Go diving on a liveaboard in Thailand

MV Explorer Liveaboard

We offer some of the best liveaboard diving trips anywhere in Thailand when you stay onboard our MV Explorer. The MV Explorer will run 3day / 3-night, 5-day / 5-night, 8-day / 8-night and 13-day / 13-night trips, so there is something to suit everyone.

sunset-dinving-boat-khao-lak

Best Liveaboard Diving to  the Similan Islands and Beyond

Designed by divers, for divers

Best Liveaboard Diving to  the Similan Islands and Beyond.
Designed by divers, for divers!
Join a liveaboard trip and dive into the world-famous Similan Islands, Richelieu Rock, and more…..

We  operate our unique liveaboard boat, the MV Explorer. The boat has been refurbished in 2023. We run liveaboard trips to Thailand’s top dive sites: the Similan Islands, Surin Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, and Richelieu Rock. The MV Eplorer runs 3-day and 5-day trips but you can also put trips back-to-back to make a 8-day package or three trips back-to-back to make an 13-day adventure (with a discounted price)!

Whether you are a scuba diver, a freediver, or a snorkeler you are sure to find the perfect trip to suit your schedule and budget.

diver-sea-dragon-scuba-center-khao-lak
sunset-dinving-boat-khao-lak-similan-island

3 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS
MV EXPLORER

9 dives incl 1x night dive

Our 3-day/3-night trip visits the more adventurous dive sites in the north:

 

  • Koh Tachai – There are several dive sites on this island. From gentle reefs to rock walls, plus one of the most impressive dive sites in Thailand. Between January and May, manta rays or whale sharks sometimes visit to feed on the rich currents.
  • Surin Islands – picturesque and quiet, close to the border with Myanmar. Five islands with a variety of granite boulder sites and superb coral reefs. Plus stunning beaches and great snorkeling in the shallows.
  • Richelieu Rock – a submerged pinnacle in the middle of nowhere. This dive site is legendary for first-class diving and the diversity of fish life. With the possibility of a whale shark or seahorses, if you’re lucky!

3-day/3-night liveaboard
9 dives incl 1x night dive
Beach visit

diving-course-on-liveaboard

5 DAYS / 5 NIGHTS
MV EXPLORER

16 dives incl night dive

Join our 5-day/5-night trip and visit ALL the top dive sites in the area:

 

  • Similan Islands – 9 islands spread over 22km. Divers & snorkellers all love the coral reefs, granite boulders & white sand beaches.
  • Koh Bon – pretty soft corals & hard coral reef at this limestone island. Manta rays may visit between January and May. One of Thailand’s top dive sites.
  • Koh Tachai – colorful corals, huge sea fans, and lots of fish. Sometimes visited by manta rays or whale sharks (Jan-May, unpredictable). A fantastic dive site.
  • Surin Islands – quiet, beautiful, with coral reefs, granite boulder sites & stunning beaches. Great snorkeling and diving.
  • Richelieu Rock – world-famous and truly spectacular. Always packed with marine life. Plus occasional ‘big’ visitors.

5-day/5-night liveaboard
16 dives incl 2x night dive
2-3 beach visits

sunset-dinving-boat-khao-lak-diving-boat

8 DAYS / 8 NIGHTS
MV EXPLORER

25 dives incl 3x night dives

This extended trip covers the whole region:

 

  • South – Similan Islands
  • Middle – Koh Bon & Koh Tachai
  • North – Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock.

With extra dives at the best of the best: Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock.

You will have time to explore the beautiful beaches in both the Similans and the Surins. There are many birds, monkeys, and reptiles to be found on the islands.

Between dives, you can jump in with your mask and snorkel to look for turtles in the shallow water.

8-day/8-night liveaboard
25 dives incl 3x night dives
3-4 beach visits

sea-dragon-liveaboard-scuba-center-khao-lak

13 DAYS / 13 NIGHTS

41 dives incl 5x night dives

Our 13-day/13-night trip is for the real scuba addicts! This is a combination of three trips taken back-to-back:

  • 5-day/5-night South to North – starting in the Similan Islands and traveling north via Koh Bon, Koh Tachai the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock.
  • 3-day/3-night trip – visiting Koh Tachai, the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock.
  • 5-day/5-night North to South – traveling in reverse from the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock, then heading south to Koh Tachai, Koh Bon and finishing with the Similan Islands.

Switch off your phone, choose a hammock and get away from rest of the world.

