Similan liveaboard - Giamani

To visit the Similan Islands please join us aboard the M/V Giamani - Thailand's newest liveaboard working the Similan Islands.

While there are some departures form Patong, we do use this boat for all our Similan Adventures. She is a new boat designed and operated with Italian service and style.

Ask us more!

Spaces still available for Christmas and New years!

Cruise	Itinerary	Days & Nights		Departing Port	Returning Port
OCTOBER
GI01	28 Oct - 03 Nov Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Patong
NOVEMBER
GI02	04 Nov - 11 Nov Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Patong
GI03	11 Nov - 17 Nov Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Patong
GI04	18 Nov - 24 Nov Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Thap Lamu
GI05	25 Nov - 04 Dec Thailand & Burma		9D/9N	Thap Lamu	Thap Lamu
DECEMBER
GI06	05 Dec- 08 Dec Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		3D/3N	Thap Lamu	Thap Lamu
GI07	09 Dec - 15 Dec Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Thap Lamu	Patong
GI08	16 Dec - 22 Dec Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Patong
GI09	23 Dec - 29 Dec Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Patong
JANUARY
GI10	30 Dec - 05 Jan Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Thap Lamu
GI11	06 Jan - 15 Jan Thailand & Burma		9D/9N	Thap Lamu	Thap Lamu
GI12	16 Jan - 19 Jan Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		3D/3N	Thap Lamu	Thap Lamu
GI13	20 Jan - 26 Jan Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Thap Lamu	Patong
GI14	27 Jan - 02 Feb Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Patong
FEBRUARY
GI15	03 Feb - 09 Feb Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Patong
GI16	10 Feb - 16 Feb Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Thap Lamu
GI17	17 Feb - 26 Feb Thailand & Burma		9D/9N	Thap Lamu	Thap Lamu
GI18	27 Feb - 01 Mar Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		3D/3N	Thap Lamu	Thap Lamu
MARCH
GI19	02 Mar - 08 Mar Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Thap Lamu	Patong
GI20	09 Mar - 15 Mar Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Patong
GI21	16 Mar - 22 Mar Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Patong
GI22	23 Mar - 29 Mar Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Patong	Thap Lamu
APRIL
GI23	30 Mar- 08 Apr Thailand & Burma		9D/9N	Thap Lamu	Thap Lamu
GI24	09Apr - 12 Apr Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		3D/3N	Thap Lamu	Thap Lamu
GI25	13 Apr - 19 Apr Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock		6D/6N	Thap Lamu	Patong

Liveaboard Cruise Prices per person 2007 - 2008

THAILAND - NORTHERN Cruise (3 Days)

Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock & Boonsoong Wreck
11 Dives - 3 Days / 3 Nights

STANDARD CABIN TWIN SHARE RATE ( shared bathroom): US$ 546
DELUXE CABIN TRIPLE SHARE RATE ( en suite bathroom): US$ 576
DELUXE CABIN TWIN SHARE RATE (en suite bathroom): US$ 654

Similan's National Park Fee
29 US$ per person paid locally on the boat

THAILAND - NORTHERN Cruise (6 Days)

The Similan's and Surin Islands
22 Dives - 6 Days / 6 Nights

STANDARD CABIN TWIN SHARE RATE ( shared bathroom): US$ 1092
DELUXE CABIN TRIPLE SHARE RATE ( en suite bathroom): US$ 1152
DELUXE CABIN TWIN SHARE RATE (en suite bathroom): US$ 1308

Similan's National Park Fee
46 US$ per person paid locally on the boat

THAILAND & BURMA CRUISE (9 Days)

31 Dives in total - 9 Days / 9 Nights
19 dives in Burma and 12 dives in Thailand.

STANDARD CABIN TWIN SHARE RATE ( shared bathroom): US$ 1818
DELUXE CABIN TRIPLE SHARE RATE ( en suite bathroom): US$ 1908
DELUXE CABIN TWIN SHARE RATE (en suite bathroom): US$ 2142

National Park Fee
29 US$ per person paid locally on the boat (Similan Park Fee)
200 US$ Burma entrance/user fee

NITROX TANKS
Per tank: US$ 6

Transfers

Please note that we do offer a transfer service for our guests free of charge on Phuket Island from the airport and hotel.

