MV South Siam III

The South Siam III serves as a mobile liveaboard dive platform stationed in the Similan Islands to which guests are transferred daily by speedboat, so you can get on or off whenever you want. No other boat offers you quite as much flexibility.

Strictly speaking, South Siam III is not a true liveaboard as it does not make a cruise, and new guests can join on a daily basis. However, it is a good option for budget travellers who are short of time and do not mind a more crowded boat. The 30 metre long Similan liveaboard boat is built to handle large numbers of divers.

There is a very big shaded area for relaxing and eating meals on the upper deck, a large sundeck with sun loungers and an air-conditioned saloon with TV/DVD and music system. All cabins have sea views and individually controlled air conditioning, they are pleasantly decorated and each bed has it's own reading lamp.

Finally, if you're a snorkeller or non-diver, the trip accommodates you equally as well as the scuba divers, and excursions onto the islands' white sand beaches are provided if you'd like to do some beachcombing.

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Dive experience: Divers need to be at least Advanced Diver certified, or have 50 logged dives with the most recent dive within 1 year. Otherwise, divers must hire a private guide or take the Advanced course 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 (Kata, Karon, Patong, Kamala, Chalong only) or Khao Lak hotels (Bang Nieng, Nangthong and Khaolak center areas only), dive insurance, dives (as detailed in the trips above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (5-6 divers per divemaster), snorkeling equipment, torch, tanks, weights and weight belt, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment rental (US$ 15 per day) to be paid in advance, towel (please bring your own), Similan and Surin park fees (to be paid in advance) at approximately USD 6 per day, with an entry fee of USD 15 per park entry. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash in THB or credit card subjected to bank fee).

Optional extras: Alcoholic drinks, dive computer (USD 12 per day), nitrox fills (available in 12 liters tank only) for enriched air certified divers (USD 9 per fill), 15 liters tank (US$ 9 per day), private guide (USD 58 per day). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash in THB or credit card subjected to bank fee). Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: The South Siam III trip to the Similan Islands starts with an early morning minibus transfer (from Phuket at 6-7 am, from Khao Lak at 7:30 am) to Khao Lak (a 2 hour journey). Boarding time is at 8:30 am, when a speed boat will take you out to the liveaboard boat (approximately 1 hour). The last dive of the tour will be at around 2 pm, and the speedboat transfer arrives back at the pier at 4:30 pm. The minibus return transfer will have you back in Phuket at 7 pm / Khao Lak at 5 pm. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving. For more details, including airlines, see our Thailand travel information section.

Non-diver rate: approx. 22% off the published price. Please ask us for more details.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travelers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of the non diver price in addition to the published price. Please ask us for more details.

Dive clubs and group discounts: None.

Whole boat charter rate (per night): This boat is not available for whole boat charter.

Similan Islands & Koh Bon (2 Days / 1 Nights - 7 Dives)

Trip highlights: 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: Similan Islands every day, except for Koh Bon on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Day 1
Your pick up is between 6-7 am if you stay in a Phuket hotel or at 07:45 hrs if in a Khao Lak hotel. Once at Thap Lamu pier in Khao Lak, a speedboat will take you to the Similan Islands where the MV South Siam is moored. Meet the crew, grab a hot drink and enjoy the welcome briefing before being assigned to your cabin. Set up your dive gear and you are ready to start having fun as there will be 4 dives around the famous dive sites of the Similans.
A continental breakfast plus Thai main meal dishes offered in buffet-style served on the upper deck will help you restoring the calories lost during the day, and also to discover more about the delicacies of the local cuisine.

Day 2
Enjoy a maximum of 3 dives around the Simians or alternatively at Koh Bon. The national park hosts breathless underwater topography and a great variety of marine life. Huge granite boulders with caverns and swim-throughs are a natural playground for enthusiastic divers who search for sharks, schools of reef fish, as well as a whole range of macro critters including countless types of nudibranchs, frogfish and pipefish. Koh Bon is famed for its frequent manta ray encounters. Koh Tachai provides an opportunity of catching glimpses of ‘big stuff’.
You will be transferred by speedboat back to Thap Lamu at 4:30 pm, then on to your hotel in Phuket or Khao Lak.
Breakfast and lunch are served on this day.

