Dec 2009 -Liveaboard advice plz- Thailand &/or Myanmar

Seeking advice - for a December liveaboard trip in Thailand and/or Myanmar. Looking for a 4-5 star boat, 8-12 day trip. I don't need a chocolate on my pillow - but don't want a cockroach either. Nautica and Siren have been identified as possibilities. No info on either boat on Undercurrent. Any experience with these (or other) boats in the area?

Also- would you rather go south of Phuket for diving - or north to Myanmar in December? Boats seem to do one or the other - but not both. Thanks so much!!

Finally - any ideas where to rent a good camera set up in Bangkok or Phuket? Crazy I know - I'm in Thailand for work and can't drag all the work clothes + dive gear + camera stuff on the plane.

I haven't come across any underwater camera rental shop in thailand yet. Perhaps there are some in Phuket but I suppose it'll be a compact set up, not the DSLR.

Liveaboard trip in Thailand generally last for 4 days at a time. Most of them leave from Phuket to go North/South of Andaman and return to Phuket for a few days to resupply. The route is often alternated between north and south. So your option can be to take the north Andaman trip for 4 days and return to Phuket for 2 days and take the south Andaman trip with the same boat again. If you don't want to wait, youcan also change to boat and hop on to another liveaboard the day you return to Phuket.

Try these below

http://www.mermaid-liveaboards.com/

http://www.panunee.com/

http://www.philkade.com/