Seeking recommendations

We have a shutdown at our office for two weeks over Christmas and New Years, so I'm looking for place to dive. Perhaps a 10 day liveaboard over that period.

I've read a liittle about Thailand. Seems interesting, and there are lots of boats to choose from. I would welcome a recommedation from someone who's been on a liveaboard in that area.

Anywhere else?

Herb

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Thanks for the info.

Herb

Me and my wife have been on several Similan trips. cmdasia is right... it is good diving.

Burma is also nice and included on some longer trips - 7-10 days. Have a look on the boat layout. I assume you bring camera gear and some boats are dormitory style with no camera tanks!

We will be there for two 5day liveaboards over Xmas and New Year with www.scandinavian-divers.com They have a big new boat that I am sure is ok.

TJO,

It REALLY new. In fact it not quite finish! I tried to book it through siamdivers.com and got the follow message from them. What do you think?

Herb

----- quote ---

Thanks for your booking forms for the Viking liveaboard over Christmas.

Hmmm. It's a bit tough this one. The Viking is not finished yet

unfortunately. We THINK that it will be, but we can not at this point

guarantee 100% that it will be. So, we can take your bookings, but if the

owner does not finish the boat on time, then we're going to have trouble

finding another trip for you then (at the last minute). What I suggest is

that you tell me the dates that you can be here, and I will send you some

other options. I will need to know when you can arrive and when you can

depart. Am I correct in assuming that you do NOT want to go to Burma? Or,

would you consider that possibility?

Also, are you, Holly, wanting to book back to back trips as well, or is that

just for you Herbert. It wasn't clear on the form.

Don't get me wrong, Viking is a beautiful boat and we can take a booking for

you on it, and there is an 80% chance that the boat will be done. However, I

personally can not guarantee it 100%. If the boat is not done and we can't

find you an alternative at that time, then where does that leave us?

Probably you jumping up and down and screaming at me in my office over the

holidays. That does not sound like fun to me, and I'm sure you don't think

it sounds very holiday-like either ;-)

Sorry about this, but I hope you understand that I am just trying to be

honest with you about the situation.

Let me know and we'll go from there. There are other possibilities if we act

fairly quickly.

Best regards,

John

-- John Williams & Bent Posejpal Siam Dive n' Sail, Co. Ltd; 68/14 Patak Road, Mu 2, Soi Sawatdee Guest House, behind Club Med Karon 83100 Phuket, Thailand;

Some friends of us made a Burma trip last April. They said it was the best diving they ever had, including mantas, whalesharks, boring normal sharks, ghost pipefish, nudis, .....

Unfortunately they did not remember the name of the boat, the only thing they told us that the whole trip was arraged by a German friend of them living in Thailand.

This is the url of Ocean Rover Diving Cruises:

http://207.158.246.122/

Another idea might be a trip on the Pindito.

They are doing an Irian Jaya tour from and to Sorong over christmas and new year. (We loved their Komodo tour and plan to do the Irian Jaya tour next April).

Boat and crew are from Switzerland/Indonesia but speak English very well.

http://www.pindito.ch

Sabine

Herb,

I think it is a very honest answer he has given you - he is well respected here and has written one of the best known guide books to Thai diving - I did my open water with him 12 years ago when on holiday here, and even though I have never seen him in the interim, I still remember his professionality.

Living here in Thailand, life happens at a different pace (similar to the "manjana" principle) and timelines for projects seem to disappear - he has probably been burnt before with promises of completion dates and is advising you accordingly (business' here pay day rates to workers so it is to the benefit of a worker to take as long as is humanly possible to complete a task ;')

I would also think there is safety in the fact that he deals with all operators rather than having a "special" agreement with just one (and believe you me - there are many "special deals" here - which result on a large percentage of your money ending up in the middle amns pocket - wierd thing is you cannot normally get cheaper by going directly to the operator).

I would also heartily recommend the Ocean Rover - it is now readying to sail back to Phuket after spending the monsoon season in the gulf of Thailand - beautiful boat by all accounts. The Pelagian is probably the absolute best but it is spending the season in Indonesia and the Pacific and will not be back to Thailand for a couple of of years.

The Divemaster I is also spending the season on Burma www.divemaster.net , thye also have the divemaster II doing the sims which would give you back to back capabilities also - contact them directly - they are a Bangkok company so thye will definitely give you discount if you ask (a friend told me that they also raffle off 3 free trips on every liveaboard trip as a customer incentive - nice idea)