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Similan Islands, Koh Bon & Koh Tachai (3 Days / 2 Nights - 11 Dives)

Trip highlights: 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: Similan Islands every day, except for Koh Bon and Koh Tachai on Sundays

Day 1
Your pick up is between 6-7 am if you stay in a Phuket hotel or at 07:45 hrs if in a Khao Lak hotel. Once at Thap Lamu pier in Khao Lak, a speedboat will take you to the Similan Islands where the MV South Siam is moored. Meet the crew, grab a hot drink and enjoy the welcome briefing before being assigned to your cabin. Set up your dive gear and you are ready to start having fun as there will be 4 dives around the famous dive sites of the Similans.
A continental breakfast plus Thai main meal dishes offered in buffet-style served on the upper deck will help you restoring the calories lost during the day, and also to discover more about the delicacies of the local cuisine.

Day 2
Another great day of diving, with 2 morning dives followed by an afternoon dive and either a sunset or a night dive just before dinner. Diving from a liveaboard will give you the chance to explore at your leisure the sites and marine life that populate these waters: leopard sharks, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, schools of batfish, moray eels hunting or resting inside small crevices, snappers, barracuda, triggerfish, surgeonfish and unicornfish. The national park hosts breathless underwater topography and a great variety of marine life. Huge granite boulders with caverns and swim-throughs are a natural playground for enthusiastic divers who search for sharks, schools of reef fish, as well as a whole range of macro critters including countless types of nudibranchs, frogfish and pipefish. Koh Bon is famed for its frequent manta ray encounters. Koh Tachai provides an opportunity of catching glimpses of ‘big stuff’
There will also be plenty of delicious food and snacks for you to enjoy throughout the day.

Day 3
Enjoy a maximum of 3 dives around Koh Bon and Koh Tachai, before being transferred by speedboat back to Thap Lamu at 4:30 pm, then on to your hotel in Phuket or Khao Lak.
Breakfast and lunch are served on this day.

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Similan Islands (2 Days / 1 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

Day 1
Your pick up is between 6-7 am if you stay in a Phuket hotel or at 07:45 hrs if in a Khao Lak hotel. Once at Thap Lamu pier in Khao Lak, a speedboat will take you to the Similan Islands where the MV South Siam is moored. Meet the crew, grab a hot drink and enjoy the welcome briefing before being assigned to your cabin. Set up your dive gear and you are ready to start having fun as there will be 4 dives around the famous dive sites of the Similans.
A continental breakfast plus Thai main meal dishes offered in buffet-style served on the upper deck will help you restoring the calories lost during the day, and also to discover more about the delicacies of the local cuisine.

Day 2
Enjoy a maximum of 3 dives around the Simians. Diving from a liveaboard will give you the chance to explore at your leisure the sites and marine life that populate these waters: leopard sharks, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, schools of batfish, moray eels hunting or resting inside small crevices, snappers, barracuda, triggerfish, surgeonfish and unicornfish. The national park hosts breathless underwater topography and a great variety of marine life. Huge granite boulders with caverns and swim-throughs are a natural playground for enthusiastic divers who search for sharks, schools of reef fish, as well as a whole range of macro critters including countless types of nudibranchs, frogfish and pipefish.
Then be transferred by speedboat back to Thap Lamu at 4:30 pm, then on to your hotel in Phuket or Khao Lak.
Breakfast and lunch are served on this day.

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Similan, Surin Islands & Richelieu Rock (3 Days / 2 Nights - 11 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 every day, except for Koh Bon and Koh Tachai on Wednesdays and Sundays, Surin and Richelieu Rock on Mondays and Thursdays

Day 1
Your pick up is between 6-7 am if you stay in a Phuket hotel or at 07:45 hrs if in a Khao Lak hotel. Once at Thap Lamu pier in Khao Lak, a speedboat will take you to the Similan Islands where the MV South Siam is moored. Meet the crew, grab a hot drink and enjoy the welcome briefing before being assigned to your cabin. Set up your dive gear and you are ready to start having fun as there will be 4 dives around the famous dive sites of the Similans.
A continental breakfast plus Thai main meal dishes offered in buffet-style served on the upper deck will help you restoring the calories lost during the day, and also to discover more about the delicacies of the local cuisine.

