MV Oktavia

MV Oktavia is a 30 metre motor yacht that runs short Similans liveaboard diving trips. The standard trip is 5 nights but you can join for just 2 or 3 night via speedboat transfer.

On board there can be up to 20 guests enjoying the best dive sites of the Andaman Sea, being looked after by 14 crew members. Popular with young international divers, various languages are spoken on board this Phuket liveaboard.

The guests mix in the open air saloon and dining area on the upper deck and on the sun-deck which is partially shaded. Known for its fun and laid-back atmosphere, the Oktavia also functions well as a dive boat with nitrox available and a dive deck with rinse tanks and fresh water showers. A range of PADI courses are also available to be taken on board.

Cabins are mostly standard twin or double beds on the main deck with shared bathrooms, but there are 2 very large Master cabins on the upper deck which have en-suite bathrooms. MV Oktavia is not a luxury liveaboard option but with plenty of comfortable seating space, a large sun deck, nitrox and more, it certainly has the features of a value-for-money Thailand diving cruise option within its price range.

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Dive experience: Participants need to be at least Advanced Diver certified. Otherwise Adventure Deep Diver course is mandatory on board.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, hot drinks, Khao Lak transfers to/from the boat (available for 2 and 5 night trips only), 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 (approx. US$ 20 per day), Similan and Surin park fees at approximately US$ 6 per day, with an entry fee of US$ 15 per park. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash only).

Optional extras: Phuket hotels/airport transfers to/from the boat, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers, diving computer, dive insurance, Master cabin surcharge. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival.

How to get there: Most MV Oktavia liveaboard trips depart from Khao Lak at 18:30 hrs, while the shorter trips start with an 08:00 hrs speedboat transfer to reach MV Oktavia when it is moored in the Similans. A transfer service from all hotels in Khao Lak, Phuket or Phuket Airport is provided. Pick-up: Phuket - 14:30-16:00 hrs (05:30 am for short trips), Khao Lak - 16:45-17:15 hrs. Boarding is at 17:30 hrs.
The last dive of the cruise will be at around 14:30 hrs, and Oktavia arrive back at the pier at 18:00 hrs. Return: Phuket - 19:30-20:30 hrs, Khao Lak - 18:15-18:45 hrs. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving. For more information see our Thailand travel information section.

Non-diver rate: 25% off the published price (except 12.5% off the published price for 2 nights Similan Islands & Khao Lak itinerary).

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): Add 33% to the published price of a standard cabin.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for at least 10 guests on the same cruise and receive a customised discount on the normal rates. Please check with us for more details.

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Ask us. Price excludes the use of Master cabins and divemasters service fees. For alternative trip prices, please check with us.
Full boat charter is not available for the following trips on the 2017-2018 Season: Nov 23-28 (Thanksgiving); Dec 17-22; Dec 23-28; Dec 29-Jan 3; Jan 4-9 (Christmas & NY Period); Jan 28-Feb 2 (Chinese New Year); April 16-20 (Easter Holidays)

Similan, Richelieu Rock & Khao Lak (6 Days / 5 Nights - 19 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
An afternoon pick up from any Phuket or Khao Lak hotel on departure day can be arranged for you. MV Oktavia will leave Tap Lamu pier at around 18:00 hrs, once all guests are on board. A welcome briefing will help you on familiarizing with the boat and its skilled crew. There will be some paperwork to fill in and sign, while dinner will be served at around sunset in the open-air dining area of the upper deck.
Buffet-style meals are enjoyed in the dining area of the upper deck, starting each morning with a pre-breakfast before the first dive. A cooked breakfast and lunch will also take place before dives, while dinner will follow afternoon snacks and the night dive. Tea, coffee, drinking water and fruit are available free of charge all day. The menu is varied and features a lot of Thai cuisine such as curries and noodle-based dishes. The curries are always extremely popular: chicken Masaman. beef Panang, red spicy curry with vegetables or pad Thai and fried noodles in case you wish to avoid hot spicy food.
You will probably already be in bed when the liveaboard reaches the Similan Islands National Park at midnight.

