Sawasdee Fasai — a dive-focused Andaman liveaboard built around flexible days underwater

Sawasdee Fasai suits divers who want the Andaman route to stay at the centre of the trip. The boat is set up for repeated dives rather than for turning a few days at sea into a resort stay: there is a dedicated dive platform, shaded working space, rinse tanks, DIN adapters and included nitrox. Its strongest practical advantage is flexible dive planning, useful on sites where current, visibility and animal movement matter more than a fixed timetable. The route links the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock on 5-day, 4-night departures from Thap Lamu Pier. Underwater, that means granite boulders and coral slopes one day, a manta cleaning station or a wreck the next. Non-divers and snorkellers can come too, but the boat's purpose is clear: make the diving the main event.

From the dock, Sawasdee Fasai presents as a purpose-built liveaboard rather than a converted pleasure boat. It was built in 2004 and renovated in 2016, with cabins arranged on the upper and lower decks and concentrated at the front of the vessel. Once aboard, the movement is straightforward: cabins lead into shared interior space, the dive operation sits outside, and the terrace gives the group somewhere to leave the working deck behind. The air-conditioned salon offers an indoor retreat, while the terrace and outdoor dining area keep meals and conversation out in the open. The boat carries up to 30 passengers, enough for a real group without making the diving operation feel like a private charter. Its character comes less from decoration than from clear separation between sleeping, social and dive areas.

Sawasdee Fasai's atmosphere is shaped by a crew described as continuously helpful and by dive planning that can adapt rather than run as a rigid script. The local and international crew speaks English, French, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese, which makes briefings and everyday requests easier across a mixed group. The boat has room for shared meals, an air-conditioned salon, a terrace and a bar, so the social side can stay active without forcing everyone into one space. Evenings can also use the audio and video entertainment, although the strongest reason to gather is usually the day's diving: comparing a manta sighting, sorting a camera card or discussing which pinnacle deserves another look. This is a practical, service-led boat whose appeal lies in how smoothly the crew supports the dive plan.

The 5-day, 4-night route leaves and returns to Thap Lamu Pier, running through the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock. The wider site list gives the trip real range: Koh Bon is a wall and cleaning station where manta rays may come in for maintenance; the Similan Islands reach -40m and combine coral reefs with granite boulders. Koh Tachai and Koh Tachai Pinnacle both reach -40m, with submerged pinnacles and current-borne pelagic life. Boonsung Wreck is an old tin dredger at -18m, crowded with fish, while King Cruiser Wreck reaches -35m. Surin Islands reach -25m; Elephant Head Rock drops to -60m through arches, tunnels and caverns. Christmas Point is a -40m granite maze, Anita's Reef slopes to -35m, Deep Six reaches -50m, Shark Fin Reef -40m, Breakfast Bend -35m and West of Eden -40m.

Similan Islands →

Max. depth · 40 m

Koh Bon →

Koh Tachai →

Max. depth · 40 m

Richelieu Rock →

Max. depth · 35 m

Koh Tachai Pinnacle →

Max. depth · 40 m

Boonsung Wreck →

Max. depth · 18 m

King Cruiser Wreck →

Max. depth · 35 m

Surin Islands →

Max. depth · 25 m

Elephant Head Rock →

Max. depth · 60 m

Christmas Point →

Max. depth · 40 m

Anita's Reef →

Max. depth · 35 m

Deep Six →

Max. depth · 50 m

Shark Fin Reef →

Max. depth · 40 m

Breakfast Bend →

Max. depth · 35 m

West of Eden →

Max. depth · 40 m

Across the route, the recurring spectacle is movement: reef sharks and white-tip reef sharks, barracuda, leopard sharks, tuna, giant trevally, fusiliers, morays, nudibranchs, Napoleon wrasse, turtles, groupers, whale sharks and manta rays may all appear. The sites give the larger animals reasons to be there: Koh Bon's cleaning station can draw manta rays, while currents around pinnacles such as Koh Tachai Pinnacle can carry pelagic life across the reef. The details reward slower looking. Boonsung Wreck is the only listed site for porcupinefish and stonefish; Breakfast Bend is the place for garden eels, damselfish and bannerfish; King Cruiser Wreck is the only site listed for eels and bamboo sharks. Christmas Point is the specific stop for anemones and the separately recorded shark sighting. None of these encounters is guaranteed, but each gives a dive a clear purpose.