13-day/13-night liveaboard – 41 dives including 5x night dive – 3 – 5 island visits

When you learn to dive with us, you become part of our Sea Dragon family. Which means you’ll get Return Customer Discounts on all future courses or liveaboard trips. The more you dive with us the bigger your discount! You can even earn a FREE liveaboard trip! That’s the Sea Dragon way of saying thank you ♥

GENERAL INFORMATION

PRICES – MV Explorer 2023/2024
TripNo. DivesCabinDiverNon-Diver
3-day/3-night9Lower Deck Twin/Double ensuiteB23,600B20,000
3-day/3-night9 Upper Deck Standard Double CabinB22,600B19,200
3-day/3-nightNational Park FeesB1,800B1,000
TripNo. DivesCabinDiverNon-Diver
5-day/5-night 16Lower Deck Twin/Double ensuiteB35,500B30,200
5-day/5-night16Upper Deck Standard Double CabinB34,500B29,500
5-d/5-n (S-N*)National Park FeesB2,200B1,000
5-d/5-n (N-S**)National Park FeesB2,4001,000
TripNo. DivesCabinDiverNon-Diver
8-day/8-night25Lower Deck Twin/Double ensuiteB53,200B45,300
8-day/8-night25Upper Deck Standard Double CabinB51,400B43,700
8-d/8-n (S-N*)National Park FeesB4,000B2,000
8-d/8-n (N-S**)National Park FeesB4,200B2,000
TripNo. DivesCabinDiverNon-Diver
13-day/13-night41Lower Deck Twin/Double ensuiteB79,800B67,800
13-day/13-night41Upper Deck Standard Double CabinB77,300B65,700
11-day/11-nightNational Park FeesB6,600B3,000
* S-N means the trip runs from the South to the North
* N-S means the trip runs from the North to the South
* On the North-to-South trip we dive in two National Parks on the same day so the park fee is 200 more
Equipment hire

Full diving equipment is included in all our prices
We provide a dive computer, SMB and torch on night dives free of charge

Own Equipment

If you have your own dive equipment you will receive a discount as follows:

  • 10% – Full set of your own equipment
  • 5% – 2 out of 3 from BCD/Regulator/Wetsuit
Extras :
ItemPrice
15l tank300 per day
Torch150 per day for daytime rental (night dive torch is included free of charge)
Dive insurance350 per day or 1,500 per week
TaxisPrice on request. We can organise airport transfers, local journeys or a car & driver for a local tour
Special occasionCelebrating a special occasion during the liveaboard trip? Would you like a cake or bottle of champagne to surprise your partner/friends? Talk to us in advance, we will agree a budget with you, and then arrange for your ‘surprise’ to be smuggled onboard without anyone else knowing
CHARTER PRICE

Would you and your group of friends like to have the whole boat to yourselves?
You can charter the M/V Explorer for as many days as you like and set your own schedule. Contact us to discuss prices

 

To join one of our liveaboard trips, you must:
  • Be a certified diver* We will ask to see your certification card when you book and your logbook at check-in.
  • Be certified to dive to 30m If not, please see the options below.
  • Have dived with within the last 12 months If it’s been longer, you can either take a Scuba Refresher course or join a local reef or wreck dive before the liveaboard.
  • Have no health or medical issues that may affect diving. Please check our Diving Health Policy.
    * Non-divers are also welcome, please refer to the price tab
30m diving depth on our liveaboards:

On Sea Dragon liveaboards we plan our dives to a maximum depth of 30m. You must be certified to dive this deep. Most insurance companies will not honor any claim if the claimant has dived deeper than the recommended guidelines for their certification level.

If you are not already certified to 30m, we offer the
following upgrade options:

1 – Take a PADI Deep Adventure Dive (B1,800 + liveaboard trip price) :

This is the easiest option and requires no extra time. It is conducted during the first dive of your liveaboard trip. You will complete a Knowledge Review from the PADI Deep Dive Speciality or PADI Advanced course manual. During the dive, there are some simple tasks to complete. If later you decide to upgrade your certification to PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, this deep dive will credit towards it.

2 – Upgrade your certification level to PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (B5,400 + liveaboard trip price) :

There are 5 dives in the Advanced course.

Itinerary MY EXPLORER
Departure day

You can check in anytime before 4 pm on departure day. Drop your luggage in our storage room and explore the town, go to the beach, grab a massage, and/or eat dinner. We meet back at the dive center at 6:30 pm ready for departure.

If you have your own equipment you will take it with you in our taxi to the boat. If you are using Sea Dragon equipment, the dive staff will take it to the boat earlier and set it up for you. You must check it thoroughly yourself after the boat briefing.

