mv smiling seahorse, Thailand

Thailand, Andaman Sea North & South (3-8 Nights) | From $192++/night

mv smiling seahorse Quick Pitch

Launched in 2018, the MV Smiling Seahorse is unique compared to other liveaboards in the Thai region as most operators deciding to convert liveaboards from old fishing vessels. The MV Smiling Seahorse, however, was specially built and designed by divers for divers, creating a vessel that is sure to cater to all of one's diving needs while also providing spacious and comfortable accommodations.

Why You'll Like mv smiling seahorse

• Luxurious diving liveaboard
• Unique and novel itineraries for exploring the Andaman Sea
• Spacious top deck with outdoor living room
• Diving deck with specialized areas
• Photography room
• Nitrox
• Only boat in the area offering Black Water dives

Dive Overview

The Andaman Sea side of Thailand offers the best diving. That’s basically all the way down the west coast of Thailand from the border with Burma to the border with Malaysia. That area includes Koh Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Krabi, Koh Lanta, Koh Taratuo, the Similan Islands, Surin Islands, Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon, and Koh Tachai. The best time to dive this area is during the northeast monsoon from November to April although many areas can be dived year-round. 

[See: Thailand Dive Travel Guide]

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Accommodations

Types of Cabins, Amenities and Photos

mv smiling seahorse Accommodation Details

Guests aboard the MV Smiling Seahorse can choose among the Standard Cabins, Deluxe Cabins, and Master Cabins. All the cabins are fully air-conditioned and offer an amazing view of the sea. A maximum of 16 guests can be accommodated comfortably.

The Standard Cabins are located on the upper deck. The cabins can be configured with a double bed and upper storage shelf or with two single bunk beds which are more suited for friends traveling together. There are also two large cubbies for extra storage. There are a total of two Standard Cabins for guests located towards the front of the boat.

The Deluxe Cabins are almost identical to the Standard Cabins, but come complete with an ensuite bathroom. There are four Deluxe Cabins, and they are located on the main deck.

The Master Cabins are also located on the main deck, towards the front of the boat. Ideal for couples who want a more intimate and romantic setting, these rooms come with a breathtaking panoramic view of the horizon. The two Master Cabins also come complete with an ensuite bathroom.

Standard and Deluxe Cabins with a Double Bed (L) & Two Single Beds (R)

Deluxe Cabin w/ Ensuite Bathroom (L) & Master Cabin w/ Ensuite Bathroom (R)

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General Facilities

mv smiling seahorse Boat Features

• Sun deck with shaded areas
• Outdoor dining
• Comfortable lounge zone
• Restaurant
• Audio and visual entertainment
• Kayak on board (free of charge)

mv smiling seahorse Dive Facilities

• Dive deck with specialized areas
• Photography room
• Camera rinsing tanks
• Charging stations
• Editing stations
• Fish ID/ Marine Biology library
• Nitrox
• Dive tender
• Shared bathrooms for guests in the Standard Cabins

Food & Drinks Aboard mv smiling seahorse

• Delicious Western and Thai food
• 4 meals per day ​(breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner)
• Vegetarian and any special diet catered for
• Unlimited soft drinks and electrolytes included
• Bar with beer and wine available for purchase
• Snacks, fruits, and refreshments available 24hrs
• BBQ night on every cruise 

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mv smiling seahorse Liveaboard Deck Plan

Upper Deck 

Main Deck 

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Schedule, Rates & AVailability

MV Smiling Seahorse Rates

Prices are in USD and can be subject to change based on exchange rates. Rates are also per person and do not include marine park & port fees.

Special expeditions available: Black Water, Photo Clinic & Manta expedition. Read more about the exciting special expeditions from here.

[See also: Inclusions & Exclusions]

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Inclusions

• Full accommodation and board  (Breakfast, Lunch, afternoon bites, Dinner) 
• All soft drinks, drinking water, filter coffee & tea
• Fresh fruits, yogurt & snacks 
• 12 Liter Alum. Cylinders, Weights & Weight Belt 
• PADI Professional Dive Guide 
• Towel, shower gel
• Sea kayak and hammock 

Exclusions

• Marine Park Fee (from 1000-2600THB / diver depending on the itinerary)
• Personal Insurance (Compulsory)
• Alcoholic drinks and cigarettes 
• Equipment rental (600 THB/ day) 
• Computer rental (300 THB/day) 
• PADI Courses
• Nitrox: 250 THB/tank or 1100 THB for the whole cruise
• Transfers to and from Ranong on demand (prices)

RATES & AVAILABILITY

For more information on other departure dates, rates, and on availability email us at info@bluewaterdivetravel.com or call us at +1-310-915-6677 and we will gladly help you plan your dream dive vacation!

