The PINNACLE of our THAILAND itineraries…
The Best of Thailand
SIMILAN & SURIN ISLANDS AND KOH LIPE | KOH PHI PHI | KOH HAA | HIN DAENG & HIN MUANG
10 nights
The PINNACLE of our THAILAND itineraries…
The Best of Thailand
10 nights
JOIN US on this UNIQUE ITINERARY exploring the VERY BEST DIVING that Thailand has to offer, taking in the highlights of Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Koh Haa, Koh Phi Phi, King Cruiser, the Similan Islands and, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Koh Lipe and Richelieu Rock.
DIVING THE BEST OF THAILAND
*Combine 4 nights in Southern Thailand with 6 nights in the Similans and experience all Thailand’s diving treasures on board The Phinisi!
WHAT DO OUR GUESTS SAY?
Ten days on the Phinisi was like taking a year’s sabatical.
IanTG
I spent a week on the Phinisi and it was the best dive holiday I’ve ever been on!!
Kayla F
The diving, briefings, support and experience was magical.
Neil C
READY TO EXPERIENCE the ULTIMATE Thailand itinerary?
CLICK to go to SCHEDULE
PRO TIP – The Phinisi
Combine the Similan & Surin Islands – 6 nights, and the Southern Thailand (incl Koh Lipe) – 4 nights itineraries to make the ULTIMATE diving tour, The Best of Thailand – 10 nights
PRO TIP – The Phinisi
Combine the Similan & Surin Islands – 6 nights, and the Southern Thailand (incl Koh Lipe) – 4 nights itineraries to make the ULTIMATE diving tour, The Best of Thailand – 10 nights
We dive the following sites*
Northern Andaman
Similan Islands
Koh Bon
Koh Tachai
Richelieu Rock
Surin Islands
Southern Andaman
Koh Phi Phi
King Cruiser
Shark Point
Koh Haa
Hin Daeng & Hin Muang
*Trip itinerary subject to change without prior notice.
aboard THE PHINISI
Tradition, comfort & flexibility
Accommodation on board Thailand and Myanmar’s most iconic diving liveaboard.
The Junk proudly presents her sister boat: The Phinisi, officially known as ‘Cheng I Sao’. The Phinisi (pronounced: Pinisi) operates liveaboard cruises in Thailand and Myanmar.
While a remarkable history and character unites the two yachts, The Phinisi complements The Junk by offering a variety of itineraries in Thailand, plus another exciting destination: the Mergui Archipelago in Myanmar!
FACILITIES
Some of the most important features on the Phinisi
THE CABINS
7 aircon cabins
Individual aircon control
Ensuite bathroom with hot water
Overhead reading lights
Bath towels
Cupboards for personal items
THE DIVING
Shaded dive deck
Personal set-up area & storage crate
12l Alu-tanks, weights & belt
15l Alu/Steel-tanks*
Aqualung rental equipment*
SMB (Safety sausages)**
Personal diving/deck towel
Nitrox and Dive courses available*
THE BOAT
Fan Saloon
42″ Flatscreen TV
Library of movies, books & games
Covered outdoor & indoor dining
All meals served buffet style
Self service drinks & snacks*
Sundeck with beds
2 support RIBs
THE EXTRAS
The Phinisi boutique (Equipment/Merchandise)
Island visits
Service with a smile
TRIP INFO
It is a mandatory requirement for all divers to have insurance which covers scuba diving activities equivalent to their diving qualification, including emergency evacuation and recompression chamber costs. Please check our Insurance page for possible suitable options.
Although Marijuana has had a change in status recently here in Thailand, we don’t permit its use on board.
Airport & Transfer Info
Arrival Airport: Phuket International Airport (HKT)
Departure Airport: Phuket International Airport (HKT)
There are two possibilities for embarkation and disembarkation for this itinerary. Please be sure to confirm
your embarkation/disembarkation points when you make your booking.
Chalong to Thap Lamu
Embarkation: Chalong Pier, Phuket at 19h00
Disembarkation: Tap Lamu Pier, Khao Lak at 10h00
Thap Lamu to Chalong
Embarkation: Thap Lamu Pier, Khao Lak at 19h00
Disembarkation: Chalong Pier, Phuket at 14h00
Shared transfers between Phuket Airport, Phuket hotels or Khao Lak hotels* and the vessel, on embarkation and disembarkation day, are included in the cruise price.
Marine & Port Fees
$115 USD per person
Marine park fees can be paid in advance or on board.
Minimum dive certification and experience
Diving conditions in the Andaman Sea are generally suitable for all levels of divers. Divers who wish to join this itinerary are advised to have Advanced Open Water certification or equivalent* with a minimum of 10 logged dives and experience with diving in currents.
*Advanced Open Water course can be completed on board.
Number of scheduled dives
For this itinerary, your Cruise Director will schedule up to 33 dives.
This itinerary involves some long-distance travel. While we attempt to ensure the number of planned dives is fulfilled, bad weather and sea conditions can affect the boat’s ability to reach a specific dive site in good time and may impact the number of dives that are possible.
