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Among Thailand’s many liveaboards, few strike the perfect balance between intimacy, comfort, and access to world-class diving like the MV Camic. This steel-hulled vessel offers divers a small-group experience through the Similan and Surin Islands, two of the most celebrated marine reserves in the Andaman Sea. For anyone seeking an adventure that combines pristine reefs, relaxed luxury, and legendary dive sites such as Richelieu Rock and Koh Bon, Camic delivers the full package.
A Liveaboard Built for Divers
At 27 metres long, the Camic Liveaboard is compact yet impressively equipped. Its seven cabins accommodate a maximum of fourteen guests, ensuring a personal, friendly atmosphere where you’re never just another diver in the crowd. Cabins are thoughtfully fitted with air conditioning, private en-suite bathrooms, hot showers, and ample storage space – features often reserved for much larger vessels.
Above deck, the outdoor dining area provides open-air meals with Andaman breezes, while the indoor lounge offers space to relax, review photos, or share dive stories. A spacious sundeck invites guests to unwind between dives, watching the islands drift by under Thailand’s endless blue sky.
For divers, the dedicated dive deck is intelligently designed for efficiency and comfort. There are freshwater showers, rinse tanks, DIN adaptors, and Nitrox availability for those certified. The crew and dive guides, fluent in both English and Thai, are known for their professionalism and warm hospitality, always ready to lend a hand with gear or share insights about the next underwater site.
According to Liveaboard.com, Camic remains one of the region’s most consistently well-reviewed boats for its blend of functionality and friendliness.
The Similan and Surin Islands: Thailand’s Underwater Crown Jewels
The Similan and Surin Islands sit off Thailand’s west coast, within the Andaman Sea – a region famed for crystal-clear water, granite formations, soft coral gardens, and incredible biodiversity. The Similans are part of a protected national marine park, and the Surin archipelago lies further north near the Myanmar border.
This area is considered Thailand’s premier liveaboard destination, with conditions that range from gentle coral gardens to thrilling deep pinnacles. Visibility often exceeds 30 metres, and water temperatures hover comfortably between 27–29 °C. The best time to visit is mid-October to mid-May, when the seas are calm and the marine life is at its most active.
Unlike resort-based diving, many of these sites are accessible only by liveaboard, which means you’ll enjoy less-visited locations and pristine ecosystems, something the Camic excels at delivering.
Thailand’s Iconic Dive Sites with Camic
Each voyage aboard Camic includes a mix of Similan and Surin highlights, where coral walls, swim-throughs, and pelagic encounters make every dive unique.
Richelieu Rock
A bucket-list dive and arguably the best in Thailand. This horseshoe-shaped limestone pinnacle, part of the Surin National Park, bursts with life. Expect vast schools of snapper and trevally swirling around purple soft corals, alongside macro treasures like harlequin shrimp and ghost pipefish. Between February and April, lucky divers might find themselves sharing the site with whale sharks or manta rays, drawn by plankton blooms.
Source: Richelieu Rock – Wikipedia
Koh Bon
Just north of the Similans, Koh Bon is a steep wall dive famous for manta ray cleaning stations. Its vertical ridges, sponges, and sea fans host a dazzling range of reef life, from octopus and moray eels to nudibranchs and cuttlefish. It’s also a hotspot for underwater photographers who want clear visibility and vibrant colours.
Source: Similan Islands Dive Sites – Scuba Diving Phuket
Koh Tachai
The Koh Tachai Pinnacle is a favourite among experienced divers for its currents and exhilarating marine life. Schools of barracuda, batfish, and fusiliers swirl in open water, while deeper areas attract leopard sharks and rays. It’s one of those sites that can surprise even veteran divers on every descent.
Boonsung Wreck
Closer to the mainland, this shallow wreck sits at around 20 metres. It’s encrusted in sponges and home to clouds of snapper and juvenile fish. Look closer and you might spot nudibranchs, seahorses, and the occasional bamboo shark. Boonsung offers a relaxed yet rewarding finale to any Similan itinerary.
Each dive tells a different story, and Camic’s itineraries are structured to give divers a full range of experiences, from easy coral drifts to advanced pinnacles teeming with pelagic life.
Why Divers Love Camic
What makes the Camic Liveaboard truly stand out is its blend of value, comfort, and access. It isn’t a luxury yacht, nor a stripped-down budget option – it sits in that perfect middle ground where divers get everything they need, and more, without unnecessary frills.
Guests consistently praise:
- The small group size, allowing more personal space and uncrowded dive decks.
- The quality of dive briefings and attentive dive guides.
- The clean, well-maintained facilities and freshly prepared Thai and Western meals.
- The social yet relaxed atmosphere that feels more like a floating dive lodge than a large tour boat.
Camic’s itineraries typically run between four and five nights, making them ideal for divers who want a substantial liveaboard experience without committing to a full week.
When to Go and What to Expect
The Similan and Surin diving season runs from October through May, with conditions peaking between December and April. During these months, currents are gentle, visibility is exceptional, and pelagic sightings are most common.
Whether you’re a recreational diver looking to level up your logbook or a photographer chasing manta encounters, Camic delivers a balance of adventure, comfort, and affordability that’s hard to beat in Thailand.
For divers seeking one of Southeast Asia’s finest underwater experiences in a friendly, small-group setting, the Camic Liveaboard remains one of the most rewarding options sailing the Andaman Sea.
Plan Your Trip
Find out more and check availability for the Camic Liveaboard in Thailand.
