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UID:10000567-1712361600-1713398399@athensscuba.com
SUMMARY:Thailand/Similan Islands Scuba Trip
DESCRIPTION:Because the last time was such a great time\, we have planned a fantastic trip to Thailand\, including a liveaboard trip to the world famous Similan Islands. White sand beach and rock formation on one of the 9 islands of the Similan IslandsIt’s happening again!  We are going to Thailand for a scuba group trip!  It’ll be an 11 night trip that we are planning in advance so that you can plan your vacation time accordingly.  Sunset on Bang Niang Beach\, in Khao Lak Where are we going We are going to Khao Lak\, where Ben lived for 2 dive seasons and knows the area very well.  Khao Lak is just north of the island of Phuket in South West Thailand and it is the perfect gateway to the Similan Islands\, a world famous dive destination.  Khao Lak is essentially an area along the coast line that includes many villages.  We will stay in the original village on Nang Thong beach. Aerial view on Ko BonWhen are we going We’ll go in April of 2024 because it’s towards the end of the dry/high season and provides us with the best opportunity of flat seas and great weather.  Of course there is never a guarantee to see any specific creatures when scuba diving\, but from personal experience and due to the extensive knowledge of the owner of the dive operation\, we are sure that April might give us the best chances to see some big pelagic animals. Our home for 6 daysThe Liveaboard We chose to spend 6 days/6 nights on the liveaboard MV Bavaria.  This liveaboard is one of the newest and most comfortable liveaboards in the Similan Islands.  Ben was able to secure a special trip that will get us to Similan Island\, Koh Bon\, Koh Tachai\, the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock.  The islands are beautiful and we’ll be able to do 2-3 land excursions during our trip.  The diving in this area is very special and very different to diving in the western hemisphere.  The MV Bavaria has 4 different cabin categories. All cabins are equipped with AC and control in room. 2 standard bunk cabins\, each with two single bunk beds\, shared bathroom\, on the upper deck 2 comfort double cabins\, each with one double bed\, private bathroom\, on the lower deck 6 comfort twin cabins\, each with two single beds\, private bathroom\, on the main deck 2 deluxe cabins\, each with one double bed\, private bathroom\, on the main deck The MV BavariaWe’ll have a full board that consists of breakfast\, lunch\, an afternoon snack\, dinner and all drinks except alcohol. Every diver can do up to 4 dives a day\, except for the last day\, with two dives offered.  This means you can do 22 dives in 6 days!  Nitrox is available on the boat and the use of it is very much encouraged!  Typical soft coral formation around the Similan IslandsThe diving All dives will be guided by an experienced guide\, typically with a ratio of 4 divers per dive guide.  The dive sites around the Similan islands are full of life and color\, usually rather shallow dives with lots of macro\, turtles and smaller rays.  Koh Bon has a large cleaning station and is famous for the chance of seeing Manta Rays (the biggest kind\, OCEANIC MANTAS\, with a wing span of up to 29ft).  I personally saw Mantas as big as 20ish ft on this site.  Koh Tachai is another island on our route with a pinnacle dive site\, great coral growth and incredible underwater landscape.  Here we’ll have a chance to see big pelagics as well. The second Whale Shark Ben has ever seen and the first one he took a picture ofThe Surin Islands offer unspoiled diving close to the border with Myanmar.  Hardly anyone is diving in Surin\, because it’s far away from the Similans and we’ll go out of our way to make sure that we’ll have the chance to see these unspoiled islands.  We are in for a treat!  Richelieu Rock was discovered and loved as a recreational dive site by Jacques Cousteau and is likely Ben’s favorite dive site ever.  It is very colorful\, has tons of fish\, usually a huge group of Jacks right under the surface\, as well as plenty of macro with seahorses\, frogfish\, and maybe the very big guys….  You only know how amazing it is if you’ve had the opportunity to see it… One of the many pools that the hotel offers\, overlooking the beach and sunsetThe hotel We will spend 5 nights (4 before the liveaboard trip and 1 after) in the Seaview Resort Khao Lak\, which is set on Nang Thong Beach\, an extensive stretch of fine sands framed by the emerald blue waters of the Andaman Sea and against a mountainous background.  The Hotel features multiple pools\, restaurants\, bars and plenty of other amenities.  It is directly on the beach\, but also in town giving us plenty of opportunity to explore the quaint town of Khao Lak with it’s restaurants\, beaches and local market. White sand beach\, right outside your roomDATES AND FLIGHTS The trip will take place from April 6th to April 17th.  This means that you’ll fly out Thursday night\, April 4th and will be back in the States Thursday April 18th. We won’t include flights into this trip arrangement because there are plenty of different ways to travel to Phuket.  