Thai hospitality at its very best with a thriving marine life. - The Junk was my first time on a liveaboard and they've set the standard so high!

The boat carries upto 18 divers and we were a full house on... read more my trip. The crew on this boat goes above and beyond to make sure you're well rested, well fed and ready for the show the ocean this part of the world will put on for you.

Diving: I borrowed all my equipment on this trip and have zero complaints. Every item fit like it should and the crew would replace anything that felt even a little bit off even before asking. The crew on the Junk from Dr. Nitrox to the Cruise Director Brian (and absolutely the Dive Guides- Marco, Jai and Chok) are razor focussed on making sure you have a safe, enjoyable dive every single time. The waters are absolutely gorgeous with Richeliue Rock in particular being out of a fantasy. The visibility was excellent and marine life was so full we couldn't see past schools of fish! Expect thermocline and strong currents at almost all the dive sites but trust your dive guide. Marco was clearly very experienced and following his lead after Brian's detailed briefings allowed me to appreciate the surge diving experience. The dive groups were split up by experience to help make this easier as well. The group I was part of had 5 people ranging from 16 to 70 years old lead by Marco who is calm, knowledgeable and did everything he could to make sure we saw black tipped sharks, rays, turtles, octopii, barracuda , lion fish, scorpion fish, and appreciated the smaller wonders- schools of more fish than I can name in this review and corals.
Basically - excellent dive guides, beyond compare dive sites, great equipment for rent if you need it.

Food: The Chef and hostess are beyond compare. There's a drink each time you finish a dive and 5 meals a day. Every meal is a delicious mix of Thai and continental food with substitutions to accomodate anybody with dietary restrictions. The kitchen baked cookies are a special treat. Despite diving 4 times a day don't expect to lose weight on this trip.

Accomodation: The Junk has multiple cabin configurations. I stayed in the 3 bunk room. This wasn't a luxury cabin BUT it had everything you need. Air conditioning, clean beds, a shelf for you things, clean marine toilets and a hot water shower. The living quarters were clean and functional. Zero complaints despite sharing with strangers (who were amazing!). The community areas- sun deck, briefing room and table on Deck were great and kept dry. There's also a library on board for anybody who doesn't have a book.

The little things: My experience on The Junk was made special by the little things- the dinghey drivers who would take us to the closest drop off point and make sure we got in and out safely, the host crew who would help me with the wetsuit (bane of my life!), the numbered clips that helped keep track of my drying wet suit clothes and towels, the fresh water on the main deck to rinse off with, the focus punctuality and the dive leads' reminders to be respectful of marine life and fellow divers. Even before I started my trip Ben and Steve at the office who answered my bazillion questions from what to expect to how to get there from an island across the peninsular.

The junk was the experience of a lifetime and I couldn't recommend it more.

  The Phinisi- just fantastic!! - Just spent a week aboard The Phinisi. It was a fantastic week of incredible diving. Superb visibility at all the sites. Skilled dive guides led us on wonderful adventures! Saw... read more an incredible variety of undersea critters, many I had only seen in pictures and I have a couple decades of dive experience! On board, the food was 5-star! The crew was an absolute delight, so attentive and accommodating!! I was rocked gently to sleep each night in a beautiful, spacious, and clean cabin! Awoke to breathtaking sunrises every morning! Everything on board works perfectly and runs smoothly so all you have to do is have fun, make friends, and take pictures!! The great memories will last a lifetime!! Special thanks to Neil for running a great operation and also a special shout out to my personal dive guide Kik who pointed out all the cool creatures I certainly would have overlooked!! Best trip ever! Highly recommended!!

  A liveaboard diving trip to never forget - Wow! Great, friendly staff, beautiful and comfortable boat, great guest, exquisiet (!) food - really, and a lot - and last but not least fantastic diving. Oh, and Brian... read more did a superb job as a trip director

I definitely recommend you to book this liveaboard.

Thank you for great memories <3

  Wonderful liveaboard - Wonderful liveaboard with incredible dives (Richelieu Rock is absolutely crazy), a very nice, fun and welcoming crew. The food is awesome, the cabins are small but confortable enough, the boat... read more is beautiful. I just wish I could have stayed longer 🙂