International Trips - Thailand

Join Texas Scuba Adventures in Thailand, as we sail on the beautiful, Phinisi! The Phinisi is a traditional Indonesian sailing yacht and comfortably accommodates 18 divers / passengers. It also has a spacious deck with plenty of storage for everyone’s dive gear, and an outdoor dining area at the stern, that is covered and shaded so you can enjoy the breathtaking views while you eat.

Scroll down for more boat and dive photos!

The Diving:

Thailand offers some of the best diving in Southeast Asia. Year-round tropical warm water, exceptional underwater visibility and a vast variety of marine and coral life are all ideal conditions for divers.

Thailand’s diving trade marks are many, including whale sharks and mantas, Blacktip sharks, turtles and schools of barracudas. Usual macro suspects include seahorses, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, octopus, and pipefish. A great variety of underwater seascapes will tantalise even the most experienced diver.

 Over the course of 10 nights, the liveaboard diving itinerary combines highlights of the 6 nights Similan and Surin Islands itinerary with 4 nights Southern Thailand allowing you to experience the delights of Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Koh Haa and Koh Phi Phi along with the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock and the Surin Islands; Truly the Best of Thailand. 

Inclusions:

• Return, shared transfer between Phuket Airport, or local hotel, and the liveaboard on embarkation and disembarkation days
• 10 nights full board accommodation (based on shared occupancy)
• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and fresh fruit
• Unlimited tea, coffee, fruit juice 
• Up to 4 dives per day
• AL80 tanks with airfills
• Weights, weight belt and SMB
• Disembarkation transfer
• Embarkation transfer

Exclusion:

• Flights to/from Phuket Airport
• Additional transfers
• Alcoholic drinks
• Sodas / Fizzy Drinks
• Laundry
• Nitrox (Package price: $175 USD, per EAN certified diver)
• Crew and guide’s gratuities
• SCUBA courses
• Equipment rental (minus tanks and weights)

Required Items:

• Travel and dive insurance
• Marine park and port fees. $115 USD, per person, to be paid on board

Itinerary:

Day 1: Embarkation at 1900 (7:00PM), followed by briefings and dinner

Days 2-9: Up to 4 dives per day, typically scheduled as follows:

• Light breakfast, followed by a briefing and dive 1
• Full breakfast, relaxation period, briefing and dive 2
• Lunch, relaxation period, briefing and dive 3
• Snack, relaxation period, briefing and dive 4 (where possible)
• Dinner

Day 10: Up to 4 dives, depending on itinerary route chosen by captain

Day 11: Disembarkation time depends on itinerary route and disembarkation point.

• Thap Lamu disembarkation: 10:00AM
• Chalong disembarkation: 2:00PM

Dive Sites:

Similan Islands National Park

Eastward sites

Sites on the eastern side of the Similan Islands tend to be sand covered fringing reefs predominantly made up of hard coral. The reef plateaus are around 5-10 metres deep with gentle slopes heading down to the reef edge at around 20-25m. Where present, currents on the eastward site tend to be relatively gentle. 

Westward sites

The dive sites on the west side of the islands are a little different. Giant granite boulders tumble to the sea bed easily reaching depths of 40m. Being more exposed to the open ocean,  these sites can be prone to strong and often unpredictable currents. The currents have kept the boulders free from a build up of sand, leading dive sites consisting of a variety of canyons, tunnels, swim-throughs, archways and caverns. The diving can be challenging but the increased chance of larger pelagics makes up for that. 

Surin Islands National Park

The topside scenery of Koh Surin, with evergreen forests, mangroves, and small beaches, surpasses even that of the picturesque Similan Islands. Under water the reefs of the Surin Islands have some of the greatest hard coral diversity in Thailand.

Koh Phi Phi National Park

Located 45km to the east of Phuket, the Moo Koh Phi Phi Archipelago consists of 6 islands, the largest and only inhabited of which is Phi Phi Don. Above water scenery is dramatic with huge limestone cliffs and sheltered coves and bays with white sandy beaches. Many of the dive sites are walls with depths ranging between 10 and 25 metres, covered in coral bushes and sea fans.

