Camic — a small, dive-first Andaman liveaboard

Camic is for divers who would rather spend five days reaching the better Andaman sites than treat a liveaboard as a hotel with tanks. Only 14 guests share the boat, so the dive operation stays small enough for briefings, equipment and surface time not to become a queue. The route links the Similan Islands with Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock and Surin, and the 5-day, 4-night trip carries 15 dives. That gives the boat a clear purpose: more time on the sites that justify the crossing, with a crew whose strongest marks come for diving, food and value. Choose Camic for access and a personal scale, not for resort-style excess.

Camic makes a compact first impression: a purpose-built dive boat rather than a floating resort, with the practical spaces arranged around getting divers into the water and back out again. The 2024 renovation matters because it gives an older hull a recent working reset without changing its basic character. Once aboard, movement is straightforward, and the limited passenger count keeps the shared areas from feeling anonymous. The upper cabin deck and open observation areas put the sea close to daily life; the boat is small enough that faces become familiar quickly. There is one Chollamas tender for site work, while the main boat remains the place where equipment, briefings and meals are organised.

Camic's social scale comes from the passenger count and the way the crew runs the day, not from forced entertainment. Briefings are treated seriously, equipment is checked before dives, and the crew keeps people prepared without making the boat feel tense. Divers describe a captain who is good to have around and a crew willing to mark a personal occasion with a cake, which says more about life aboard than a claim of friendliness. By the second day, the group has usually become a small working unit: buddies recognise one another's habits, the deck team knows whose gear is whose, and dinner is where the day's sightings get retold. The crew score of 9.4 reflects that human side; Camic's boat score is lower, so the people are clearly part of what makes the trip work.

This route earns its nights by moving through several different kinds of Andaman diving. The Similan Islands combine bright coral reefs with granite boulders and reach a maximum depth of -40m. At Koh Bon, the walls lead to a cleaning station where manta rays may arrive for maintenance; Koh Tachai reaches -40m around submerged pinnacles and coral gardens, while Koh Tachai Pinnacle drops to -40m on a current-swept dome where pelagic life passes. Surin is shallower at -25m, with hard-coral gardens and granite outcrops. The wrecks change the mood: Boonsung Wreck is an old tin dredger transformed into an artificial reef to -18m, while the 85-metre King Cruiser Wreck reaches -35m. Elephant Head Rock is the demanding boulder labyrinth, with arches, tunnels and caverns down to -60m. The 5-day, 4-night itinerary covers the Similan Islands, Koh Bon and Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock and Surin, with 15 dives.

Similan Islands →

Max. depth · 40 m

Koh Bon →

Koh Tachai →

Max. depth · 40 m

Koh Tachai Pinnacle →

Max. depth · 40 m

Boonsung Wreck →

Max. depth · 18 m

King Cruiser Wreck →

Max. depth · 35 m

Elephant Head Rock →

Max. depth · 60 m

Richelieu Rock →

Max. depth · 35 m

The regular spectacle is a mix of reef life and passing pelagics: reef sharks and whitetip reef sharks are recorded across 10 sites, barracuda, leopard sharks and tuna across nine, and giant trevally, nudibranchs, fusiliers and morays are recurring companions. Napoleon wrasse and turtles are also recorded across much of the route, while whale sharks appear at seven sites and manta rays at six. Koh Bon gives the clearest reason to watch the blue: its cleaning station can draw manta rays, with eagle rays, tuna and other hunters moving through the scene. The single-site animals reward slower searching. King Cruiser Wreck is the place recorded for bamboo sharks and eels; Breakfast Bend for garden eels, bannerfish and damselfish; Boonsung Wreck for porcupinefish and stonefish; and Christmas Point for anemones and the separately recorded shark sighting. None of these encounters is guaranteed, but the route gives them a reason to be there.