Flights with major carriers from the east coast of the US into Phuket will take a total travel time (including layovers) of around 30 hours.  The best round trips we found for our travel dates are around $1500 in economy class on two of the worlds leading airlines\, Qatar Airways or Turkish Airlines.  We can answer all questions concerning travel to Phuket\, just send us an email.  Flights that Athens Scuba staff will take: April 4th 2024\, 7:30pm        ATL-Doha        QR756 April 5th 2024\, 7:55pm        Doha-BKK       QR830 April 6th 2024\, 10:40am      BKK-HKT         OR4377       Arrival in Phuket 12:05pm  April 17th 2024\, 8:40pm      HKT-Doha        OR841 April 18th 2024\, 7:55am      Doha-ATL         OR755        Arrival in Atlanta 3:55pm The local night market in Bang Niang\, 5 minutes from our hotelTRIP COSTS The rooms will be located in the beach wing of the hotel.  The liveaboard will be available in 4 different categories\, which you can choose to your preference.  There are 2 deluxe cabins\, 6 twin comfort cabins\, 2 double comfort and 2 standard cabins. The entire eleven night trip will start from only:  $2\,189 per person in double occupancy rooms All prices include 6 nights on the liveaboard MV Bavaria with full board (4 meals)\, snacks\, drinks (except alcohol\, which can be purchased on board)\, up to 22 dives with dive guides\, tanks and weights\, in a double occupancy cabin. 5 nights of accommodation in Khao Lak Seaview Resort with breakfast\, in a double occupancy room.  Transfers from the airport to the hotel in Khao Lak and back.  Transfer from the hotel to the boat and back. Prices don’t include National Park fees for the liveaboard trip\, which is around $90 and Nitrox\, which is going to be around $90 for all dives ($4.00/dive).  These costs will have to be paid on site\, directly to the dive shop. Please check out the liveaboard and hotel options and contact Athens Scuba directly so we can put together your personalized quote and get you booked for this incredible trip.  PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE FLIGHTS AND NATIONAL PARK FEES! For information on single occupancy\, extra dives\, Nitrox and other special requests\, please email info@athensscuba.com   To get a better idea of the boat and the diving\, check out the following videos I’ve found on youtube.
URL:https://athensscuba.com/event/thailand-similan-islands-scuba-trip/
LOCATION:Khao Lak\, 18/1 Moo 7 Nang Thong Beach\, Khao Lak\, Phang-nga\, 82220\, Thailand
CATEGORIES:International Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://athensscuba.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/similan-island-rock-formation-w-900.jpeg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230226T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230312T235959
DTSTAMP:20260416T233200
CREATED:20220121T171724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250313T175009Z
UID:10000486-1677369600-1678665599@athensscuba.com
SUMMARY:Thailand/Similan Islands dive trip
DESCRIPTION:We have planned a fantastic trip to Thailand with a liveaboard trip to the world famous Similan Islands. White sand beach and rock formation on one of the 9 islands of the Similan IslandsIt’s happening! We are going to Thailand for a group scuba trip! It’ll be a 2 week trip that we are planning in advance so that you can plan your vacation time accordingly.  Sunset on Bang Niang Beach\, in Khao Lak Where are we going We are going to Khao Lak\, where Ben lived for 2 dive seasons and knows the area very well. Khao Lak is just north of the island of Phuket in South West Thailand and it is the perfect gateway to the Similan Islands\, a world famous dive destination. Khao Lak is essentially an area along the coast line that includes many villages. We will stay in the original village on Nang Thong beach. Aerial view on Ko BonWhen are we going We’ll go in March 2023 because it’s towards the end of the high dry/high season and provides us with the best opportunity of flat seas as well as seeing large pelagics like Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. Of course there is never a guarantee to see any specific creatures when scuba diving\, but from personal experience and due to the extensive knowledge of the owner of the dive operation\, we are sure that March gives us the best chances. Our home for 1 weekThe Liveaboard We chose to spend 7 days/7 nights on the liveaboard MV Bavaria. This liveaboard is one of the newest and most comfortable liveaboards in the Similan Islands. Normally they only offer 6 days/6 nights tours\, but thanks to personal relationships\, Ben was able to secure a special trip that will get us to Similan Island\, Koh Bon\, Koh Tachai\, the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock.  The islands are beautiful and we’ll be able to do 2-3 land excursions during our trip. The diving in this area is very special and very different to diving in the western hemisphere.  