While we wish to show you the best diving possible, the safety of all on board remains paramount.
In the unlikely event, we are unable to reach a specified dive site; we always do our best in offering diving at alternative locations.
Safety and dive briefings are conducted in English. If you, or any of your group, do not speak or understand English, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
Example of the day-to-day schedule
A typical diving day is scheduled as follows:
Light breakfast, followed by briefing & Dive 1
Full breakfast, relaxation, followed by briefing & Dive 2
Lunch, relaxation, followed by briefing & Dive 3
Snack
Briefing for Dive 4
Dinner
Thap Lamu – Chalong
Day 1: Embarkation at 19h00 followed by briefings and dinner.
Day 2-6: Your Cruise Director will schedule up to 4 dives per day; 3 dives and a sunset, or night dive.
Day 7: No diving. Transition to South Andaman and restock.
Day 8-10: Regular diving days.
Day 11: Two morning dives before heading back to port, for disembarkation at 14:00.
Chalong – Thap Lamu
Day 1: Embarkation at 19h00 followed by briefings and dinner.
Day 2-4: Your Cruise Director will schedule up to 4 dives per day; 3 dives and a sunset or night dive.
Day 5: Two morning dives and then transition to the North Andaman.
Day 6-9: Regular diving days.
Day 10: 3 dives scheduled before heading back to port.
Day 11: Following breakfast on board, disembarkation is scheduled for between 09:30 and 10:00.
*We kindly request that guests check their flight departure times to ensure that they leave a minimum of 24 hours between their final dive and the departure of their flight. While we wish to show you the best diving possible, the safety of all on board remains paramount. In the unlikely event we cannot reach a specified dive site; we always do our best to offer diving at alternative locations.
epic! DIVE SITES
SIMILAN ISLANDS
SIMILAN ISLANDS
The above water scenery will provide stunningly beautiful white sandy beaches with small forested areas. Dive some of the following sites; Boulder City, Sharkfin Reef, Anita’s Reef, and Three Trees.
Under the surface, you may see Leopard (zebra) shark, blue spotted stingrays, clown triggerfish, rabbit fish, scorpion fish, snappers, emperor fish, giant trevally and angelfish. The coral gardens, bommies, and boulder formations are wonderful to dive.
Elephant Head Rock, visible from the surface, is the biggest pinnacle in the Similans and has some fantastic swim-throughs. Whitetip reef sharks, batfish, trevally and barracuda can often be seen on the perimeter of the boulders. If you look closely in the cracks and in the rubble you can see smashing mantis shrimp, porcelain crab, moray eels and cleaner shrimp.
There are also sites dominated by huge granite boulders such as Deep Six, Christmas Point, and North Point where you can see white tip reef sharks, schooling giant trevally, and schools of neon fusiliers.
KOH BON
This is generally the most likely place to see manta rays on our Similans itinerary. You are also likely to see Napoleon wrasse, sweetlips, octopus, bluefin trevally, giant moray eels, great barracudas, fire dart goby, spiny lobster, and nudibranchs of many types. The dive sites vary from wall diving to gently sloping reefs and from submerged boulders to coral gardens.
Diving on the West Ridge can be an adrenaline-filled drift, with amazing views, while the North Reef is a gentler experience over a hard coral garden.
KOH TACHAI
This island is famous for its pinnacle dive site, known by many as Twin Peaks, as well as more relaxed reef diving on the North Reef and South Reef. Normally, turtles, barracuda, pipefish, and nudibranchs can be found here. There is also a chance to see bigger species in this area like manta rays and whale sharks, especially from late January until April.
SURIN ISLANDS
SURIN ISLANDS
The topside scenery of Koh Surin, with evergreen forests, mangroves, and small beaches, surpasses even that of the picturesque Similan Islands.Underwater the reefs of Surin offer some of the greatest hard coral diversity in Thailand.
Across sites like Torinla Pinnacle, Hin Kong, and Turtle Ledges you are likely to see Napoleon wrasse, yellow-masked angelfish, bumphead parrotfish, tomato anemonefish and barramundi, as well as lots of turtles that still come ashore in this area to lay their eggs.
Due to the remoteness, not many liveaboard boats visit these islands and you will be able to enjoy the dive sites without sharing them with tourist hordes.
RICHELIEU ROCK
This limestone pinnacle was named after former Danish Naval Officer, Andreas Richelieu, who eventually became the only foreign born commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy to date, appointed by King Chulalongkorn. One of Richelieu’s tasks was to modernise the outdated Navy charts, and as he had become such an influential and important figure, this potentially hazardous-to-ships rock that poked out from sea at low tide, east of the Surin Islands, was eventually named after him.
Barely breaking the surface at low tide, this horseshoe-shaped outcropping slopes steeply to a sandy bottom at 18 to 35 meters (60-120 Ft). This site offers great diversity for such a small and isolated spot. It also offers excellent multi-level diving and, because it’s a high-profile reef, there are always sheltered areas to hide from the current.
