HISTORY OF THE PHINISI

 

THE INDONESIAN BUILT

CHENG I SAO

Custom-built for diving in 2007 in Indonesia, The Phinisi has quite a remarkable history. When she was launched, she was given the name ‘Sampai Jumpa Lagi’, which means ‘See you again’ in Bahasa, the Indonesian language. She started her career operating dive liveaboard cruises to the Similan Islands and the Mergui Archipelago in Myanmar from 2007 to 2009.

With the expansion of the WWDAS destinations portfolio, the yacht was then renamed ‘S/Y Siren’; the first ever yacht to bear the name of what has over time become the famous Siren Fleet!

She diverted to offer dive cruises in other wonderful destinations, such as Komodo and the Andaman Islands, on top of her existing trips.
In 2011, she relocated to the Maldives where she was given a new name: Maldives Siren. She successfully operated liveaboards around the Maldives atolls until 2014.

After leaving the Maldives and returning to Phuket, she was renamed yet again and became ‘Cheng I Sao’. Cheng I Sao was a legendary fearless female Chinese pirate roaming the Andaman Seas. Cheng I Sao took her guests to the best snorkelling sites on daily cruises, serving lunch and/or sunset dinners.
As she has been missing her scuba diving guests, we have decided to bring her back to liveaboard action as The Phinisi!
Along with The Junk, she offers unique dive liveaboard experiences in Thailand and Myanmar