Days 2-5
Each Similan island has its own local name but they are usually named by numbers that you will soon become familiar with. The diving will start in the south of island number 4 and gradually head north to island number 9. It will surely be a fun day of diving. Marine life is abundant, featuring various species of reef fish, moray eels, scorpionfish, octopus, cuttlefish, as well as schools of pelagic hunters like giant trevally, dogtooth tuna and reef sharks. Keep your fingers crossed as there might even be a manta ray or whale shark passing by, especially during the first months of the year.
Expect some great days of diving, with Richelieu Rock being one of Thailand´s top dive sites, characterized by several pinnacles that attract schools of barracuda, snapper, sweetlips and trevallies. A multitude of colorful soft and hard corals, gigantic sea fans, sea anemones are home for clownfish, frogfish, harlequin shrimp, nudibranchs, pipefish and seahorses. Always keep your eye out for whale sharks and manta rays that are often sighted here.
Koh Bon is a fascinating rock island with a scenic ridge stretching from the middle of the island down into the sea. This is where manta rays are more often seen, feeding on nutrients brought by the currents or getting cleaned by cleaner wrasse that live here in large numbers. Just off Koh Tachai Island there are a couple of submerged pinnacles with that are often visited by larger marine creatures and big schools of barracuda and batfish.

Day 6
2 morning dives will probably done at Koh Bon and Koh Tachai pinnacle, while a 3rd dive in the afternoon will take place on the way to Khao Lak, on the Boonsung Wreck that sunk in 1985 and it is now colonized by clouds of snapper, fusiliers, batfish, and trevallies. Crocodilefish, stonefish, scorpionfish, lionfish, ornate ghost pipefish and different nudibranchs can also be found on the sandy bottom which is very shallow, at only 20m. Expect to disembark in Khao Lak at around 17:00 hrs and be transferred to your Khao Lak or Phuket hotel.

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Similan, Richelieu Rock & Khao Lak (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: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock and Khao Lak.

Day 1
An afternoon pick up from any Phuket or Khao Lak hotel on departure day can be arranged for you. MV Oktavia will leave Tap Lamu pier at around 18:00 hrs, once all guests are on board. A welcome briefing will help you on familiarizing with the boat and its skilled crew. There will be some paperwork to fill in and sign, while dinner will be served at around sunset in the open-air dining area of the upper deck.
Buffet-style meals are enjoyed in the dining area of the upper deck, starting each morning with a pre-breakfast before the first dive. A cooked breakfast and lunch will also take place before dives, while dinner will follow afternoon snacks and the night dive. Tea, coffee, drinking water and fruit are available free of charge all day. The menu is varied and features a lot of Thai cuisine such as curries and noodle-based dishes. The curries are always extremely popular: chicken Masaman. beef Panang, red spicy curry with vegetables or pad Thai and fried noodles in case you wish to avoid hot spicy food.
You will probably already be in bed when the liveaboard reaches the Similan Islands National Park at midnight.

Days 2-4
Each Similan island has its own local name but they are usually named by numbers that you will soon become familiar with. The diving will start in the south of island number 4 and gradually head north to island number 9. It will surely be a fun day of diving. Marine life is abundant, featuring various species of reef fish, moray eels, scorpionfish, octopus, cuttlefish, as well as schools of pelagic hunters like giant trevally, dogtooth tuna and reef sharks. Keep your fingers crossed as there might even be a manta ray or whale shark passing by, especially during the first months of the year.
Expect some great days of diving, with Richelieu Rock being one of Thailand´s top dive sites, characterized by several pinnacles that attract schools of barracuda, snapper, sweetlips and trevallies. A multitude of colorful soft and hard corals, gigantic sea fans, sea anemones are home for clownfish, frogfish, harlequin shrimp, nudibranchs, pipefish and seahorses. Always keep your eye out for whale sharks and manta rays that are often sighted here.
Koh Bon is a fascinating rock island with a scenic ridge stretching from the middle of the island down into the sea. This is where manta rays are more often seen, feeding on nutrients brought by the currents or getting cleaned by cleaner wrasse that live here in large numbers. Just off Koh Tachai Island there are a couple of submerged pinnacles with that are often visited by larger marine creatures and big schools of barracuda and batfish.
Buffet-style meals are enjoyed in the dining area of the upper deck, starting each morning with a pre-breakfast before the first dive. A cooked breakfast and lunch will also take place before dives, while dinner will follow afternoon snacks and the night dive. Tea, coffee, drinking water and fruit are available free of charge all day. The menu is varied and features a lot of Thai cuisine such as curries and noodle-based dishes. The curries are always extremely popular: chicken Masaman. beef Panang, red spicy curry with vegetables or pad Thai and fried noodles in case you wish to avoid hot spicy food.