The MV Bavaria has 4 different cabin categories. All cabins are equipped with AC and control in room. 2 standard bunk cabins with each two single bunk beds\, shared bathroom\, on the upper deck 2 comfort double cabins with each one double bed\, private bathroom\, on the lower deck 6 comfort twin cabins with each two single beds\, private bathroom\, on the main deck 2 deluxe cabins\, with each one double bed\, private bathroom\, on the main deck The MV BavariaWe’ll have a full board that consists of breakfast\, lunch\, an afternoon snack\, dinner and all drinks except alcohol. Every diver can do up to 4 dives a day\, except for the last day\, with two dives offered. This means you can do 26 dives in one week! Nitrox is available on the boat and use is encouraged!  Typical soft coral formation around the Similan IslandsThe diving All dives will be guided by an experienced guide\, with a ratio of 4 divers per dive guide.The dive sites around the Similan islands are full of life and color\, usually rather shallow dives with lots of macro\, turtles and smaller rays.Koh Bon has a large cleaning station and is famous for the chance of seeing Manta Rays (the biggest kind\, OCEANIC MANTAS\, with a wing span of up to 29ft).  I personally saw Mantas as big as 20ish ft on this site. Koh Tachai is another island on our route with a pinnacle dive site\, great coral growth and underwater landscape. Here we’ll have a chance to see big pelagics as well. The second Whale Shark Ben has ever seen and the first one he took a picture ofThe Surin Islands offer unspoiled diving close to the border with Myanmar. Hardly anyone is diving in Surin\, because it’s far away from the Similans\, even the MV Bavaria can only make it because we’ll do the special 7 day trip. We are in for a treat! Richelieu Rock was discovered and loved as a recreational dive site by Jacques Cousteau and is likely Ben’s favorite dive site ever. It is very colorful\, has tons of fish\, usually a huge group of Jacks right under the surface\, as well as plenty of macro with seahorses\, frogfish\, and maybe the very big guys…. You only know how amazing it is if you’ve had the opportunity to see it… One of the many pools that the hotel offers\, overlooking the beach and sunsetThe hotel We will spend 7 nights (3 or 4 before the liveaboard trip and 3 or 4 after) in the Seaview Resort Khao Lak\, which is set on Nang Thong Beach\, an extensive stretch of fine sands framed by the emerald blue waters of the Andaman Sea and against a mountainous background. The Hotel features multiple pools\, restaurants\, bars and plenty of other amenities. It is directly on the beach\, but also in town giving us plenty of opportunity to explore the quaint town of Khao Lak with it’s restaurants\, beaches and local market. White sand beach\, right outside your roomDATES AND FLIGHTS The trip will take place from February 26th to March 12th. This means that we’ll fly out Friday evening February 24th and will be back in the sates Monday March 13th. We won’t include flights into this trip arrangement because there are plenty of different ways to travel and the flight plans for 2023 aren’t out yet. Judging by the flights available for February/March 2022\, it’ll be possible to travel from the east coast of the US into Phuket with either one or two stops and a total travel time (including layovers) of around 30 hours. The cheapest round trips we found for February/March 2022 with these travel times are $1200 in Economy. The local night market in Bang Niang\, 5 minutes from our hotelTRIP COSTS The hotel and the liveaboard will be available in different categories\, which can be specified to your convenience. The entire two week trip will start from only:  $2\,075.00 per person in double occupancy rooms All prices include 7 nights on the liveaboard MV Bavaria with full board (4 meals)\, snacks\, drinks (except alcohol\, which can be purchased on board)\, up to 26 dives with dive guides\, tanks and weights\, in a double occupancy cabin. 7 nights of accommodation in Khao Lak Seaview Resort with breakfast\, in a double occupancy room. Transfers from the airport to the hotel in Khao Lak and back. Transfer from the hotel to the boat and back. Prices don’t include National Park fees for the liveaboard trip\, which is around $90 and Nitrox\, which is going to be around $105 for all dives ($4.00/dive). These costs will have to be paid on site\, directly to the dive shop. Please check out the liveaboard and hotel options and contact Ben directly so we can put together your personalized quote and get you booked for this incredible trip.  PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE FLIGHTS AND NATIONAL PARK FEES! For information on single occupancy\, extra dives\, Nitrox and other special requests\, please email ben@athensscuba.com   To get a better idea of the boat and the diving\, check out the following videos I’ve found on youtube.
URL:https://athensscuba.com/event/thailand-similan-islands-dive-trip/
LOCATION:Khao Lak\, 18/1 Moo 7 Nang Thong Beach\, Khao Lak\, Phang-nga\, 82220\, Thailand
CATEGORIES:International Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://athensscuba.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/similan-island-rock-formation-w-900.jpeg
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