What’s it really like to live on a dive boat for four days? We finally found out aboard the Blue Dolphin Liveaboard with Big Blue Khao Lak. In this post, I’m breaking down our first-ever liveaboard experience. Find out what surprised us, what we loved, and what you should know before you book.
And hey, if you’re hoping to dive with nitrox (for free!), stick around, I’ll tell you how.
What is a Liveaboard?
First things first, what is a liveaboard? If you’re here because you’re curious about diving the Similan and Surin Islands but have no idea what a liveaboard actually is, don’t worry!
A liveaboard is a boat designed specifically for divers. It’s your accommodation, transport, and dining room all in one, taking you further from shore to reach remote, uncrowded, and pristine dive sites.
When it comes to liveaboards, each boat and company is a little bit different. I hope this is the first in a long series of liveaboard ship reviews. That way, each time you go to book your trip, you can make an informed decision about the boat you’ll be boarding and the team you’ll be diving with.
Table of Contents
- Quick Info
- Trip Overview
- Boat Overview
- Food
- Amenities
- What to Pack (and leave at home)
- Booking and Costs
Justyn’s Quick Blue Dolphin Liveaboard Tips
👉🏻 They have nitrox on board. It’s highly recommended that you dive with nitrox on your trip — and you’re in luck. If you mention my name (JUSTYNJEN) when booking, Big Blue Khao Lak will cover the cost of your nitrox! (You can also get your Nitrox Certification for the trip! One person on our trip did that).
👉🏻 The boat has tea, coffee, soft drinks, electrolytes, fruit and cookies — free of charge. There is also beer and chocolate for purchase. The food is incredible and they’ll feed you many times throughout the day. You don’t need to worry about going hungry.
👉🏻 The Similan Islands season runs from October to early May. This is the only time of year that you can dive in this incredible national park. Make sure to book early! You can still get a 10% discount for next season.
Big Blue Khao Lak
The Blue Dolphin Liveaboard is based in Khao Lak, Thailand. They run 4-day / 4-night diving liveaboards to the Similan and Surin Islands. During your trip, you’ll have a chance to do 14 dives, usually including multiple dives at the world famous Richelieu Rock.
If you want to learn more about the diving and structure of this Similan Islands liveaboard, you can read my trip report and check out my daily vlog series on Instagram.
During the peak season, the Big Blue Khao Lak team also runs day trips to some of the most popular dive sites from Khao Lak, including Richelieu Rock. While this is a nice option if you’re short on time (or want to go back to Richelieu Rock), I highly recommend a liveaboard to explore this part of Thailand.
Trip Overview
Our trip started with the Big Blue Liveaboard team picking us up from our hotel in Khao Lak. We were transferred to the pier to board the ship. Onboard, we were welcomed with warm smiles and cold beer. Once we’d filled out our pre-trip paperwork, we were shown to our rooms to get settled.
The trip officially starts with a dive briefing as you’re leaving the pier.
On night one you’ll sail from Khao Lak to the Similan Islands. It’s the only night of the trip where you’ll be traveling overnight. For me, that meant a little bit of sea sickness, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be (and there is plenty of sea sickness medication onboard).
When you wake up in the morning, the fun truly begins! Our trip started in the Similan Islands, where we had the chance to dive some of my favorite sites like Christmas Point and Koh Tachai Pinnacle.
If you want to learn more about the day to day structure of the trip, make sure to read this post next.
However, be prepared for your new routine; Eat, Sleep, Dive, Repeat!
Blue Dolphin Liveaboard Boat Overview
The Blue Dolphin Liveaboard is a 25 steel hull boat with space for 16 guests. It has a lower deck, main deck, and upper deck. The lower deck has the cabins, kitchen and diving area (where your tanks and gear will live). On the main deck you have a few more cabins, the dining area and an air conditioned hang out room. Finally, you have an upper deck with chairs and shade for hanging out.
The ship was built in 2017 and refitted in 2021.
The ‘Diving Deck’
The diving deck is where the magic happens. It’s where your dive gear will live for the duration of your trip. You’ll usually leave your BCD and regulators set up for the whole trip (they refill your tank for you) and they have plenty of space to hang your wetsuit between dives.
In the middle of the diving deck is space for cameras, with special towers and air to help you protect your gear. There are fresh water showers and tanks at the back for rinsing your wetsuits between dives.
They have a separate tank where you can rinse your camera gear, torches, computers and masks between dives. All of your gear can stay on the diving deck during your entire trip.
However, the best feature of the dive deck is P. Boua. She is on hand delivering hot towels and cold drinks after every dive. There’s nothing like a hotel towel to warm you after a dive. Diving will never be the same again…
For your safety and convenience, the Blue Dolphin has also been designed with a charging station at the back of the diving deck. This is where you can charge your computers, torches and camera batteries. They ask that you don’t ever leave anything charging unattended in your cabins.