Your Trip Supervisor will give a quick pre-departure briefing before we leave the dive center. Our southern trips depart from Thap Lamu harbor, which takes about 20 minutes by taxi. Our northern trips depart from Khuraburi harbor, which takes about 1 hour 20 minutes by air-conditioned minibus.

Onboard, we will show you to your cabin where you can stow your luggage. The Trip Supervisor will then give a boat orientation and briefing on the middle deck. The journey to the islands takes about 4-5 hours to the Similans or Koh Tachai, 3-4 hours to the Surins.

A typical first day onboard

A typical day will usually follow this pattern:

  • 06:20hrs Early wake-up call, giving you time to grab a tea/coffee and a snack
  • 06:40hrs Dive brief on the middle deck (an extended brief on day 1 covers our diving & safety procedures)
  • 07:30hrs Dive 1
  • 09:00hrs Western-style cooked breakfast in the dining area
  • 11:30hrs Dive 2
  • 13:00hrs Thai-style lunch in the dining area
  • 15:30hrs Dive 3
  • 16:30hrs An afternoon snack is served on the middle deck, come and help yourself
  • 19:00hrs Dive 4 – night dive
  • 21:00hrs Thai-style dinner in the dining area

The schedule will alter slightly for subsequent days as we only have a night dive on day one.

Between dives, you can relax on board, take the dinghy to the beach (if available), and snorkel from the boat. Or just lay back and enjoy the scenery from a hammock or bean bag.

Return on the final day

After the second dive on the last day of your trip, we head to the nearest harbour. From the Similans, we go to Thap Lamu harbour. However, from Richelieu Rock, we go to Khuraburi harbour. We serve lunch on the journey and you’ll have time to relax more as well as pack up your things.

Before we arrive at the jetty, your Trip Supervisor will collect any outstanding money for beer, courses, logbooks, etc. Should you wish to, you can leave a tip for the boat crew in their private tip box. We will also try to get a group photo as a memento of our fun trip together.

We arrive back at the dive center at about 16.30/17:00hrs. We’ll take a few minutes to return your valuables from the safe and any luggage you have stored with us. Then we will take you back to your hotel in our taxi.

Note for divers on back-to-back package trips

If you are doing two trips back-to-back, the boat will come to the harbour at Khuraburi for a few hours between your trips. You do not have to move out of your cabin, but our cleaners will come onboard to change bedding, etc. At least one member of our dive staff will be with you and will take you ashore at Khuraburi harbor. You will have time to explore and see a bit of rural Thai village life.

In Khuraburi harbour there is a coffee shop (with great cake and THE BEST wifi!). You will have dinner on the boat before the new guests arrive. We will depart again at 21:00 for the second leg of your trip.