The above listed PRICES INCLUDE:

Transfers to and from your accommodation on Phuket Island. (Other areas on request).
Accommodation on board, all meals, snacks, drinking water, tea, coffee, tanks (not NITROX),
weights, weight belts, torch on night dive, and dive guide.

The above listed PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE:

Soft drinks, alcohol, Similan Marine National Park Fee, diving courses, NITROX tanks, and rental equipment.

Technical Specification

• Built in the year 1998
• Length 24m (78.7ft)
• Beam 6.5m (21ft)
• Draft 2 m (6 ft)
• Material: Steel
• Tonage: 62 tons
• Two NISSAN engines each with 230 HP
• Max speed of 12 knots
• A cruising speed of 9 knots
• Range: 3000 miles
• Two generators each with 30kw
• All cabins complete with 220v of Electricity 24 hours a day
• Two L&W compressors
• NITROX system onboard
• Large inflatable dingy with an outboard of 30bhp
• Fitted with modern navigation equipment
• Fully equipment medic first aid and oxygen system
• Water capacity: 10,000 Liters
• Water makers 2 X 4000 liters per day
• Comfortable sofa area
• Library
• CD / VCD Music system with music selection
• DVD Player with a library of films

Cabin Types Available

• 2 Standard Twin Share Cabins
• 4 Deluxe Triple share or Twin share Cabins

ALL Standard cabins have the following facilities
Air condition & Fan
Shared bathroom & hot shower
Cupboard space for storing your belongings
Large panoramic window.

ALL Deluxe cabins have the following facilities
Individually controlled Air condition & Fan
En suite facilities (private toilet & hot shower)
Cupboard space for storing your belongings
Sea views.

MVGiamani - Main Deck

MV Giamani - Upper Deck

Safety Facilities

• Satellite phone
• Mobile phone
• VHF Radio
• SSB Radio
• Depth sounder X 2
• Radar X 2
• EPIRB
• CB Radio, 24h contact with NAVY
• O2 tank + O2 instructor provider on board
• MFA Kit + Emergency First Response instructors on board
• Two life rafts complete with jackets throughout
• Emergency evacuation facilities with helicopter & ambulance
• Affiliated member with the Hyperbaric Chamber in Phuket
• Fire extinguishers

Onboard Crew

• 1 Captain
• 1 Engineer
• 1 Deck hand
• 1 Cook
• 1 Hostess
• 1 Cruise director ( dive instructor)
• 1 tour leader ( dive instructor)
• 3rd dive instructor if full boat.

The Yogi Fish

As with many other underwater creatures, I saw my first ever ‘yogi fish’ during my first liveaboard trip to the Similan islands. That was about five months ago and now I have seen many different sizes and shapes as well as those in rather compromising positions. However, it took a recent customer to declare his love for the eight armed rubbery mollusk, for me to really lay back, re-admire and then do my homework. This is what I came up with:

The Devil Fish
Ancient sea farers were terrified of the eight armed octopus and hence its rather unfortunate nick name, the ‘devil fish’. Personally, I think the name ‘yogi fish’ would be far more fitting, due to its incredibly malleable body which allows it to squeeze through the smallest cracks and holes, with the only limit being the size of its eyeball. This makes it an extremely problematic pet for those who insist on taking it out of its natural habitat. (See the external link below for footage of a yogi fish squeezing through a one inch hole.) In fact octopuses kept as pets have been known to escape their own tank and invade neighbouring aquariums for a captive food source. This impressive flexibility is due to its lack of internal or external skeleton.

