Smiling Seahorse, Thailand
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9.3 Superb
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- Nitrox available
- from $ 198 / day
- Book Now
“Seeing a Manta was pretty special and the diversity of life on those reefs was fantastic.”
Highlights
Newly built for 2018, the Smiling Seahorse liveaboard offers fantastic dive trips to Thailand and Myanmar. The 3-night 'Best of Thailand' trip showcases some of the best dive areas in the Andaman Sea, including the Surin Islands, Richelieu Rock, Koh Tahcai & Koh Bon. The Myanmar dive trips are a fantastic way to explore this newly opened dive area and to get up close with manta rays, eagle rays, mobula rays, leopard sharks and cool macro critters such as frogfish, seahorses, and pipefish. The spacious dive deck at the back of the boat allows ample room for kitting up and gear storage and a dedicated photography room.
The Smiling Seahorse is 25m long and accommodates 16 divers over 4 decks. On the upper deck are 2 standard cabins with one double or two single beds and shared bathrooms. The 4 deluxe and 2 master cabins on the main deck have en-suite bathrooms, and all cabins feature air-conditioning. There is also an open-air dining room, a huge sun deck, and a camera station for photographers.
The experienced and professional crew of the Smiling Seahorse liveaboard offers a warm welcome. Book online today to reserve your space.
Choose your departure date
Included: VAT, Drinking Water, Soft drinks, Tea & Coffee, Beach BBQ, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Kayaks, Cabin Towels, Deck Towels.
Required Extras: National Park Fees (30-300 USD per trip).
Optional Extras: Gratuities (1,000 THB per day), Airport Transfer, Hotel Transfer, Alcoholic Beverages, Nitrox, Nitrox Course, Private Dive Guide (3,500 THB per day), Rental Gear (600 THB per day), Scuba Diving Courses, Land Excursions, Snorkel Gear.
Book now, pay later: You can easily place your booking online. We will then hold the spaces for you and you can confirm with a payment later.
* Extra fees are shown per person.
Pay by bank transfer or online with
Drawings & Vessel Layouts
Cabin Types
Smiling Seahorse Reviews
- 9.3 Superb
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Vessel
8.9
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Crew
9.0
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Food
9.8
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Diving
9.6
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Value
9.2
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- 9.6 Exceptional
- Katherine K
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United States
Well organized boat, fantastic diving, tasty food
We did all 25 dives on this trip and loved them all. The variety was wonderful - from nudis to cobias, from swim throughs and caverns to beautiful healthy reefs, and a fascinating intro to blackwater diving. Our guide James was our favorite dive guide ever - hilarious and so knowledgeable. This boat is organized extremely well, with every detail thought through for a fantastic diving experience (great camera room, four dives per day). The food was always delicious, and the barbecue party on the last night was super fun. Our only small wishes would have been better weather (less rain and rough seas) and an air-conditioned communal area (the dining area is open to the outside). Very competently run and joyful diving holiday!
- Recommended for
- James, our hilarious and highly knowledgeable dive guide. Wonderful variety of excellent diving. Delicious food at every meal.
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- 10 Exceptional
- Taryn L
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United States
Sail the Andaman Sea in a friendly atmosphere
My wife and I just spend an amazing week living aboard The Smiling Seahorse which took us through the many renown diving spots Thailand has to offer. The past 7 days, we sailed the Andaman Sea, stopping at busy Richelieu Rock by the Mu Ko Surin National Park and exploring the wonders of Ko Tachai and Ko Bon. We were amazed at the beauty of Breakfast Bend (3 trees), the imposing Elephant Rock (Hin Pusa) and Shark Fin Reef (Hin Phae) dive sites off the coast of Mu Ko Similan National Park. We were greeted by superb Oceanic Mantas at Red Rock (Hin Daeng), Purple Rock (Hin Muang) right in the Strait of Malacca and gasped at the grandeur of Cathedral (Koh Haa Yao). Last but not least, Ko Li Pe delivered schools of Fusiliers, Trevalis and Small Tooth Emperors reigning over the rest of the innumerable schools of fishes at Stonehenge and 8 Miles Rock (Hin Paad Mile). The crew on board was the friendliest and always helpful, accommodating my wife’s (many) food allergies with kindness. Speaking of the food, the chefs on board are incredible and you are in for a treat after each dives (my favorite being the post-morning dive breakfast). Our cabin (number 1) was spacious with a large bed and ample space to organize and store our luggages away. The bathroom was clean and perfect for a week on board. The entire dive masters crew was always professional, taking the time to go over the dive plan, answering any concerns and helping locate and identify the many hidden wonders discovered during each dive. We highly recommend signing up for the black water dive if this is something you have never done as Franck (the owner) is an amazing photograph and will lead you through a new way to discover our animal kingdom. Kudos to Franck and his team for organizing everything in a seamless fashion getting on and off the boat and everything in between. Thank you for having us, we’re looking forward to discovering Burma in a future adventure!