Manta Ray →

Mobula birostris

Nudibranch →

Nudibranchia

Napoleon Wrasse →

Cheilinus undulatus

Whale Shark →

Rhincodon typus

The crew speaks English, French, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese, with helpful service and flexible dive planning at the centre of the operation. Crew members are trained in first aid, and the boat carries oxygen, first-aid kits, fire alarms and extinguishers, radar, GPS and marine radios. Safety equipment also includes life rafts, life jackets, mobile and satellite phones, and visual distress flares. A nitrox certification course and other diving certifications are available as optional extras.

The shaded dive deck is built around a proper platform, with rinse tanks, DIN adapters and tenders for divers. Nitrox is available and included, so enriched air is part of the diving operation rather than a separate paid feature. Nitrox certification is an optional extra, and rental equipment is available separately. A dedicated camera space and charging stations support photographers on a route where mantas, sharks and schooling fish may keep cameras busy. Hot-water showers and outdoor showers are available after the dives.

Between dives, the useful places are the shaded dive area, the terrace and the air-conditioned salon. Shade is the important detail in the Andaman sun: it gives wet divers somewhere to sit without staying exposed between entries. The terrace and outdoor dining area open the boat back up when the group wants air, while the interior salon provides a cooler space for reading, reviewing photos or simply getting out of the heat. A dedicated photo area and charging stations support the usual liveaboard habits of drying, sorting and charging cameras between dives. Audio and video entertainment is available, but the boat's real gap-fillers are simpler: a snack, a drink, a rinse of the gear, and a place to sit until the next briefing.

A day aboard is built in a clear sequence: wake, attend the dive briefing, prepare on the shaded deck, enter from the platform, then return for a shower, food and recovery before the next briefing. Meals and snacks keep the gaps between dives supplied, while the terrace and air-conditioned salon provide the choice between open air and cool shade. Camera equipment can be rinsed, charged and checked before the next descent. When the boat is underway, the same pattern continues around the route's next site rather than around a hotel-style entertainment programme. The practical rhythm is why the boat works for divers: the deck, meal spaces and sleeping areas all serve the next entry into the water.

Meals are served as a full-board buffet combining local and Western cooking, with vegetarian options available. Snacks are available throughout the day, which matters on a liveaboard where a dive can leave a diver hungry well before the next formal meal. Tea, coffee and drinking water are included. Beer and other alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks are available separately. The food scores strongly because it offers choice without asking the whole group to eat one style: Thai flavours can sit alongside familiar Western dishes, while vegetarians have an alternative at the table. Meals are part of the recovery cycle here—eat, hydrate, check the next briefing, then return to the dive deck—rather than an elaborate interruption to the diving.

The 15 cabins are air-conditioned and include a private bathroom, with Master, Deluxe, Standard and Budget categories. They are forward on the upper and lower decks, and the cabins have no windows, so natural light is not part of the cabin experience. The trade-off is a more controlled sleeping space after a day in the sun and salt, with hot-water showers available aboard. Cabin towels and beach towels are provided. For time outside the bunk, the air-conditioned salon, terrace and outdoor dining area matter more than cabin decoration: there is somewhere cool to recover, somewhere open to sit, and a photo space for the equipment that follows every dive. Cabins are non-smoking, and the boat has 11 bathrooms overall.

Sawasdee Fasai departs from and returns to Thap Lamu Pier. Airport and hotel transfers are included, with transfer arrangements communicated for the departure. Arriving in the area the night before is sensible so a delayed flight does not put the boarding connection at risk.