DEPARTURE SCHEDULE FOR MV Explorer 2023 / 2024
October 2023
Depart 19:30Return 17:00No. daysVisiting
Tue 17Sun 225-day/5-nightSouth – North
Sun 22Wed 253-day/3-nightNorthern
Wed 25Mon 305-day/5-nightNorth – South
Tue 17Wed 258-day/8-nightSouth – North
Sun 22Mon 308-day/8-nightNorth – South
Tue 17Mon 3013-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
November 2023
Depart 19:30Return 17:00No. daysVisiting
Thu 02Tue 075-day/5-nightSouth – North
Tue 07Fri 103-day/3-nightNorthern
Fri 10Wed 155-day/5-nightNorth – South
Thu 02Fri 108-day/8-nightSouth – North
Tue 07Wed 158-day/8-nightNorth – South
Thu 02Wed 1513-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
Fri 17Wed 225-day/5-nightSouth – North
Wed 22Sat 253-day/3-nightNorthern
Sat 25Thu 305-day/5-nightNorth – South
Fri 17Sat 258-day/8-nightSouth – North
Wed 22Thu 308-day/8-nightNorth – South
Fri 17Thu 3013-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
December 2023
Depart 19:30Return 17:00No. daysVisiting
Sat 02Thu 075-day/5-nightSouth – North
Thu 07Sun 103-day/3-nightNorthern
Sun 10Fri 155-day/5-nightNorth – South
Sat 02Sun 108-day/8-nightSouth – North
Thu 07Fri 158-day/8-nightNorth – South
Sat 02Fri 1513-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
Sun 17Fri 225-day/5-nightSouth – North
Fri 22Mon 253-day/3-nightNorthern
Mon 25Sat 305-day/5-nightNorth – South
Sun 17Mon 258-day/8-nightSouth – North
Fri 22Sat 308-day/8-nightNorth – South
Sun 17Sat 3013-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
January 2024
Depart 19:30Return 17:00No. daysVisiting
Tue 02Sun 075-day/5-nightSouth – North
Sun 07Wed 103-day/3-nightNorthern
Wed 10Mon 155-day/5-nightNorth – South
Tue 02Wed 108-day/8-nightSouth – North
Sun 07Mon 158-day/8-nightNorth – South
Tue 02Mon 1513-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
Wed 17Mon 225-day/5-nightSouth – North
Mon 22Thu 253-day/3-nightNorthern
Thu 25Tue 305-day/5-nightNorth – South
Wed 17Thu 258-day/8-nightSouth – North
Mon 22Tue 308-day/8-nightNorth – South
Wed 17Tue 3013-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
February 2024
Depart 19:30Return 17:00No. daysVisiting
Fri 02Wed 075-day/5-nightSouth – North
Wed 07Sat 103-day/3-nightNorthern
Sat 10Thu 155-day/5-nightNorth – South
Fri 02Sat 108-day/8-nightSouth – North
Wed 07Thu 158-day/8-nightNorth – South
Fri 02Thu 1513-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
Sat 17Thu 225-day/5-nightSouth – North
Thu 22Sun 253-day/3-nightNorthern
Sun 25Fri 15-day/5-nightNorth – South
Sat 17Sun 258-day/8-nightSouth – North
Thu 22Fri 18-day/8-nightNorth – South
Sat 17Fri 113-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
March 2024
Depart 19:30Return 17:00No. daysVisiting
Sun 03Fri 085-day/5-nightSouth – North
Fri 08Mon 113-day/3-nightNorthern
Mon 11Sat 165-day/5-nightNorth – South
Sun 03Mon 118-day/8-nightSouth – North
Fri 08Sat 168-day/8-nightNorth – South
Sun 03Sat 1613-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
Mon 18Sat 235-day/5-nightSouth – North
Sat 23Tue 263-day/3-nightNorthern
Tue 26Sun 315-day/5-nightNorth – South
Mon 18Tue 268-day/8-nightSouth – North
Sat 23Sun 318-day/8-nightNorth – South
Mon 18Sun 3113-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
April 2024
Depart 19:30Return 17:00No. daysVisiting
Tue 02Sun 075-day/5-nightSouth – North
Sun 07Wed 103-day/3-nightNorthern
Wed 10Mon 155-day/5-nightNorth – South
Tue 02Wed 108-day/8-nightSouth – North
Sun 07Mon 158-day/8-nightNorth – South
Tue 02Mon 1513-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
Wed 17Mon 225-day/5-nightSouth – North
Mon 22Thu 253-day/3-nightNorthern
Thu 25Tue 305-day/5-nightNorth – South
Wed 17Thu 258-day/8-nightSouth – North
Mon 22Tue 308-day/8-nightNorth – South
Wed 17Tue 3013-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
May 2024
Depart 19:30Return 17:00No. daysVisiting
Thu 02Tue 075-day/5-nightSouth – North
Tue 07Fri 103-day/3-nightNorthern
Fri 10Wed 155-day/5-nightNorth – South
Thu 02Fri 108-day/8-nightSouth – North
Tue 07Wed 158-day/8-nightNorth – South
Thu 02Wed 1513-day/13-nightVisiting All Islands
Included MV Explorer

Included in the price:

  • Full set of diving equipment including a dive computer, SMB, and torch for night dives and sunset dives.
  • Air-conditioned accommodation on board in the cabin of your choice. All cabins have windows & sea view.
  • All meals. Western-style breakfast, Thai-style lunch, and dinner, plus afternoon snacks and a cocktail on the sundeck on your final evening.
  • Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, soft drinks, and drinking water.
  • Fruit, cornflakes, and cookies are available at all times throughout the trip.
  • Towel
  • 12-liter aluminum tanks and all the weights you need.
  • Services of a medically trained PADI certified dive guide and attentive service from our six-boat crew.
  • Taxi to your hotel in the Khao Lak/Bang Niang area after your trip returns.
  • Great diving, new friendships, plenty of food, and loads of fun!
Not included in the price
  • National Park fees.
  • Nitrox
  • Beer and wine. You can buy alcohol on board and pay at the end of the trip.
  • Tips for the boat crew and dive staff.

See Prices tab for extras such as daytime torch rental, 15l tank, insurance, etc

EXPLORE THE DECKS OF MV Explorer

liveaboard-in-khao-lak-boat

MV Explorer
26m long and with a wooden hull

Our purpose-built M/V Explorer is a 26-metre, wooden-hulled vessel that is used for our liveaboard experiences. It can carry up to 16 guests across its three decks, meaning there’s plenty of space to relax or socialise.

Deck-plan-lower-deck-andaman-sea-dragon