Dive the Best of Thailand!

Explore Thailand Above and Beneath the Sea!

We are excited to dive the best of Thailand including the Similan and Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock on a North Andaman Sea itinerary on board our all LGBTQ+ charter of Thailand Aggressor liveaboard next winter!

November-March is the best season for diving the Andaman Sea. Underwater highlights include cephalopods like octopus, cuttlefish, and squid, colorful soft corals, unique Indian Ocean fishes, zebra sharks, and with a little luck, mantas or maybe something even bigger!

Planned Itinerary:
Our expedition begins in Phuket, Thailand, where you should plan to arrive by 2:30 pm on Saturday, February 21.
We'll depart that evening for the warm waters of the Andaman Sea!

• Saturday, February 21, 2026: Arrive Phuket (HKT) by 2:30 pm
  4 pm transfer to Tap Lamu Pier to board Thailand Aggressor.
• Sunday, February 22 - Thursday, February 26: up to four dives daily including night dive
• Friday, February 27: Two dives followed by return to port
• Saturday, February 28, 2026: Disembark at 8 am from Tap Lamu pier in Khao Lak
• Please plan your onward travel for no earlier than noon on February 28.

Some of our Planned Thailand Dive Sites:

Similan Islands
The above water scenery will provide stunningly beautiful white sandy beaches with small forested areas. Dive some of the following sites; Boulder City, Sharkfin Reef, Anita's Reef and Three Trees. Under the surface you may see: Leopard (zebra) shark, blue spotted stingrays, clown trigger fish, rabbit fish, scorpion fish, snappers, emperor fish, giant trevally and angelfish. The coral gardens, bommies and boulder formations are wonderful to dive.

Elephant Head Rock, visible from the surface, is the biggest pinnacle in the Similans and has some fantastic swimthroughs. Whitetip reef sharks, batfish, trevally and barracuda can often be seen on the perimeter of the boulders. If you look closely in the cracks and in the rubble you can see smashing mantis shrimp, porcelain crab, moray eels and cleaner shrimp.There are also sites dominated by huge granite boulders such as Deep Six, Christmas Point,and North Point where you can see white tip reef sharks, schooling giant trevally, and schools of neon fusiliers.

Surin Islands
Koh Bon: This is generally the most likely place to see manta rays on this itinerary. You are also likely to see Napoleon wrasse, sweetlips, octopus, bluefin trevally, giant moray eels, great barracudas, fire dart goby, spiny lobster and nudibranchs of many types. The dive sites vary from wall diving to gently sloping reefs and from submerged boulders to coral gardens. Diving on the West Ridge can be an adrenaline filled drift, with amazing views, while the North Reef is a gentler experience over a hard coral garden.

Koh Tachai: This island is famous for its pinnacle dive site, known by many as Twin Peaks, as well as more relaxed reef diving on the North Reef and South Reef. Normally, turtles, barracuda, pipe fish, and nudibranchs can be found here. There is also a chance to see bigger species in this area like manta rays and whale sharks, especially from late January until April.

Richelieu Rock: This limestone pinnacle was allegedly named by Jacques Cousteau after Cardinal Richelieu due to the similarity to the colour of his gown as there are gorgeous purple dendronephthya soft corals covering most of the pinnacle. There are other areas covered in magnificent sea anemones as well. Barely breaking the surface at low tide, this horseshoe-shaped outcropping, slopes steeply to a sandy bottom at 18 to 35 meters (60-120 Ft). This site offers great diversity for such a small and isolated spot. It also offers excellent multi-level diving and, because it’s a high-profile reef, there’s always sheltered areas to hide from current. The marine life is prolific and includes amongst, many other things; pharaoh cuttlefish, large octopuses, all five varieties of anemone fish of the Andaman Sea, variety of moray eels, ornate ghost pipefish, smashing mantis shrimp, harlequin shrimp, tigertail seahorses, Spanish mackerel, frogfish, many schooling snappers and occasional sightings of manta rays and whale sharks

Itinerary and dive site selection are always subject to modification
depending on conditions and captain's judgment.

Diving conditions in and around the Andaman Sea are generally suitable for all levels of
divers. You should have a minimum of 10 logged dives and Advanced Open Water training
(the AOW course can be completed on board) to join this scuba adventure.

We'll return to Tap Lamu Pier in Khao Lak just north of Phuket and disembark on the morning of Saturday, February 28. You may fly home, to Bangkok, or elsewhere from Phuket Airport (HKT) that afternoon.

Package includes:

Not included:
Airfare to Phuket (HKT), marine park and port fees of $95 (paid on board),instruction or gear rental if required, Nitrox ($175 for seven days), alcoholic beverages, crew gratuity, diving insurance (required), or travel insurance.

Air Connections:
From North America, please plan to arrive in Phuket (HKT) on or before February 21 by 2:50 pm or earlier. Enter Thailand from abroad directly at Phuket (HKT) or via Bangkok (BKK or DMK).

At the end of this expedition, you can plan to fly home, to Bangkok, or elsewhere after noon on February 28. We are happy to help with flight and itinerary suggestions.

To see more of Thailand, visit Chiang Mai before the liveaboard, February 14-21, 2026.

Deposit:
$700 to hold your space; second deposit of $1000 due nine months prior to departure, third deposit of $1000 due 180 days prior to departure, and final payment due 120 days prior to departure.
We're happy to arrange a monthly payment schedule if you prefer - just ask!

How to reserve your space:

1. Call or E-mail us to check availability.
2. We'll place a space on courtesy hold for you and send you a confirmation e-mail.
3. Complete and return the trip application and waiver online, and arrange your deposit by check or credit card.
4. Make your airline reservations. We're happy to help you find the best flights.