Koh Haa National Park

With a name that translates as Five Islands, there several dive sites around these amazing islands where you can explore pinnacles, walls, boulders, caverns, and swim-throughs to discover the varied marine life that have made these islands their home.

Hin Daeng & Hin Muang

These two pinnacles (translating directly as Red Rock and Purple Rock) reach down to over 70m in open ocean, and are best known for manta ray and whale shark encounters. Almost perpetual good visibility and dramatic topography combined with huge fish numbers make for excellent liveaboard diving.

  Keep hanging out with us as we take in some of the amazing sights that Thailand has to offer. We are going to spend an additional four days in Thailand as we visit Phuket, airplane beach, the Bug Budha, viewpoints you won't want to miss, the famous James Bond Island, a monkey temple, elephant sanctuary, caves, lakes and more! You definitely don't want to miss this!

Scroll down for tour photos!

Inclusions:

• Beautiful resorts nightly
• 4 nights of accommodations
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Transport
• All tours and activities listed
• Tour guide

Exclusion:

• Additional transfers
• Alcoholic drinks
• Sodas / Fizzy Drinks
• Breakfast
• Guide’s gratuities
• Trip Insurance (highly recommended)

DAY ONE – NOVEMBER 4

PHUKET SIGHTSEEING - SAMETH NANGSHE RESORT

· Start the Phuket City Tour Program in Phuket

· Visit Big Budha and Chalong Temple

· See Phuket Old Town and Viewpoint at Rang View

· Beach Sightseeing from Patong Kamala Surin Beach

· Have lunch at the Boat Avenue Plaza

· Check out the airplane viewpoint at Mai Khao Beach

· Experience a 3-wheel motorcycle ride

· Head to Phang Nga province

· Visit Phang Nga beach, Pilai beach, Natai beach

· Check into Smeth Nang She resort and enjoy a Thai dinner

DAY TWO – NOVEMBER 5

PHANG NGA BAY - JAMES BOND ISLAND WITH TRADITIONAL LONGTAIL BOAT AND MONKEY TEMPLE

· Early bird wake up for sunrise coffee with a Phang Nga Bay view

· Visit the Monkey Cave Temple – the famous cave temple in Phang Nga province

· Take the traditional Thai longtail boat and head out towards the mangrove area to the caves. Once inside the sea canoe you will be able to witness the beautiful limestone cave lagoons and stunning cliffs. 

· Head out to James Bond Island where you can see the famous spot where “The Man with The Golden Gun” film was made. 

· Seafood lunch at Panyee Island with the Muslin village, spend some time sightseeing and walking around the floating village

· Visit the waterfall – relax or take a plunge in the swimming hole

· Check into Khao Lak hotel

· Head out for a Thai dinner at the Khao Lak View restaurant 

· Check out the Khao Lak center for shopping and entertainment

DAY THREE – NOVEMBER 6

KHAO SOK LAKE TOUR AND SAFARI WITH ELEPHANT BATH AND RIVER CANOE

· Khao Sok safari and sightseeing tour

· Visit an elephant sanctuary that houses rescued elephants, swim with and feed one of those beauties 

· Local Thai lunch at the Khao Sok Rainforest restaurant 

· Sightseeing at Sok river along limestone cliffs with mountain views

· Leave the jungle and head to the Chaow Lan Lake side to a mountain view resort

DAY 4 – NOVEMBER 7

LAKE TOUR DAY

· Morning safari program in a longtail boat

· Tour along limestone cliffs and the jungle, visit “Guilin of Thailand”

· Jungle walk and visit Pakaipet cave (translated to Diamond cave)

· Thai lunch at the rafhouse

· Swim or kayak around the rafthouse

· Check into hotel in Khao Lak

DAY 5 – NOVEMBER 8

TIME TO FLY HOME

· Complementary shuttle to the airport is provided