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Dive Information & Destinations

Diving in Thailand for 3 days and 2 nights - Surin islands and Richelieu Rock

Thailand still counts some of the best dive sites in the world and this trip offers just the very best of Thailand over the weekend! This itinerary allows you to dive into the best dive sites in just a weekend!

• Day 1: Meeting time in our Dive Shop from 7.00-9.00 where we will have time to try wetsuits before we go to our boat MV Smiling Seahorse. 
• (PS there is an early flight from Bangkok with NOK AIR reaching Ranong on time).
• ​We will leave from Ranong around 10.00. It’s also possible to get picked up at Koh Phayam around 12.00. After everybody is on board we will leave for Surin Island, where we will be able to do our check-up dive, before a night dive. 
• Day 2: Richelieu Rock, is always listed in the top 10 dive sites in the world! It can be described as a big aquarium. Here we find more or less everything … ​Richelieu Rock is one of the places in Thailand to see Whale Sharks but also seahorses, ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimps, and plenty of kinky cuttlefish action. We will make 3-day dives here and 1 sunset dive followed by our infamous BBQ night...!​
• Day 3: A full day dedicated to desaturation in order to allow you to take the evening flight back to Bangkok. 
• Cruising slowly back to Ranong we will do some beach hopping, kayaking, and snorkeling... We will be back in Ranong by 5.00 pm leaving you plenty of time to catch the NokAir flight to Bangkok taking off at 7.55 pm.

Diving in Thailand for 4 days and 4 nights

Best of Thailand Dive Cruise: Surin, Koh Tachai, Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock

This itinerary has been designed as the ultimate long weekend diving gateway in Thailand!

Departure Day: Meeting time in our Dive Shop 14.00-16.00 where we will have time to try wetsuits before we go to our boat MV Smiling Seahorse. We will leave from Ranong around 17.00. It’s also possible to get picked up at Koh Phayam around 18.00. After everybody is on board we will leave for Surin Island.

Day 1: 

The first day will be concentrated around Surin Island. This National Park is not dived by many other boats but it is a very good spot for macro life such as ghost pipefish, frogfish, and nudibranchs and the first place where we can see Whale Sharks and Mantas. There are also many Jenkins Stingray, sweetlips, potatoes groupers, and Barracudas around and the regular sighting of Humphead Parrotfish, Eagle Ray, and Reef Sharks.
• We will do 2 morning dives in the north of Surin Island and go down to the southern part of Surin national park in the afternoon… We will visit the Sea Gypsies village and ends the day with a night dive around 19.00.​
• There is an opportunity to see Jenkins Stingray, Napoleon fish, a lot of sweetlips, Barracudas, Humphead Parrotfish, Manta Ray, Eagle Ray, Reef Sharks, and plenty of nudis, etc.
• Day 2: At Koh Bon, we will make 2 dives, one at the ridge and one at Koh Bon Pinnacle. The main attraction here is Manta Rays but when they are not around, there is plenty of tropical fish to look at and it is not uncommon to end the dive in a tornado of barracudas.
• For the afternoon, we will go dive Koh Tachai Pinnacle, a very fishy dive site with schooling barracudas, trevallies, sweetlips, and batfishes. This is also a good spot to see whale sharks so keep your eyelids peeled! We usually plan a sunset dive at Tachai Pinnacle to watch the fish hunting action before the night. After the sunset dive, it's time for our infamous BBQ...
• Day 3: Richelieu Rock, is listed in the top 10 dive sites in the world! It can be described as a big aquarium. Here we find more or less everything … ​Richelieu Rock is one of the places in Thailand to see Whale Sharks but also seahorses and plenty of kinky cuttlefish action. We will make 4 dives on this stunning dive site before heading back to Ranong. 
• ​Day 4: Desaturation day on the beach or in Ranong.
• ​We can drop you off at Koh Phayam early morning for a day unwinding on a stunning beach or bring you back straight to Ranong (around 9-10 am)
• If you decide to stay on Koh Phayam, there are many speed boats that can bring you back to Ranong in 45 minutes to be on time for an evening flight back to Ranong. And for the lucky ones who can spend an extra day, you could also spend the night in one of its lovely beach bungalows.
• If you prefer to come back to Ranong you can go explore the hot springs or discover its delicious southern cuisine or awesome massages!