The Main Deck
Next up, you have the main deck. On this deck you have two additional cabins, the lounge and a covered dining area. We were upgraded on our trip, which meant our cabin was on this deck.
This deck is where you’ll spend the majority of your time. Each meal is served here, you have the coffee/drinks station and the lounge area. On our liveaboard, we had our turtle talks with Eve in the lounge area. It’s also just a nice, cool place where you can relax between dives.
The Upper Deck
Finally, you have the upper deck. The upper deck is where you have a covered and uncovered lounge area. They have comfy bean bags where you can nap between dives, and yoga mats which are perfect for sunrise stretching before your day starts.
We watched the sunset from this deck each evening after the dives. It’s the perfect spot to unwind.
The Food
The food onboard the Blue Dolphin deserves its own section in this review. Everything we ate was phenomenal. They catered to everyone’s dietary needs, without making you feel like you were missing out on the main event.
You eat three meals a day, with a snack in the afternoon.
Some of my favorites included the blueberry cheesecake, Khao Soi, mango sticky rice and veggie curry (which P. Ann – their chef, made with special soy protein and so much flavor!). Each day we also had fresh fruit to snack on.
They had a variety of western and Thai options for breakfast, and P. Ann always made sure there was a vegan or vegetarian option set aside for us. There was fruit, croissants and toast that you could eat before diving in.
Amenities
It’s clear from the moment you board that a lot of thought has gone into the design of this ship. Each cabin has a memory foam mattress, comfortable pillows and daily fresh towels. Yes, daily! They have A/C, charging ports and reading lights.
You’ll also be given a Blue Dolphin Liveaboard insulated cup with your name on it, that you can use during the trip. This is such a nice gesture, to help you always stay hydrated.
The boat is well stocked with everything you could need for your four-day trip. They have a full first aid kit (with lots and lots of motion sickness medicine) and plenty of electrolytes. They have cold water, tea, hot chocolate and coffee available all day. Plus, they have a proper coffee machine! No instant coffee here.
After each dive, you’ll be greeted with a hotel towel, but they also keep fresh dry towels in cubbies on the diving deck, to ensure you’re always comfortable.
It’s obvious that every detail has been thoughtfully designed and considered for this trip. I was actually surprised by how luxurious the small details were. And I do worry that no liveaboard will ever live up to the Blue Dolphin Liveaboard!
What to Pack
And more importantly, what to leave behind! Because trust me, you need a lot less than you think.
Here’s what you should pack for your trip onboard the Blue Dolphin:
- Reef-safe sunscreen, dive logbook, reusable water bottle
- Two sets of swimwear; that way, you can always have one drying while you’re wearing the other
- Warm layers for windy evenings
- A good hat/sunglasses for the sun
- I love my DJI Action camera for underwater shots (make sure to pick up the underwater case as well!)
Whatever you do, don’t overpack! Space on boats is limited, and you need less than you think.
Booking and Costs
When it comes to booking your Similan Islands Liveaboard, you’ll have a lot of choices! There are a variety of boats, trips, and companies to choose from. I went with Big Blue Diving Khao Lak because of a personal recommendation, and we were blown away by the comfort and luxury of their boat.
The Blue Dolphin was designed with hotel-style amenities in mind. The beds were comfortable, the food was amazing, and the atmosphere of the guests and crew was lovely.
What’s typically included in a liveaboard?
If you’ve never booked a liveaboard, you might wonder what’s included! You can typically expect these things included in your liveaboard cost:
- Accommodation
- Meals and snacks (we had three full meals and a light snack, but there was also coffee, tea, soft drinks, fruit and biscuits available all day)
- 3-4 dives per day
You will normally pay a bit more for Nitrox, equipment, and national park fees, but with the Blue Dolphin, everything else is included. They don’t have any sneaky hidden fees.
For up-to-date pricing and trip details, I recommend heading straight to Big Blue Khao Lak’s website. They offer price matching, which means that when you book directly with them, you’re always going to get the best price.
However, if you book now, you can still get a discount for next season! And when you mention my name (JUSTYNJEN), they’ll throw in free nitrox for your trip.
If you’d like to learn more about the trip, read this post next!
What questions do you have about a Similan Islands liveaboard?
Planning more diving trips around Southeast Asia? Read some of my other diving guides next.
- The Ultimate Guide to Koh Tao Diving
- Everything You Need to Know About Diving in Sipadan (with Dive Logs)
- I Stayed on the World’s First Dive Rig (Seaventures Review)
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