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Luctor et Emergo – How The Junk Liveaboards sailed through Covid times and beyond

Luctor et Emergo – How The Junk Liveaboards sailed through Covid times and beyond

by Renske | Oct 11, 2021 | Uncategorized

When Covid 19 became known to the world late in 2019, no one could have suspected the immense impact this pandemic would have on countless economies and industries worldwide. One of the most affected sectors is tourism: both international and domestic. This is mainly...

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What Do Our Guests Say?

star rating  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 🙂

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jeandaniela2013
February 9, 2023

star rating  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.

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589sitaram
April 9, 2023

star rating  The Phinisi, Thailand, March, 2023 - This was my second liveaboard (the other being the Bahamas Master back in September). The experience of both was similar certainly when it comes to the degree of care... read more and the quality of meals provided by staff.

Simply outstanding!

You do not need to worry about staying well fed on these trips, which is a necessary condition when you are going to be scuba diving 3 or 4 times a day. And snacks are always at the ready if you get hungry in between scheduled meals.

They have a nice set up on board, with an organization that is efficient and effective, getting you where you need to be at the right time. They've certainly taken some of the labour out of scuba diving in that they ready your tanks and have your BCD all set up and ready to go. The only thing remaining for you to do, apart from getting your gear on, is to check your Nitrox mix, which, again, they organize seamlessly. A gentleman with whom I was diving was able to put his gear on AFTER he'd got into the dingy that was taking us out to the dive sites. The dive master and the crew on the dingies were masterful in handling this task, as well as getting us on and off the ship, which can be tricky with the swell. They came up with a nice system to ensure that no one blows out a knee or something like that.

There was plenty of space to relax and unwind between dives, whether you're compiling your photo albums or just want to listen to music or read. I slept on deck a few times as I'm more sensitive than I would like to be to AC. I definitely appreciated this option. Things are a little tight if you're sharing a quad, which I was doing, but my roommates were very accommodating and we got along just fine. I really enjoyed chatting and diving with them. In fact, that goes for everyone on board.

I wanted to send out a special thanks to my dive master - Dui - who really took good care of me, a less experienced diver than many of the others on board. He was a total gentleman and an absolute pleasure to dive with.

I'll finish with a word about the diving. Visibility was an issue sometimes when we were in the southern islands. That's to be expected as so much depends on currents, which are beyond anyone's control. I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent visibility when we headed north, and yes, as was mentioned by one of my diving buddies in another review, Richelieu Rock was simply a magical place. The marine life was coming at us in droves from all directions and is, by far, the best site I have visited in my 90-dive diving career. It will always be the highlight of the trip for me when I think back. I was so happy that we spent some time there and did more than 1 dive. It was too good not to!

I guess that's about it. Thanks to all for a wonderful experience!

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johnfP5055BV
April 7, 2023

star rating  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!!

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DiverJen671
February 20, 2023

star rating  Brilliant Junk dive trip - Absolutely brilliant dive trip on The Junk. The diving was varied -some dramatic and visually stunning and others calm and serene. Richelieu Rock was as stunning as expected- abundance of... read more sealife, beautiful soft corals. Dive crew and boat crew were incredibly helpful and they worked hard to make our trip as enjoyable as possible. Food was delicious. A very well run operation where guest safety and enjoyment is clearly paramount. It was my second trip on The Junk, and I would happy do a third.

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Vicki H
April 28, 2023

star rating  Amazing! - Spending 6 days on The Junk was one of the best dive experiences I've had. The diving is beautiful, with healthy reefs and an abundance of fish and marine life,... read more and the sites we visited were quiet and didn't have tonnes of other divers on them (with the exception of Richelieu Rock, but that was still fantastic). The boat itself is also great - really comfortable, great bunks, hot showers, places to relax, and plenty of room for gear and kitting up.

What really made the experience great though was the people. The crew and dive staff were all amazing - friendly, welcoming, smiling, knowledgeable - their attitude was infectious and it made for such a wonderful week! I honestly don't have any bad thing to say about The Junk, and I'd love to do the whole thing over again one day!

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Elle S
February 23, 2023

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© The Junk Liveaboards

Tel/Line/WhatsApp: +66 (0)810 142 748

Email: info@thejunk.com

Traveller's choice TripAdvisor

Leave us a review!

10/510-512 Moo 3 Kwang Road
Chalong, Tambon Vichit
Phuket 83000
Thailand

© The Junk Liveaboards

Tel/Line/WhatsApp: +66 (0)810 142 748

Email: info@thejunk.com

Traveller's choice TripAdvisor

Leave us a review!

10/510-512 Moo 3 Kwang Road
Chalong, Tambon Vichit
Phuket 83000
Thailand

© The Junk Liveaboards

Tel/Line/WhatsApp: +66 (0)810 142 748

Email: info@thejunk.com

Traveller's choice TripAdvisor

Leave us a review!

10/510-512 Moo 3 Kwang Road
Chalong, Tambon Vichit
Phuket 83000
Thailand

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