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.
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.
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
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
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
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 – 3Â – 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
| Trip | No. Dives | Cabin | Diver | Non-Diver |
| 9 | Lower Deck Twin/Double ensuite | B23,600 | B20,000 | |
| 9 | Â Upper Deck Standard Double Cabin | B22,600 | B19,200 | |
| – | National Park Fees | B1,800 | B1,000 |
| Trip | No. Dives | Cabin | Diver | Non-Diver |
| 16 | Lower Deck Twin/Double ensuite | B35,500 | B30,200 | |
| 16 | Upper Deck Standard Double Cabin | B34,500 | B29,500 | |
| – | National Park Fees | B2,200 | B1,000 | |
| – | National Park Fees | B2,400 | 1,000 |
| Trip | No. Dives | Cabin | Diver | Non-Diver |
| 25 | Lower Deck Twin/Double ensuite | B53,200 | B45,300 | |
| 25 | Upper Deck Standard Double Cabin | B51,400 | B43,700 | |
| – | National Park Fees | B4,000 | B2,000 | |
| – | National Park Fees | B4,200 | B2,000 |
| Trip | No. Dives | Cabin | Diver | Non-Diver |
| 41 | Lower Deck Twin/Double ensuite | B79,800 | B67,800 | |
| 41 | Upper Deck Standard Double Cabin | B77,300 | B65,700 | |
| – | National Park Fees | B6,600 | B3,000 |
| * 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 :
| Item | Price |
| 300 per day | |
| 150 per day for daytime rental (night dive torch is included free of charge) | |
| 350 per day or 1,500 per week | |
| Price on request. We can organise airport transfers, local journeys or a car & driver for a local tour | |
| Celebrating 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 19:30 | Return 17:00 | No. days | Visiting |
| Sun 22 | 5-day/5-night | South – North | |
| Wed 25 | 3-day/3-night | Northern | |
| Wed 25 | Mon 30 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Tue 17 | Wed 25 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Sun 22 | Mon 30 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Tue 17 | Mon 30 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands |
| November 2023 | |||
| Depart 19:30 | Return 17:00 | No. days | Visiting |
| Tue 07 | 5-day/5-night | South – North | |
| Fri 10 | 3-day/3-night | Northern | |
| Wed 15 | 5-day/5-night | North – South | |
| Thu 02 | Fri 10 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Tue 07 | Wed 15 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Wed 15 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands | |
| Fri 17 | Wed 22 | 5-day/5-night | South – North |
| Sat 25 | 3-day/3-night | Northern | |
| Sat 25 | Thu 30 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Fri 17 | Sat 25 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Wed 22 | Thu 30 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Fri 17 | Thu 30 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands |
| December 2023 | |||
| Depart 19:30 | Return 17:00 | No. days | Visiting |
| Thu 07 | 5-day/5-night | South – North | |
| Sun 10 | 3-day/3-night | Northern | |
| Sun 10 | Fri 15 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Sun 10 | 8-day/8-night | South – North | |
| Thu 07 | Fri 15 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Sat 02 | Fri 15 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands |
| Sun 17 | Fri 22 | 5-day/5-night | South – North |
| Fri 22 | Mon 25 | 3-day/3-night | Northern |
| Mon 25 | Sat 30 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Sun 17 | Mon 25 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Fri 22 | Sat 30 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Sun 17 | Sat 30 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands |
| January 2024 | |||
| Depart 19:30 | Return 17:00 | No. days | Visiting |
| Tue 02 | Sun 07 | 5-day/5-night | South – North |
| Wed 10 | 3-day/3-night | Northern | |
| Wed 10 | Mon 15 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Tue 02 | Wed 10 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Sun 07 | Mon 15 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Tue 02 | Mon 15 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands |
| Wed 17 | Mon 22 | 5-day/5-night | South – North |
| Mon 22 | Thu 25 | 3-day/3-night | Northern |
| Thu 25 | Tue 30 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Wed 17 | Thu 25 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Mon 22 | Tue 30 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Wed 17 | Tue 30 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands |
| February 2024 | |||
| Depart 19:30 | Return 17:00 | No. days | Visiting |
| Fri 02 | Wed 07 | 5-day/5-night | South – North |
| Wed 07 | Sat 10 | 3-day/3-night | Northern |
| Sat 10 | Thu 15 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Fri 02 | Sat 10 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Wed 07 | Thu 15 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Thu 15 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands | |
| Sat 17 | Thu 22 | 5-day/5-night | South – North |
| Thu 22 | Sun 25 | 3-day/3-night | Northern |
| Fri 1 | 5-day/5-night | North – South | |
| Sun 25 | 8-day/8-night | South – North | |
| Thu 22 | Fri 1 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Sat 17 | Fri 1 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands |
| March 2024 | |||
| Depart 19:30 | Return 17:00 | No. days | Visiting |
| Sun 03 | Fri 08 | 5-day/5-night | South – North |
| Fri 08 | Mon 11 | 3-day/3-night | Northern |
| Mon 11 | Sat 16 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Sun 03 | Mon 11 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Fri 08 | Sat 16 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Sun 03 | Sat 16 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands |
| Mon 18 | Sat 23 | 5-day/5-night | South – North |
| Sat 23 | Tue 26 | 3-day/3-night | Northern |
| Tue 26 | Sun 31 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Mon 18 | Tue 26 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Sun 31 | 8-day/8-night | North – South | |
| Mon 18 | Sun 31 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands |
| April 2024 | |||
| Depart 19:30 | Return 17:00 | No. days | Visiting |
| Tue 02 | Sun 07 | 5-day/5-night | South – North |
| Sun 07 | Wed 10 | 3-day/3-night | Northern |
| Wed 10 | Mon 15 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Tue 02 | Wed 10 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Sun 07 | Mon 15 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Mon 15 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands | |
| Wed 17 | Mon 22 | 5-day/5-night | South – North |
| Mon 22 | Thu 25 | 3-day/3-night | Northern |
| Thu 25 | Tue 30 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Wed 17 | Thu 25 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Mon 22 | Tue 30 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Wed 17 | Tue 30 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting All Islands |
| May 2024 | |||
| Depart 19:30 | Return 17:00 | No. days | Visiting |
| Thu 02 | Tue 07 | 5-day/5-night | South – North |
| Tue 07 | Fri 10 | 3-day/3-night | Northern |
| Fri 10 | Wed 15 | 5-day/5-night | North – South |
| Thu 02 | Fri 10 | 8-day/8-night | South – North |
| Tue 07 | Wed 15 | 8-day/8-night | North – South |
| Wed 15 | 13-day/13-night | Visiting 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
LIFE ON A LIVEABOARD
If a picture’s worth a thousand words….
EXPLORE THE DECKS OF MV Explorer
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.