Day 5
2 morning dives will probably done at Koh Bon and Koh Tachai pinnacle, while a 3rd dive in the afternoon will take place on the way to Khao Lak, on the Boonsung Wreck that sunk in 1985 and it is now colonized by clouds of snapper, fusiliers, batfish, and trevallies. Crocodilefish, stonefish, scorpionfish, lionfish, ornate ghost pipefish and different nudibranchs can also be found on the sandy bottom which is very shallow, at only 20m. Expect to disembark in Khao Lak at around 17:00 hrs and be transferred to your Khao Lak or Phuket hotel.

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Koh Bon, Koh Tachai & Richelieu Rock (3 Days / 2 Nights - 10 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, 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: Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock

Day 1
A free pick up from any Khao Lak hotel at around 07:00 hrs on departure day can be arranged for you. A speed boat transfer scheduled at 08:00 hrs will take you onboard Oktavia where you can enjoy breakfast and then get ready for your 1st dive of the safari at Koh Bon. Koh Bon is a fascinating rock island with a scenic ridge stretching from the middle of the island down into the sea. This is where manta rays are more often seen, feeding on nutrients brought by the currents or getting cleaned by cleaner wrasse that live here in large numbers. A 2nd dive after lunch will also be conducted at Koh Bon, while the sunset dive will be at Koh Tachai island, in a small bay on the west side which is also where the liveaboard will stop for the night. Dinner will come next.

Days 2
Another great day of diving is about to begin, with 2 or 3 dives at Richelieu Rock (sometimes the 3rd dive is done at Koh Tachai instead, especially when conditions at Richelieu are not right) and a night dive again in the bay near Koh Tachai. Richelieu Rock is one of Thailand´s top dive sites, characterized by several pinnacles that attract schools of barracuda, snapper, sweetlips and trevallies. A multitude of colourful soft and hard corals, gigantic sea fans, and sea anemones that are home to clownfish, frogfish, harlequin shrimp, nudibranchs, pipefish and seahorses. Always keep your eye out for whale sharks and manta rays that are often sighted here. Just off Koh Tachai Island there are a couple of submerged pinnacles that are often visited by larger marine creatures and big schools of barracuda and batfish.
Buffet-style meals are enjoyed in the dining area of the upper deck, starting each morning with a pre-breakfast before the first dive. A cooked breakfast and lunch will also take place before dives, while dinner will follow afternoon snacks and the night dive. Tea, coffee, drinking water and fruit are available free of charge all day. The menu is varied and features a lot of Thai cuisine such as curries and noodle-based dishes. The curries are always extremely popular: chicken Masaman. beef Panang, red spicy curry with vegetables or pad Thai and fried noodles in case you wish to avoid hot spicy food.

Day 3
2 morning dives will probably done at Koh Bon and Koh Tachai pinnacle, while a 3rd dive in the afternoon will take place on the way to Khao Lak, on the Boonsung Wreck that sunk in 1985 and it is now colonized by clouds of snapper, fusiliers, batfish, and trevallies. Crocodilefish, stonefish, scorpionfish, lionfish, ornate ghost pipefish and different nudibranchs can also be found on the sandy bottom which is very shallow, at only 20m. Expect to disembark in Khao Lak at around 17:00 hrs and be transferred to your Khao Lak hotel.

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Similan Islands & Khao Lak (3 Days / 2 Nights - 7 Dives)

Trip highlights: turtles, 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: Similan Islands and Khao Lak

Day 1
A free pick up from any Khao Lak hotel on departure day can be arranged for you. MV Oktavia will leave Tap Lamu pier at around 18:00 hrs, once all guests are on board. A welcome briefing will help you on familiarizing with the boat and its skilled crew. There will be some paperwork to fill in and sign, while dinner will be served at around sunset, in the open-air dining area of the upper deck. You will probably already be in bed when the liveaboard reaches the Similan Islands National Park at midnight.