Three Hearts and a Beak
Octopuses have three hearts which live in its large head; two pump blood through each of its two gills, while the third pumps blood through the body. This also means that octopuses always have very high blood pressure. As well as three hearts these rubbery devils also have a ‘parrot-like beak’. The following passage taken from the National Wildlife Federation gives a little more elaboration:

In its den, an octopus will often simply lie hidden, its arms coiled, before unrolling one to snag a passerby with the suckers at the tip. While swimming, its preferred attack posture is to parachute gently down with all eight arms outstretched and envelop its prey in the web connecting the arms. Having wrapped up its victim, an octopus holds it against its underside and bites it with a retractable, parrot-like beak.

After scouring available video footage, I actually found film of a giant octopus lying in wait and then leaping up to kill a passing shark (see link below). When hunting a little less ambitiously, the beak can be used to drill through the shells of small crustaceans such as snails, shrimps and crabs. A toxin is then secreted to dissolve the tissues. Octopus can also ‘taste’ prey/ food with its arms, which are lined with rows of suction cups. They also have excellent eyesight. With all this overloading of sensory skills it hardly matters that they are deaf, but they also hide some additional surprising skills…

Jet Skiing on Autopilot
Most of the times I have seen an octopus has been when it is peeping out of tiny gaps underneath coral, flashing from a grey to a white colour with impressive rapidity. However, there have also been times when I have seen an octopus flinging itself from rock to rock and then freezing as if transforming itself into an inanimate object unworthy of our attention. These many different means of movement are as interesting as they are varied. As octopuses do not have full control over their arms, they simply send a high level command for movement and off they go. During this brief burst of research I also came across several accounts of octopus using their arms to ‘walk’. Of particular note were the ‘walking’ octopus marginatus, which is also known as the octopus that ‘resembles a coconut’. The report from the National Wildlife Federation explains that this “crawling arm serves as a distraction to would-be predators; this ability is also used in mating.” This leaves me wondering whether it is to distract the female or for impregnation itself? Even more intriguing are the descriptions of ‘jet propulsion’ where the octopus actually builds pressure by sealing off all orifices except a narrow funnel, and uses the thick muscles of the mantle wall to squeeze the water out the hole, allowing it to travel to speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.

Clever Devils
It comes as no surprise that octopuses are highly intelligent and reports of the ‘devil fish’ climbing on board fishing ships and opening cages of crabs/ ‘ready made meals’ remind us of why they were feared far more than most other marine life. Octopus have both a long term and short term memory which dispels the three second myth used to justify putting small fish in even smaller bowls. Unfortunately their short life span of around six months limits their learning curve, while learning from their parents is not an option as they both die shortly after copulation. It has been suggested that they also learn by doing and even through observation rather than through instinct. However, as little credit is ever given to the IQ of sea creatures this has yet to be scientifically proved. So why such a short life? With the ability to regenerate lost arms, (which may be useful since they have a tendency to eat their own arms, or even to discard them when under attack), an incredible ability to change colour and even texture, a hidden weapon of squirting ink (as a block to predators who hunt by sight or smell), their largest threat to life is the definition of a Catch 22: Reproduction is the primary cause of death!

The Ultimate Sacrifice
Males can only live for a few months after mating, while females become so preoccupied with their unhatched eggs that they rarely eat during the one month incubation period. Further research found that rather than forage for food, the primary cause of movement for the octopus is to search for its victim/ mate. When successful the experience is quite bizarre, and has been observed on many a night dive to Koh Bon: the male will extend a ‘specialized’ arm and begin to caress the female. It will then insert it into the female’s mantle cavity. Apparently at this point a sperm packet then slides slowly down a narrow groove in the arm and enters the female’s oviduct. Meanwhile, the octopuses are both flashing different colours as different pigments come into view as the cell walls are stretched or squeezed. Next time I see what I can only presume to be the suicidal male, seductively stretch out one of his eight arms to gently caress the female, trying to convince her that the price of starvation is worth the continuation of the species I’ll feel less inclined to stop my divers from photographing the ‘private’ experience. After all, it may be their last ever public showing. Meanwhile, newborn common octopuses spend the first few weeks of life invisible to divers; they have been described as ‘flealike creatures the size of rice grains’ who drift along the surface of the ocean as plankton. As they gain weight they eventually drop to the dark crevices and rocks of the bottom of the ocean.

