per 4 night trip), dive computer US$ 7 per day, 15 litre tank US$ 6 per trip, torch US$ 4 per day. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival.

How to get there: M/V Hallelujah liveaboard diving charters depart in the evening from Khao Lak. A minibus service from all hotels in Phuket to and from the boat is provided (approximately 2 hours transfer). For airport pick up, the time is at 17:30 hrs (your flight must land no later than 16:30 hrs). Boarding is at 19:00 hrs and departure from the pier at 21:00 hrs. For more information on how to get to Phuket see our Thailand travel information section. The last dive of the tour will be at around 10:00 hrs, and the boat should arrive back at the pier around 14:30 hrs. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.

Non-diver rate: 15% 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 (approximately) 75% of the published price. Please check with us.

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

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Trips departing November and April - USD 6631. Trips departing on the rest of the year- USD 7435.

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 and Khao Lak

Day 1
Mv Hallelujah departs from Tab Lamu pier in Khao Lak after all the guests have been transferred from hotels around Phuket, Khao Lak or Phuket International Airport, and are onboard. The tour leader will welcome you, assign a cabin to you and explain the boat features in detail 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 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.
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 boat has an air-conditioned saloon with its entertainment and sound system that guests can use. You will very soon get used to the daily routine that 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 main saloon or in the open-air dining area. Massaman curry, spaghetti bolognese, steak and French fries, to to name just a few options that will satisfy your appetite during the safari.

Day 5
Diving is not over yet: 2 dives at Koh Bon and/or the Bunsoong Wreck near Khao Lak before returning to Tab lamu pier. A transfer by minibus will take you back to Phuket at around 15:00 hrs.

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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].

The main deck has 2 Master queen sized bed cabins located at the bow, and 10 Standard twin bunk bed cabins. There is 1 VIP Single bed cabin located on the upper deck. All the cabins on this Similan liveaboard have en-suite (private) bathrooms with hot water showers, large sea view windows and 2 entry doors (one to the interior of the boat and one to the deck.)

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 12 / 14 - hot water

The crew of 13 comprises: Enriched air nitrox - Motorised dinghies - 53m² dive deck and platform with fresh water showers, camera table and rinse tanks - 78m² air-conditioned saloon with dining area, bar, TV, DVD player & music system - Movie library, general & fish ID books, and dive magazines - 120m² sundeck with chairs & mattresses - Water dispenser

PADI scuba certification courses available including Advanced Open Water Diver.

You won't go hungry on this Similan liveaboard as there is always plenty of delicious food served buffet-style. Both Thai and international dishes are served and cooked fresh daily. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are the 3 main meals and snacks are also on offer in the afternoon.

• Thai and international main meal dishes.
• Buffet-style service in saloon or open-air.
• Pre-breakfast, breakfast, lunch and dinner, with snacks in between.
• Coffee, tea, drinking water, fruit, toast, biscuits and cake are provided free of charge.
• Soft drinks, beer and wine are available for purchase.
• All dietary requirements can be catered for, please send prior notice.
• Dining begins with dinner on the first evening of the charter.

Sample meals: Massaman Curry (with a delicious veggie version!), Spaghetti Bolognese, home-made French fries and battered onion rings.

Customer reviews:

"Our live aboard, MV Hallelujah in the Similan Islands was excellent. The vessel was large and comfortable, the food was great ( 4 meals per day), the dive guides were fun and helpful, and the boat assistants always worked hard to make our dives as easy as possible. After each dive, we were quickly spotted by the skiff and retrieved from the water. Dive rental equipment and nitrox worked fine. The crew also kept track of my partner who did not SCUBA dive, but did snorkel at about 75% of the locations. Diving with the MV Hallelujah is highly recommended!" - Greg Ruggerone, USA, 5 December 2019 ...

"The liveaboard trip with the M/V Hallelujah was fantastic in most aspects, and I would gladly recomend this vessel to other divers thinking about doing the same cruise. I had a tiny hope of seeing whale sharks on this Similan tour... and we did!! This exeeded my expectations, and I consider my self very lucky to have seen them not only once, but three times. All in all, a great trip" - Eirik Leknes, Norway, 1 March 2014 ...

"Very well laid out boat, briefings were clear and short. All of the staff on the boat were very helpful, and knowledgeable. " - George Reeves, USA, 3 November 2011 ...