Day 2
Another great day of diving, with 2 morning dives followed by an afternoon dive and either a sunset or a night dive just before dinner. Diving from a liveaboard will give you the chance to explore at your leisure the sites and marine life that populate these waters: leopard sharks, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, schools of batfish, moray eels hunting or resting inside small crevices, snappers, barracuda, triggerfish, surgeonfish and unicornfish. The national parks host breathless underwater topography and a great variety of marine life. Huge granite boulders with caverns and swim-throughs are a natural playground for enthusiastic divers who search for sharks, schools of reef fish, as well as a whole range of macro critters including countless types of nudibranchs, frogfish and pipefish.
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 guides 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’.
There will also be plenty of delicious food and snacks for you to enjoy throughout the day.

Day 3
Enjoy a maximum of 3 dives around the Simians, or at Koh Bon and Koh Tachai on Wednesdays and Sundays, before being transferred by speedboat back to Thap Lamu somewhere around 4:30 pm.
Breakfast and lunch will still be served during the day.

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Similan, Surin Islands & Richelieu Rock (4 Days / 3 Nights - 15 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 every day, except for Koh Bon and Koh Tachai on Wednesdays and Sundays, Surin and Richelieu Rock on Mondays and Thursdays

Day 1
Your pick up is between 6-7 am if you stay in a Phuket hotel or at 07:45 hrs if in a Khao Lak hotel. Once at Thap Lamu pier in Khao Lak, a speedboat will take you to the Similan Islands where the MV South Siam is moored. Meet the crew, grab a hot drink and enjoy the welcome briefing before being assigned to your cabin. Set up your dive gear and you are ready to start having fun as there will be 4 dives around the famous dive sites of the Similans.
A continental breakfast plus Thai main meal dishes offered in buffet-style served on the upper deck will help you restoring the calories lost during the day, and also to discover more about the delicacies of the local cuisine.

Days 2-3
Another great day of diving, with 2 morning dives followed by an afternoon dive and either a sunset or a night dive just before dinner. Diving from a liveaboard will give you the chance to explore at your leisure the sites and marine life that populate these waters: leopard sharks, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, schools of batfish, moray eels hunting or resting inside small crevices, snappers, barracuda, triggerfish, surgeonfish and unicornfish. The national parks host breathless underwater topography and a great variety of marine life. Huge granite boulders with caverns and swim-throughs are a natural playground for enthusiastic divers who search for sharks, schools of reef fish, as well as a whole range of macro critters including countless types of nudibranchs, frogfish and pipefish.
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 guides 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’.
There will also be plenty of delicious food and snacks for you to enjoy throughout the days.

Day 4
Enjoy a maximum of 3 dives around the Simians, or at Koh Bon and Koh Tachai on Wednesdays and Sundays, before being transferred by speedboat back to Thap Lamu somewhere around 4:30 pm.
Breakfast and lunch will still be served during the day.

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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 double bed cabins and 6 twin bed cabins on the main deck, and 6 more twin bed cabins on the lower deck of this Similan liveaboard.

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

Crew comprises: Motorised dinghy - Dive deck - Air-conditioned saloon with DVD video, music system, general and marine libraries - Sundeck with sun loungers and matresses

Dive certification course available including PADI Advanced Open Water.

Customer reviews:

"Staff was very accommodating. They took pictures of the trip at no charge. The dive staff was excellent with their briefings and the plans were always clear. " - Shannon Masel, USA, 27 November 2019 ...

"The crew was absolutely fantastic. Everyone from the boat staff to the dive staff was courteous, kind, and extremely professional, with a bit of fun mixed in too :). We felt very safe and well taken care of the whole trip." - Chris Dyer, USA, 02 December 2018 ...

"I was on SSD 3 for a two day one night trip to the similan islands. The boat and trip were well organised with good catering staff. The boat was well maintained. The group dive briefings were ok. The transfers were well organised." - Richard Chere, UK, 21 November 2018 ...

"We got a pick-up from hotel when we arrive and a drop-off to hotel after we're done with diving. The service on board is excellent. You don't need to worry about your equipment and luggage throughout the dive. It's all taken care of." - Jacky B.O.C, Canada, 28 November 2016 ...