Ultimately, what this brief research has revealed is that octopus are pretty incredible creatures, who deserve far more attention from divers such as myself, who used dismiss them as both to common and too large to warrant much excitement; let alone declarations of love. So in response to my recent octopus adoring customer I would like to say a genuine and heart-felt ‘Thank you’!

Amazing Links:

Octopus escaping through a 1 inch hole

Octopus eats Shark

Praise to the Liveaboard!

Wake up to the calm seas as the water takes on the warm pinkish tint of the rising sun. Fresh coffee brews as the boat sails to the first dive sight of the day. Maps are laid out and dive briefs are given. A description of which fish will be seen at which depths. The topography, the currents, the duration and the ease of collection after the dive. Down to the dive deck. Music drifting out of the surround sound system, before the boat reverses and the signal given.

Wake up! A plunge into the ocean. BCD fully inflated and bobbing around in refreshing coolness. All ready? Regs in. Dowwwwn. Silence. Inhale. Exhale. Bubbles. Ok? Ok – ok – ok – ok . All four divers down and happy and floating. Now let the underwater adventure begin.

Slowly moving along the reef or around a submerged pinnacle. Swimming over familiar rocks and coral, visiting the same fish whose habits you have observed so closely every four days that you feel as if you are visiting a mute friend. At times I often marvel at how the twenty or so most frequently dived sites around the Similans have become as familiar to me as an urban town, such as Khao Lak. The main difference being of course that it could only be an act of the divine to travel around a town suspended in mid-air and controlling your depth with the slightest inhalation or exhalation. There’s also the constant novelty of the underwater world; the genuine anticipation of what this dive, despite the hundreds before it, will bring: Leopard shark? Mantas? Or the Big Fish itself? Of course there is always the unexpected; the guitar shark at Breakfast Bend, the weird and wonderful pleurobranch at Koh Tachai Reef, which ensures that even the most dived sites continue to hold their trump cards.

Sixty minutes later and the silence of the underwater world is broken as simultaneously as the surface is. Regs are removed, masks are dragged down and after a delay of a few seconds for readjustment, conversation initiated: “Did you see that?; What was that weird looking fish.” Or “WOWOWOWOWOWOW! Its tail nearly hit me!” At this point I will be leaning upon my surface marker revelling in the consistently high level of job satisfaction that working as a dive guide in the Similans never fails to bring. Meanwhile, the Captain of the boat will be sounding the horn and sailing over to collect my divers. As a fellow guide continuously comments, “Its just too easy” (pronounced with a accentuated ‘Zeeee’. Indeed, the liveaboards are the easiest way to dive the Similans. Dive, Eat, Sleep, Dive, Eat, Sleep and so on. Or course there is always the option of jumping onto the dingy and exploring one of the Princess’s tropical islands.

Islands number Four and Eight are accessible to the public, and have fantastic view points across turquoise waters and lush green hills. Some prefer not to leave the comfort of the boat! Professing that rather than going to the beach they would rather “stay and relax”, which is a comment which in itself makes me smile. One tour leader is renowned for this habituation to boat life. Just to ensure his days are spent either in the water of floating above it he describes the island visit as “Bex’s Island Adventure”. However, I love scrambling up the rocks, using the crude but effective system of rocks and ladders to reach the top. On the boat the furthest I ever walk is from the dive platform to my cabin. A strange comment since I don’t actually sleep in my cabin. After all why sleep inside when the sundeck offers an unlimited view of the night sky and a soft gentle morning wake up?

Check out our websites

www.wickeddiving.com

www.khao-lak-diving.com

www.diversafety.org