Liveaboard Diving Trips

Specialising in liveaboard diving, Sea Dragon offers you a choice of two different liveaboard dive boats, the M/V Andaman and the M/V Nangnuan. With twenty years experience of diving in the Andaman Sea, we personally design and refurbish both our liveaboard boats to exactly meet your demanding requirements - and ours.

Unique, in that each of our boats is specifically designed for a different customer market, we recognise that all divers have different needs. But some things remain the same, whichever boat you choose: safe diving supervised by experienced staff in small groups - maximum 4 divers per group, high safety standards, easy access to your equipment and the dive deck, excellent food and service and, of course, lots of fun. So check out our boats and see which one suits you best.

And if, after your liveaboard trip, you decide you really have to do more diving at the Similan Islands or Koh Bon but have no time for another liveaboard trip, then we offer you a special price on our day trip boat, the M/V Nam Sai, for B3,900 per diver (price does not include National Park fees or equipment rental). This offer is only available to divers who have completed a liveaboard trip with us during the current season and is available for the duration of the season, as many times as you can fit it into your schedule!

Dining onboard our liveaboard boats

Before the first dive of the day, help yourself to free tea/coffee and a light snack to help you wake up. After the first dive a western style breakfast is served. Lunch and dinner are Thai style - a selection of different Thai dishes (not so spicy!) with a strong emphasis on fish and seafood. Vegetarians are welcome and special food requirements can be catered for.

Throughout the day light snacks and fresh fruit are served and soft drinks are free - help yourself. Beer is available after the last dive of the day (or before for anyone not diving) at B60 per can. With our excellent cooks, we are certain that our onboard cuisine will be a memorable part of your dive trip.

And on the final evening onboard the Andaman we invite you to join us for cocktails and a western style BBQ on the open air sundeck - usually a very lively night for us all!

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ALL LIVEABOARD TRIPS

Departure

• For all liveaboard dive trips, we leave from our Dive Center in Khao Lak one/two hours before departure time. You will be advised of the exact meeting arrangements when you make your booking.
• The Nangnuan departs from Thap Lamu harbour. The Andaman departs from either Thap Lamu or Khuraburi harbour.
• As the Andaman departs at 22.00 hrs, please dine at your leisure before embarking.
• The Nangnuan departs at 08.00 hrs. and breakfast is served onboard as soon as we leave the harbour.

A typical day onboard all boats

• Early awakening, time for a tea, coffee, snack
• Dive 1 (approximately 07.30 hrs)
• Western style breakfast
• Relax onboard, visit the beach or snorkel from the boat
• Dive 2 (approximately 11.30 hrs)
• Lunch
• Again, time to relax, snorkel and swim
• Dive 3 (approximately 15.30 hrs)
• Afternoon snack
• Lay back and watch the sunset, from the beach or onboard
• Dive 4 - night dive (approximately 19.30 hrs)
• Dinner
• Evening onboard - enjoy the company and share a drink with your fellow divers and our staff

Return on final day

• The Nangnuan returns to Thap Lamu harbour. The Andaman returns to either Thap Lamu or Khuraburi harbour.
• Both boats head back to the harbour after the second dive on the last day, after which lunch will be served.
• Transfer to the Dive Center, arriving on or before 19.00 hrs., and then transfer to your resort in Khao Lak.
• On the 6 day and 7 day packages, you may stay onboard on the third/fourth day or explore the local area, dining at your leisure at a nearby restaurant, before departing again at 22.00hrs.

Orientation, Dive Sites and Dive Planning

• After departure a full boat brief will be given to introduce you to our staff and crew and familiarise you with your liveaboard
• Before your first dive the Boat Supervisor will give a detailed dive brief, explaining our diving & safety procedures
• Before every dive there will be a full dive brief
• Every diver dives with a dive computer and dives are planned to include a safety stop at 5m for 3 mins
• Everyone dives with a buddy within a group and each group is led by an experienced Dive Leader
• Maximum depth is 30m, to comply with National Park regulations
• Maximum dive time is 50 mins
• Small groups - maximum 4 divers per group

WE ASK YOU TO REMEMBER THAT THE SIMILAN & SURIN ISLANDS ARE MARINE NATIONAL PARKS. WE EXPECT YOUR CO-OPERATION IN PRESERVING THESE BEAUTIFUL AREAS AND INSIST THAT YOU DO NOT TOUCH OR DISTURB ANY MARINE LIFE

Our Diving Equipment

All our equipment is purchased new and serviced annually. Full diving equipment is included in all liveaboard prices and consists of:

• BCD with power inflator & whistle
• Regulator with octopus, console with SPG & depth gauge (in meters)
• 3mm shorty wetsuit
• Mask, snorkel & full foot fins
• Tanks, weights and weight belt
• Torches for night dives
• Safety sausage
• Suunto dive computer

If you are carrying your own diving equipment with you, we offer you a 10% discount for full equipment and a 5% discount for partial equipment (2 out of 3 from BCD/Regulator/Wetsuit)

What you need to bring onboard

We suggest you pack a small bag for the trip and leave the remainder of your luggage at the Dive Center or your Resort. Basically, you will need:

• T-shirts
• Long sleeved shirt & long trousers for the evenings
• Swimsuit
• Towel
• Sun tan cream
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Camera/film/memory cards/spare batteries
• And don't forget your logbook!

Health and Special Requirements

If you have any health problems, are on any form of medication or have had any illness, injury or operation that you think may affect you whilst diving, please let us know in advance. If you are allergic to any form of medication, please state this clearly on the Registration Form. Anyone requiring vegetarian food or with any food allergies should advise us before the trip. Please also note the following conditions to ensure a safe diving trip for all our customers:

• Asthma. Please be aware that we do not accept divers with asthma on our trips if you have had an attack in the last 5 years. If you had an attack between 5-10 years ago, we will ask to see the results of a Spirometric test (lung function test) dated not older than 3 months.
  
• Diabetes. Unfortunately we do not accept divers with this condition, as our staff are not medically qualified to a level to deal with any medical problems that may arise.
  
• Thyroid Disease. Divers with thyroid disease or having no thyroid gland should bring a medical statement dated within the past 3 months proving that their cardiovascular system has been critically assessed.
  
• We also can not accept divers with Hypertension (high blood pressure) or divers using anti-depressants (e.g. Prozac).

Please note that for the above mentioned conditions we do NOT accept medical statements issued locally, unless they are from an accredited hospital or surgery. If you need any assistance or further advice on this subject, please contact us for further information

And finally, please do not make plans to fly for at least 24 hours after your last dive - for your own safety