Day 2
Each Similan island has its own local name but they are usually named by a number that you will soon become familiar with. The diving will start in the south of island number 4 and gradually head north to island number 9. It will surely be a fun day of diving. Marine life is abundant, featuring various species of reef fish, moray eels, scorpionfish, octopus, cuttlefish, as well as schools of pelagic hunters like giant trevally, dogtooth tuna and reef sharks. Keep your fingers crossed as there might even be a manta ray or whale shark passing by, especially during the first months of the year.
Buffet-style meals are enjoyed in the dining area of the upper deck, starting each morning with a pre-breakfast before the first dive. A cooked breakfast and lunch will also take place before dives, while dinner will follow afternoon snacks and the night dive. Tea, coffee, drinking water and fruit are available free of charge all day. The menu is varied and features a lot of Thai cuisine such as curries and noodle-based dishes. The curries are always extremely popular: chicken Masaman. beef Panang, red spicy curry with vegetables or pad Thai and fried noodles in case you wish to avoid hot spicy food.

Day 3
2 morning dives and an afternoon dive will take place on the way to Khao Lak, including diving the Boonsung Wreck that sunk in 1985 and is now colonized by clouds of snappers, fusiliers, batfish, and trevallies. Crocodilefish, stonefish, scorpionfish, lionfish, ornate ghost pipefish and different nudibranchs can also be found on the sandy bottom which is very shallow, at only 20m. Expect to disembark in Khao Lak at around 17:00 hrs and be transferred to your Khao Lak 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].

There are 2 Master cabins with en-suite private bathrooms on the upper deck and 12 Standard double bed and twin bunk bed cabins on the main deck with shared bathrooms. The Master cabins are spacious and have additional lounge chairs, desks, and hardwood flooring.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 6 / 9 - hot water

The crew of 14 comprises: Enriched air nitrox - 24m² dive deck & 10m² platform with showers and rinse tanks - 78m² upper deck social and dining area with bar, TV, video, music and computer - Movie and book library, fish ID books, diving magazines & games - 65m² partially shaded sundeck with sun mattresses & chairs - Water dispenser

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

Buffet-style meals are enjoyed in the open-air dining area of the upper deck, starting each morning with a pre-breakfast before the first dive. A cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner follow with an afternoon snack.

The menu is varied and features a lot of Thai cuisine such as curries and noodle-based dishes.

• Thai and international meals, with 4 different dishes per sitting.
• Open-air buffet-style dining on the upper deck.
• Pre-breakfast, breakfast, lunch, dinner with snacks in between.
• Coffee, tea, drinking water, fruit, toast and biscuits are provided free of charge.
• Soft drinks and beers are also available for purchase.
• Vegetarians, halaal and special diets catered for.
• The dining service begins with dinner on the first evening of the liveaboard cruise.
• Operator rates their dining as very high! - safety is top but guest comfort is second.

Sample dishes: Chicken massaman curry, Beef Panang Curry, Red curry with vegetables, Phad Thai vegetables, Chicken wings, Green curry with tofu and pineapple, Chicken with cashew nuts, Sweet n sour coconut milk chicken, afternoon pancakes ...

Customer reviews:

"All Thai staffs were fantastic. Great and appropriate amount of food, trip to the island on a daily basis. Facility and friendliness of staffs were superb." - Asuma Imamura, Japan, 30 April 2014 ...

"Good food, good equipment, ok boat, helpful dive staff and nice diving." - Abhjit, India, 7 May 2013 ...

"Very Good. The cabins were clean and comfortable. The restrooms were shared and could have been kept cleaner but OK. The staff were excellent, helpful, and knowledgeable. both boat staff and PADI instructors . The students were also helpful.
The entire crew took care and caution to ensure everyone had fun on board, that everyone had a safe dive and that everyone needs were accommodated whether food, extra towel, equipment operability etc. I will recommend the dive boat to all my friends and associates." - Leah Ballantyne, Canada, 3 May 2013 ...

"Excellent service at all times - the boat crew were always friendly and constantly looking to help us into and out of our dive kit; guides were knowledgable, calm and in control, allowing us to enjoy the dives and marine life. Hire equipment was all fine and air fills consistent. The food was of an extremely high standard, on time soon after every dive and there was more than we were able to eat!" - Jonathan Ho, UK, 27 March 2013 ...

"Very professional and friendly divemasters (ours was Branko Milovanovic). They are very strict about protecting the marine environment (I'm not used to this, having dived only with Singaporean divemasters who are considerably more laissez faire with divers handling marine life). Still, I appreciate their concern for marine life and environment and I have learnt to share this respect for marine life as well! The liveaboard crew was excellent as well. The land transfer service was very good - punctual and very value for money." - Shawn Ang, Singapore, 9 March 2012 ...