MV Blue Dolphin Liveaboard Itinerary

What to Expect on a Similan islands Liveaboard

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MV Blue Dolphin Liveaboard Itinerary

The following itinerary depends on weather, sea and diving conditions. Times, activities and dive sites are subject to change at the discretion of the Blue Dolphin tour leader.

All of our liveaboard guests will be picked up at their hotel or at the airport in the afternoon. To avoid a long taxi journey we recommend staying in Khao Lak. You will be taken to our pier at 19:00 to board the Blue Dolphin. We typically depart at 21:00, after a full boat briefing and a hearty dinner. Guests usually spend the time after dinner getting to know their fellow diving buddies that they will be spending the next 4 days with. Then your Similan Islands liveaboard adventure can begin.

DAY 1

06:30 Wake up call
07:00 Hideaway Bay/Tuna Wreck
08:45 Breakfast
11:00 West of Eden
13:00 Lunch
14:30 Three Trees/Breakfast Bend
16:00 Snack
16:30 Beach visit
18:30 Aow Khon Gair
20:00 Dinner

DAY 2

06:30 Wake up call
07:00 X-mas Point
08:30 Breakfast
10:30 Koh Bon
12:00 Lunch
13:30 Koh Tachai Pinnacle
15:30 Snack
17:00 Koh Tachai Pinnacle
19:30 Dinner

DAY 3

06:30 Wake up call
07:00 Surin Islands
09:30 Breakfast
11:00 Richelieu Rock
12:30 Lunch
14:00 Richelieu Rock
15:30 Snack
17:00 Richelieu Rock
19:30 Dinner

DAY 4

06:30 Wake up call
07:00 Koh Bon
08:30 Breakfast
09:30 Group Photo
11:00 Koh Bon or Local Wrecks
13:00 Lunch
14:30 Arrive at Tap Lamu Pier

WHAT TO EXPECT

WAKE UP

Every day at 06:30 you will be woken by a gentle knock from our dive crew. Wake yourself up properly with some fresh coffee and a light breakfast. You will be greeted by the staff and a full dive safety briefing informing you of all the procedures for our Similan liveaboard is then carried out by the tour leader. The boat crew are there to help you in to your equipment and get you into our dinghy’s or the water.

DIVE 1

Finding yourself immersed in the clear, warm tropical waters of Thailand is the best way to wake up.

Dive groups are a maximum of 4 people, unless friends request to dive together.

All good dive operators should do a check dive. This gives us the opportunity to check the divers in each group are well matched in terms of ability and air consumption.

Towards the end of this and every dive your group will complete a safety stop, surface and indicate to our dingy drivers that you’re ready to be picked up. Once we have picked you up, you will be returned to the Mv Blue Dolphin. No surface swims, ever.

Similan Islands

BREAKFAST

Once back on board, our staff will help you out of your equipment and place it in the racks for you. You can grab a quick freshwater rinse from the shower on deck and then head up to the outdoor eating areas where a hot buffet breakfast awaits you. The deck crew will fill your tanks, while you eat.

Breakfast all finished, there is plenty of time to relax or to tweak a few things with your set-up or cameras.

Some guests prefer to stay out of the heat and spend their time in the air-conditioned lounge looking at the pristine beaches from a comfortable distance.
Sun worshipers may decide to their time on the sun deck. Others may prefer just to stay in the shaded areas reading or relaxing with the other passengers.

DIVE 2

Dive 2 is usually at about 11:00. Groups might be reorganised to put divers of similar skill levels together, based on observations from the check dive. Obviously we never split up people who want to dive together.

As the groups are usually all sorted by this point, we can have a bit more fun diving the rest of the Similan Islands. As the liveaboard trip progresses we may get to sites with more current (especially around full moon). However, current brings lots of nutrients to the Similans and this attracts the bigger marine life.

Every day we will get a little bit shallower on each dive of the liveaboard itinerary. If you really want to explore the deepest and best parts of all the dive sites in the Similan Islands, then consider diving on Nitrox. This will give you a lot more flexibility with your dive profiles.

Leopard Shark in the Similan Islands

LUNCH

A delicious buffet lunch is served after dive two. Our chef’s serve a variety of Asian and Western dishes. The menu changes for every meal on every day often leaving you spoilt for choice.

DIVE 3

Dive three is between 13:00 and 14:00.
Day 1 we can climb up to the famous viewpoint at Donald Duck bay on Similan Island #8. If you were looking for a new profile picture, look no further than the view from sail rock.

By the time you reach day 2, you will have left the Similan Islands and started heading up to the more Northern dive sites like Koh Bon, Koh Tachai Pinnacle and Richelieu Rock.

This is where the diving can really start to get interesting. At these sights you are more likely to see the much larger pelagic marine life. Look out for Manta Rays, Whale Sharks or other sharks.

The best time of year to spot Manta Rays is usually between February and April. However they can appear at any time of year.  Whale sharks are more random but remember, the ocean is not a zoo!

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray at Koh Bon Pinnacle

SNACK

For anyone that is still hungry, an afternoon snack is served at around 16:00.

Our wonderful cooks love trying new things so there is always a range of food to choose from. Dishes include Mango and sticky rice, pizza, sushi and a large selection of fresh fruits.

DIVE 4

Night Diving

If you are interested in night diving then please let us know.  We can then schedule on for day one. For anyone who is not an advanced diver. Why not do your Night Adventure Dive , or ask us about becoming an advanced diver. If night diving isn’t your thing, don’t worry, sunset diving is an option also.

Sunset Diving

For the rest of the trip we will do sunset dives. Sunset dives can be the highlight of the trip as the feeding frenzies often happen just before the sun goes down. The sunset dive at Koh Tachai Pinnacle is a real favourite for the diving staff and something to look forward to.

A Porcelain Crab catching food at Koh Bon

DINNER

After the night dive, dinner is served. Some people then head straight to their cabins, others prefer to relax on deck while having a beer and talking about the days diving and what they hope is in store for rest of the trip.

MV Blue Dolphin Liveaboard Itinerary Info

Similan liveaboard group photo trip 26

As is typical on a four day cruise, there is no beach visit on Day 3. By this point we will most likely be all the way out at Richelieu Rock.
Giving you more time to just relax on the boat. This is where having a nice big liveaboard really comes in to its own. Plenty of relaxation time around the Blue Dolphin so you can really enjoy the magical Richelieu Rock.

The Final Day

On the final day of our Similan Islands cruise, we do 2 final dives and then return to our pier around 14:30. Get your last few photos (including the big group photo). Exchange emails or social media details with your new found dive buddies. Then finally, after some goodbyes, we take you back to your hotel.

What to Expect?

This is a rough example of how our Similan Islands liveaboard operates. Each individual trip can change slightly as we may change one or two dive sites depending on what is currently around or conditions.

It is important to realise that year by year the reef in the Similan Islands changes. Our experienced dive guides know the area very well and will always try and take you to the best spots possible.

How Can We Help?

At Big Blue Diving Khao Lak, we try to provide you with all the information you need to make sure your diving holiday is everything you expect it to be. If there is any information about the MV Blue Dolphin, the Similan Islands or about Liveaboard diving in general, please feel free to ask. Just email us.

Yellow dolphin logo

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    Est. 2003 Big Blue Diving