Diving in Thailand for 4D/3N morning to morning

Best of Thailand Dive Cruise: Surin, Koh Tachai, Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock

This itinerary has been designed as the ultimate long weekend diving gateway in Thailand!  Either from Thursday morning to Sunday morning (with possible flight back to Ranong on Sunday evening) or from Friday morning to Monday morning (and you can work remotely on Monday before heading back)

• Day 1: You can take the early Nok Air flight at 6 am from Bangkok landing in Ranong at 7h35am. We can then pick you up from Ranong airport and bring you straight onboard for departure. We will cruise nicely and have breakfast and lunch on board before the first dive in Surin islands national park in the afternoon followed by a night dive at 7 pm before dinner.
• Surin Island is not dived by many other boats but it is a very good spot for macro life such as ghost pipefish, frogfish, and nudibranchs.
• There is an opportunity to see Jenkins Stingray, Napoleon fish, a lot of sweetlips, Barracudas, Humphead Parrotfish, Manta Ray, Eagle Ray, Reef Sharks, etc...
• After dinner on board, we will leave for Koh Bon.
• Day 2: At Koh Bon, we will make 2 dives, one at the ridge and one at Koh Bon Pinnacle. The main attraction here is Manta Rays but when they are not around, there is plenty of tropical fish to look at. There is also a very good chance for Whale Shark and Zebra Sharks. 
• Then we will go dive Koh Tachai Pinnacle, a very fishy dive site with schooling barracudas, trevallies, sweetlips, and batfishes. This is also a good spot to see whale sharks so keep your eyelids peeled! 
• After the night dive, it's time for our infamous BBQ...
• Day 3: Richelieu Rock, is listed in the top 10 dive sites in the world! It can be described as a big aquarium. Here we find more or less everything … ​Richelieu Rock is one of the places in Thailand to see Whale Sharks but also seahorses and plenty of kinky cuttlefish action. We will make 4 dives here starting very early before we are heading back to Ranong.
• ​Day 4: Desaturation day on the beach or in Ranong.
• We can drop you off at Koh Phayam early morning for a day unwinding on a stunning beach or bring you back straight to Ranong. 
• If you decide to stay on Koh Phayam, there are many speed boats that can bring you back to Ranong in 45 minutes to be on time for an evening flight back to Ranong. And for the lucky ones who can spend an extra day, you could also spend the night in one of its lovely beach bungalows.
• If you prefer to come back to Ranong you can go explore the hot springs or discover its delicious southern cuisine or awesome massages!

Diving in Thailand for 5 days and 4 nights

Best of Thailand Dive Cruise: Surin, Similan and Richelieu Rock 

Thailand still counts some of the best dive sites in the world and this trip offers just the best Thailand has to offer!

• Day 1: Meeting time in our Dive Shop 12.00-14.00 where we will have time to try wetsuits before we go to our boat MV Smiling Seahorse.
• ​We will leave from Ranong around 15.00. It’s also possible to get picked up at Koh Phayam around 18.00. After everybody is on board we will leave for Surin Island.
• Day 2: The first day will be concentrated around Surin Island.
• Surin Island is not dived by many other boats but it is a very good spot for macro life such as ghost pipefish, frogfish, and nudibranchs and the first place where we can see Whale Sharks and Mantas. There are also many Jenkins Stingray, sweetlips, and Barracudas around and the regular sighting of Humphead Parrotfish, Eagle Ray, and Reef Sharks.
• We will start out at Koh Chi in the north of Surin Island and go down to the southern part of Surin Island where we will make 4 quite enjoyable drift dives… We sometimes go visit the Sea Gypsies on Surin Island. The night dive will be around 19.00.
• There is an opportunity to see Jenkins Stingray, Napoleon fish, a lot of sweetlips, Barracudas, Humphead Parrotfish, Manta Ray, Eagle Ray, zebra sharks, etc.
• After dinner on board, we will leave for Koh Bon.
• Day 3: At Koh Bon, we will make 2 dives, one at the ridge and one at Koh Bon Pinnacle. The main attraction here is Manta Rays but when they are not around, there is plenty of tropical fish to look at. There is also a very good chance for Whale Shark and Zebra Sharks.
• At Koh Bon, we will make 2 dives, one at the ridge and one at Koh Bon Pinnacle. Koh Bon is a well-known cleaning site for Manta Rays and the site most frequented by them in Thailand. There is also a very good chance to spot a Zebra Shark on the pinnacle. For the afternoon dive, we will go south to another dive site in Similan National Park. Your cruise director will choose from various dive sites in the Northern part of the Similan Islands and we will keep in touch with another boat if Mantas or Whale sharks have been sighted in the last few days. ​
• You will love the view from the boat on some idyllic islands with a lush green forest surrounded by white sand beaches, the visibility is usually very nice on Similan islands and we hope to spot leopard sharks, blue-spotted stingray, school of snappers and fusiliers, emperor fish, clown triggerfish, and more tropical colorful fish as well as some Moray eels, turtles and mantis shrimps living in the rocky areas.​  Whale sharks are also commonly spotted there so keep an eye being your head for a gentle giant passing above!
• Day 4: We are going further south to the Similan islands with the famous dives sites Elephant Head, Donald Duck Bay, Deep six, west of Eden, Rocky Point, and Anita's reef. Good chances there to spot whale sharks, turtles, Manta, reef sharks, Napoleons... 
• Then dive Koh Tachai Pinnacle where we usually have a very fishy dive: barracudas, trevallies, sweetlips, batfish a very nice dive spot. Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock are the best places to see whale sharks so keep your eyes open!
• Day 5: 3 dives on ​Richelieu Rock, is always listed in the top 10 dive sites in the world! And you will quickly understand why! Not only is it a great place to see Whale Sharks but it can also be described as a big aquarium with more or less everything ​from seahorses to jackfish and plenty of kinky cuttlefish action.
• ​We will make 3 dives here starting very early before we are heading back to Ranong. We will arrive at Koh Phayam around 06:00 pm and Ranong at 08.00 pm.