The marine life is prolific and includes amongst, many other things; pharaoh cuttlefish, large octopuses, all 5 varieties of anemone fish of the Andaman Sea, a variety of moray eels, ornate ghost pipefish, smashing mantis shrimps, harlequin shrimps, tigertail seahorses, Spanish mackerel, frogfish, many schooling snappers and occasional sightings of manta rays and whale sharks.
SOUTHERN THAILAND
KOH LIPE
This beautiful, pristine island near Langkawi Island and the Malaysian border harbours some amazing dive sites such as: Stonehenge & 8 Mile Rock.
Stonehenge is a vibrant pinnacle densely covered in soft corals. Look out in the blue for Schools of barracudas, trevallies and yellow snappers. Smaller creatures include seahorse, varieties of shrimp, crab, nudibranchs. Find the masters of camouflage: stonefish or scorpionfish. As this site is very exposed, strong currents are common and can be expected. It also means that diving Stonehenge, as well as 8 Mile Rock below, depends on local weather conditions and that it is not always possible.
8 Mile Rock is a world class submerged pinnacle located about 8 miles south of Koh Lipe. Many a large pelagic can be spotted cruising by: devil, manta and eagle rays are among the usual suspects. Other highlights include leopard sharks, giant barracudas and big groupers. When you are really lucky you may even see a whale shark on your dive! The pinnacle reaches up from the ocean floor at about 50m to 15m under the surface. It’s a soft coral paradise: purple, blue and red soft tree coral pop up everywhere. A great variety of reef species can be found here in great abundance and size.
KOH HAA
Possibly some of the most underrated diving in the whole of Thailand, Moo Koh Haa (literally ‘five island group’) sits almost halfway between Hin Daeng and Phi Phi and is part of the Koh Lanta National Marine Park. There are actually several dive sites around Ko Haa but the highlights are Ko Haa Lagoon, Ko Haa Neua, and Ko Haa Yai.
Around these amazing islands you can see pinnacles, walls, boulders, caverns, and swim-throughs. Ko Haa lagoon is ideal for night dives, courses, and snorkeling, while The Chimney and The Cathedral offer things that you cannot see on other Thailand liveaboard itineraries with caverns, swim-throughs and chambers all over the sites. Ko Haa has varied marine life too, with ornate ghost pipefish, morays eels, octopus, hawksbill turtles, sea horses, marble rays, and sometimes even leopard sharks.
HIN DEANG & HIN MUANG
These two sites are pinnacles (translating directly as Red Rock and Purple Rock) in the open ocean, reaching down to over 70m, and are best known for manta ray and whale shark encounters. Whether these are sighted or not, the sites also offer giant moray eels, pharaoh cuttlefish, schooling rainbow runners and snappers, barracudas, groupers, fusiliers, and bluefin trevally. On the pinnacles, there are fields of Magnificent Anemones, walls of Hemprics soft corals, and huge gorgonian sea fans. Almost perpetual good visibility and dramatic topography combined with huge fish numbers makes for excellent liveaboard diving.
KING CRUISER
The King Cruiser was a car ferry that used to travel between Phi Phi and Phuket. In 1997, ‘the cruiser’ hit Anemone Reef on her crossing and sank a short distance away. No lives were lost, but divers were left with a great wreck dive! While she is largely broken up now, she is covered in soft corals and hides some wonderful gems, as well as being home to several large schools of snappers. While currents can be strong and visibility sometimes challenging, this is a great site to dive as part of an Advanced Open Water course.
SHARK POINT & ANEMONE REEF
These pinnacles are part of the same reef system and are only a very short distance apart from each other. Both sites are covered with colourful soft corals and anemones with a variety of fish to suit all divers. From barracuda to seahorses and for the lucky ones of course, the iconic leopard shark!
KOH PHI PHI
Laying in Phang-Nga bay about 45km east of Phuket and 30km southwest of Krabi, two breathtaking limestone islands make up the greater part of Moo Koh Phi Phi; the largest island of Phi Phi Don being a few kilometres north of Phi Phi Lae. Limestone cliffs rise vertically into the sky, where the trees take over. There are many beaches, coves, and bays which make for dramatic scenery to enjoy during surface intervals.
There are many, many dive sites around the Phi Phi island group, many consisting of wall dives, the limestone dropping to depth ranges between 10m and 25m. The walls can have gorgonian fans, soft corals and coral bushes and interesting rock formations and swim throughs. At the base of these walls there are often hard coral gardens to explore. You can expect a great amount of fish life, including lionfish, wrasse, Moorish idols, angelfish, rays, trevallies. Also keep an eye out for leopard sharks sleeping on the sandy bottoms or blacktip reef sharks cruising the reefs. Turtles can also quite commonly be seen here. Lastly, check the fans and bushes for tigertail seahorses and harlequin ghost pipefish.
Upcoming cruises…
THE PHINISI
The PHINISI – NOTE – Combine the Similan & Surin Islands – 6 nights, and the Southern Thailand (incl Koh Lipe) – 4 nights itineraries to make the ULTIMATE diving tour, The Best of Thailand – 10 nights