- Recommended for
- Friendly and knowledgeable crew, amazing food, incredible dive sites
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- 10 Exceptional
- Craig F
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United States
Perfect introduction to liveaboard diving
This was a new experience for me, and I quite enjoyed the crew and my fellow divers. Six dives on Richelieu Rock were wonderful. It was crowded with other dive operators but big enough for us all.
- Recommended for
- Crew, food, itinerary
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- 10 Exceptional
- Tim P
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United States
Thrilled to have dived the Andaman sea with the friendly professionals of the Smiling Seahorse!
Such diversity of dive sites and creatures, pointed out so as not to be missed by James, the informative talks each day by Gavin, and the joy of new fellow divers on board, and the hard working crew amazed.
- Recommended for
- The diving, the food, the people made this a great trip.
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- 10 Exceptional
- Daniel R
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United States
Fantastic boat, crew, equipment, and guides!
This is a really well run operation. Our tour director Franck was on top of everything from helping us stay safe and healthy to taking amazing underwater photos. The boat crew and guides worked seamlessly together to ensure all the guests had the best possible diving experiences. Food was tasty and we always had plenty of snacks on hand after a dive. I started out as a very beginner diver (11 dives) and learned a ton from the guides and other more seasoned divers. The underwater world of the Andaman sea is amazing: I saw octopus, sharks, cuttlefish, rays, etc etc. We did night, blackwater, and cavern diving as well.
- Recommended for
- Superb crew, Clean and modern boat, smooth diving experiences
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- 10 Exceptional
- John D
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United States
Great boat fantastic crew!
Tiger sharks Nurse sharks Tons of rays Cuttlefish
- Recommended for
- The boat and crew were top notch, we saw THREE tiger sharks, Burma banks was an amazing dive site
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- 9.6 Exceptional
- Robert V
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United States
Amazing experience.
We booked the photography expedition in the Similan National Park with the Smiling Seahorse. The boat is a 3 deck dive boat with functional cabins, a mess hall, and a perfect setup room for underwater photography and general rec diving. The boat owner and leader Frank is also a photographer. He is a super friendly and fun person to be around. He was very engaged in the day-to-day activities, and his excitement about the diving and photo opportunities was contagious. He also went out of his way to give us tips about underwater photography, which were greatly appreciated. He is an amazing photographer and his presentations were engaging and informative. Our guide, James, was equally top notch, and easily one of the best dive guides we’ve had in our diving history. He was safety conscious, highly skilled, and we learned so much from him about the reef sites we were visiting, including the sea life, and tips for safe diving in general. The supporting crew was equally amazing, ensuring tank fills and gear were setup, and the meals were good. Everything was well planned out so it never felt too crowded onboard despite full capacity. What you don’t easily see is all the work the crew is doing behind the scenes to make the liveaboard the most enjoyable experience. The dive sites themselves were fantastic, with healthy reefs, corals and fish, and the dive operation is very conscious of protecting the reef. The blackwater dive was incredible and unique , and each dive site provided great variety. This was one of the best diving trips I’ve done, hands down, and the crew and boat deserve the highest praise. We will be back soon!
- Recommended for
- Friendly and accommodating crew, great dive sites, great photography room
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- 8.0 Very good
- Karen A
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United States
Great crew and amazing diving
Amazing diving! Seeing a Manta was pretty special and the diversity of life on those reefs was fantastic.
- Recommended for
- The helpfulness and kindness of the crew was the big standout for me. I needed extra help getting in and out of the dingy (knee issue) and they were so great. The chef was super accomodating for my vegetarian preferences as well.
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- 8.4 Very good
- lee K
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United States
The owners and crew went the extra mile to make your trip fun and memorable
The dives were very well organized which gave you confidence that you were in a safe environment. There were underwater experiences including several occasions of the "green monster " welling up from the depths (cold currents coming up sometimes like a river often totally obscuring vision until you can swim out of them. The diving was more enjoyable as there was a lot of expertise shared by the crew and fellow divers. Looking forward to traveling with this boat and crew again.
- Recommended for
- Owners were on the boat and made a positive difference for the trip. The cost of the trip was quite reasonable for the level of service we are very happily surprised. And of course having an atmosphere of good times was enjoyed by all
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- 8.4 Very good
- Rosaline C
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Macau
I enjoy the whole trip
I have been to 10+ Liveaboard in this trip I have 0 complain for Frank well arrangements and lovely staff, I will be back……personally only room for improvement is the food, looking for more variety and seafood
- Recommended for
- Dive guide Ms Aiara she is so sweet and caring. Owner Frank with full of passion. The Marine life schools of fish.