Diving in Thailand for 7 days and 6 nights

DIVE ALL OF Surin, Similan and Richelieu Rock

Thailand still counts some of the best dive sites in the world and this trip offers just the best Thailand has to offer!

• Day 1: Meeting time in our Dive Shop 12.00-14.00 where we will have time to try wetsuits before we go to our boat MV Smiling Seahorse.
• ​We will leave from Ranong around 15.00. It’s also possible to get picked up at Koh Phayam around 18.00. After everybody is on board we will leave for Surin Island.
• Day 2: The first day will be concentrated around Surin Island. We will start out at Koh Chi in the north of Surin Island and go down to the southern part of Surin Island where we will make 2 quite enjoyable drift dives… After the third dive, we sometimes go visit the Sea Gypsies on Surin Island. The night dive will be around 19.00.
• There is an opportunity to see Jenkins Stingray, Napoleon fish, a lot of sweetlips, Barracudas, Humphead Parrotfish, Manta Ray, Eagle Ray, Reef Sharks, etc...
• After dinner on board, we will leave for Koh Bon.
• Day 3: At Koh Bon, we will make 2 dives, one at the ridge and one at Koh Bon Pinnacle. The main attraction here is Manta Rays but when they are not around, there is plenty of tropical fish to look at. There is also a very good chance for Whale Shark and Zebra Sharks. After playing with Manta’s we will go south to another dive site in Similan National Park. Your cruise director will choose from various dive sites in the Northern part of the Similan Islands. You will love the view from the boat on some idyllic islands with a lush green forest surrounded by white sand beaches. Here we dive for the usually great viz and hope to spot leopard sharks, blue-spotted stingray, school of snappers and fusiliers, emperor fish, clown triggerfish, and more tropical colorful fish as well as some Moray eels, turtles, and mantis shrimps living in the rocky areas.​  
• Day 4 & 5: we are going further south to the Similan islands with the famous dives sites Elephant Head, Donald Duck Bay, Deep six, west of Eden, Rocky Point, and Anita's reef. Good chances there to spot whale sharks, turtles, mantas, reef sharks, Napoleons... After the night dive, it's time for our infamous BBQ night...!
• Day 6: Koh Tachai Pinnacle where we usually have a very fishy dive: barracudas, trevallies, sweetlips, batfish a very nice dive spot. This is also a good place to see whale sharks so keep your eyelids peeled! 
• Day 7: Richelieu Rock, is always listed in the top 10 dive sites in the world! It can be described as a big aquarium. Here we find more or less everything … ​Richelieu Rock is one of the places in Thailand to see Whale Sharks but also seahorses and plenty of kinky cuttlefish action. We will make 3 dives here starting very early before we are heading back to Ranong. We will arrive at Koh Phayam around 06:00 pm and Ranong at 08.00 pm.

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Other Information

Boat Specifications

• Built: 2018
• Length: 25 meters
• Breadth: 6.4 metres
• Hull: Steel
• Maximum number of guests: 16

Practical Information

• Time Zone: UTC+7
• Local Currency: THB (Thai Baht)
• Language Spoken: English
• Electricity: 220V
• Payment Onboard: Cash (THB and USD)

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Underwater Gallery 

Coming soon!

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