"The SSD is operated in a very professional way, very efficient. The staff are friendly, helpful and attentive. The food is good." - William Wan, Canada, 23 January 2014 ...

"I was pleased with the operation. There were only a few issues but they were isolated incidents that didn't diminish the fact that the whole Similan dive trip was fantastic. One of the dive guides was great. One of the Thai national guides was ignorant of his divers at best. The food on the boat was excellent. The mates on the boat were excellent and the accommodations were a great value. The boat was nice and I will be taking more live-aboard trips in the future due to this positive experience (it was my first liveaboard)." - Dave Brown, USA, 14 June 2011 ...

"Clean, comfortable air conditioned cabins, hot water showers, great food, excellent dive master and friendly staff. Even though we expected it to be crowded having 28 people on the boat diving, the crew did an excellent job of staggering the dive times slightly, so we felt like we were diving by ourselves!" - Joy Kwek, Hong Kong, 18 February 2010 ...

"Staff was excellent, responsible and helpful. Equipment was very good (most likely are from Dive-The-World). Food was good and arrangement was very good, detail briefing before starting each dive." - Gilbert Lai, Hong Kong, 31 March 2009 ...

"Food was good, dive instructors were very good, their boat organisation and staff were excellent, facilities on board both boats I went on were very good in general." - John Doyle, Ireland, 2 January 2009 ...

"Excellent value for money, well organised, friendly, safety conscious and divemasters with excellent knowledge of the Similans." - Peter Chan, New Zealand, 17 March 2008 ...

"The service aboard the liveaboard boat was fantastic, the crew on board couldn't do enough for us. The dive master we had was awesome, he knew all the spots and things to see." - Peter Owens, Australia, 8 February 2008 ...

"They were on time for pick-up, were well organized in assigning different groups. Dive boat was comfortable, had shower facilities, good quality food/refreshments, etc. Ratio of DM to divers was good (in my case 1:3, but in all cases I saw, not more than 1:4). DM was energetic and enthusiastic and took time to look for interesting things and point them out." - Cynthia Dickins, HK, 31 July 2007 ...

"Obviously it was my first time to take organised trips by you and dive in Phuket. I did not understand the system initially, but I just followed as I was told. All went so smoothly. I did not feel that I had left out or anything. (I joined by myself). Quite interesting to have met people from all over the world in a way. My divemasters were very helpful. They understood my diving skills and sort of observed me well. As I am just a resort diver, I had ended up showing my buddies my uncontrolled moments (too light weights etc). Thanks to my buddies as well!" - Meiko Mazda, Japan, 10 April 2007 ...

"I had a truly wonderful experience. Everything was taken care of, and everything was great! I am so glad that I ended up going with them because it really was a fantastic experience - I didn't want to leave!! Good equipment, excellent liveaboard/room/bathrooms, and perfect weather on top of it all." - Carrie Soults, USA, 3 January 2007 ...

"Transfers were timely and efficient, the live-aboard exceeded expectation in cleanliness and facilities, the crew were truly excellent and the divemasters patient and seemingly very professional." - Ben Davies, Singapore, 6 December 2006 ...

"Transport was efficient and the service on board was excellent, and the food was great. I was extremely satisfied and have recommended the same package to several friends." - Dustin Bouwhuis, USA, 16 June 2006 ...

"Boat in good condition, good crew, place to relax both inside and outside. Great lunch, enough to drink, good help to get out of the water." - Alex Strom, Norway, 12 April 2006 ...

"I was very impressed with the 3 days on the South Siam boats. The staff were all friendly and helpful and the dive sites excellent." - Melissa Thurston, Australia, 5 April 2006 ...

"Our divemaster, 'Jos' was excellent. He took great pictures and was a classy guide under the water. The food was great and the overall experience was very memorable." - Bruce Gershenhorn, USA, 2 April 2006 ...

"The staff were very professional, especially the guide; very patient and responsible. I'll ask for the same operator and the same guide next time I book with you." - Wu Honglei, Singapore, 21 November 2005 ...

"I thought that South Siam Divers ran a first-rate operation. Andrae and Yos were very accommodating. The food was excellent and the boat crew was very attentive to our needs. Actually, I would say that they pampered us, helping us quickly into and out of our gear." - Reginald Kearney, United Kingdom, 19 October 2005 ...