Manta Ray →

Mobula birostris

Nudibranch →

Nudibranchia

Napoleon Wrasse →

Cheilinus undulatus

Whale Shark →

Rhincodon typus

The crew speaks English and Thai, and diving is supported by guides, instructors, divemasters and a naturalist guide. Before each dive, the briefing covers the site, the plan and the safety points needed for that day's conditions; guests have described the briefings as detailed and the operation as tightly managed. The operator also runs PADI training from Discover Scuba Diving through Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue, Enriched Air, Deep Diver and Divemaster programmes, with liveaboard training options available on its trips. Camic carries emergency oxygen, first-aid kits, life jackets, life rafts, fire alarms, extinguishers and marine communications equipment including VHF, GPS, radar and sonar. The published information does not give a guide-to-diver ratio, a defibrillator or a recall system, so those are not reasons to choose this boat.

The dive setup is built around a dedicated platform and one Chollamas tender. Divers gear up on the platform, enter from the boat and are collected by the tender after surfacing, rather than having every diver wait for a ladder in the same place. Tanks and weights are part of the dive package, and DIN adaptors are available for regulators that need them. Nitrox is available as a paid extra, as is rental equipment; divers bringing their own kit should still check what they need before departure. Charging stations support cameras and lights, while emergency oxygen and first-aid kits are carried on board. The setup is functional and compact, suited to a maximum of 14 divers rather than a large fleet-style operation.

Between dives, the boat gives guests a choice between shade, open air and the view from the observation deck. The terrace and outdoor dining area make it possible to stay outside without turning every surface interval into a sunbathing session, while outdoor showers are useful after saltwater and before meals. Snorkellers can join the trip, and non-divers are welcome, so the quiet periods are not limited to divers comparing computers. There is also a naturalist guide and snorkeling equipment for exploring when the boat is near a reef or island. The best use of the gaps is simple: eat, rinse, dry gear, watch the tender work and let the site change around the hull.

A day aboard Camic is shaped by the dives rather than by a sightseeing timetable. The first briefing comes before the first entry, followed by the meal and rest needed to prepare for the next site. Dives continue through the day with food, fruit and drinks filling the surface intervals, and the boat moves while guests eat, dry out or watch the tender work. The 5-day trip includes 15 dives, including night dives, so the evening is not simply the end of the working day: it may bring another briefing, another descent and a different kind of search with the lights. Dinner follows the dive schedule, and sleep comes in an air-conditioned cabin with the boat's systems and the sea outside. Then the cycle starts again.

Meals are served buffet-style, mixing Thai and Western cooking rather than forcing the whole trip into one menu. Vegetarian and vegan options are available, with non-alcoholic drinks, drinking water, tea, coffee and snacks throughout the day; beer is available separately. Food lands where divers need it: after a dive, during the long surface interval, and again after the afternoon schedule, with full-board meals covering the trip. That timing is part of the operation. After repeated entries and exits, a proper plate is more useful than elaborate presentation, and the food score of 9.6 suggests the galley is one of Camic's strongest parts.

The cabin choice is simple: Twin Bunk Cabins, a Master Cabin on the lower deck, and a Master Cabin on the upper deck. Cabins are air-conditioned, have private bathrooms and standard windows, with sea views available from the cabin spaces. This is practical liveaboard accommodation, not a room designed for spending the afternoon inside. The useful difference is where the cabin sits and whether it suits a pair travelling together or someone wanting a master layout. Between dives, the open deck matters more than decoration; at night, the cabin gives each diver a cooled, private place to dry out and sleep before the next briefing.

The Camic route departs from and returns to Thap Lamu. Transfers to the boat are arranged as part of the departure operation, with pickup and transport handled before boarding. Guests should arrive in the area the night before, rather than relying on a same-day long-distance connection to reach the pier.

Camic provides environmentally friendlier bathroom products for use in the showers. That is a concrete onboard choice intended to reduce the impact of routine washing around the islands; no broader conservation, wastewater or anchoring programme is documented here.