Scuba diving and sailing in the Similan Islands onboard June Hong Chian Lee, winner of our'Liveaboard of the Year' award in 2009, is a unique, once in a lifetime experience; though often many guests enjoy it so much, they make a date to return again the next year.
An authentic and historical teak wood merchant sailing vessel, this boat definitely has the most character of any Thailand liveaboard and has been used for several films including James Bond's The Man With The Golden Gun and Swiss Family Robinson.
The Junk, as she is known in the local diving industry, has been redesigned interiorly to provide its guests with en-suite cabins, lots of on-deck relaxation space, and a large air-conditioned saloon to cool off in. It was originally built in Malaysia in 1962 as a merchant sailing vessel but was renovated into a classical yacht. Constructed mainly from hard teak wood called Takien Tong she's 30 metres long and has 3 masts with 330 square metres of sails.
The Junk's regular high season itinerary includes 1 extra day's diving so that you can also visit the more remote Surin Islands. Little visited by other tour boats, these uncrowded islands are fantastic for macrolife as well as some marine life you won't see in the Similans, such as bumphead parrotfish and black-tip reef sharks. In low season The Junk operates 4 night dive tours to the southern islands around Phuket and Phi Phi.
The divemasters have been working in the Similan Islands and throughout The Andaman Sea for several years now and their enormous passion for scuba diving and the underwater world adds further to this special liveaboard adventure in Thailand. They pass their enthusiasm on to their guests, and the dive briefings are the most thorough that you'll hear anywhere. If you haven't dived in a while, a free buoyancy workshop can be arranged on board. And as experienced scuba divers, you'll love the freedom to dive for as long as you like, within safe scuba limits of course.
There are 2 double bed, 2 triple (can be used as twin bed) and 2 quad bed en-suite (private bathroom) cabins on the lower deck of this Thai liveaboard.
All the cabins have:
Individually controlled air-conditioning
Bedding
Toilet and hot water shower - unlimited showering
Towels
Mains outlet 220 volts AC 24 hours (110V adapter available)
Individual control reading lamps
Life jackets
No. of bathrooms / showers - 8 / 8 - hot water
Similan, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai & Richelieu Rock (5 Days / 4 Nights - 14 Dives)
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, and Khao Lak wrecks
Day 1
Your liveaboard adventure begins as you are welcomed aboard the Junk at Khao Lak's Tab Lamu pier in the evening. The tour leader will greet you, show you to your cabin, and outline the exciting plans for the days ahead. As you enjoy a welcome dinner, the liveaboard will embark on its journey, arriving at the stunning Similan Islands by midnight. Following a restful night's sleep in your cabin, you will wake up ready for your first day of diving.
Core Days
Nestled in the Andaman Sea, the Similan Islands archipelago stands as Thailand's premier and most spectacular dive destination, an aquatic paradise that consistently tops lists for avid divers worldwide. This stunning national marine park comprises 9 granite islands, each cloaked in emerald-canopied tropical jungle. Their iconic white-sand beaches give way to waters of impossible clarity, shifting in hue from a shimmering turquoise in the lagoons to a deep, mesmerising sapphire blue over the outer reefs. Beneath the surface, a breathtaking underwater landscape unfolds. The seabed is a masterful canvas painted with vibrant gardens of both hard and soft corals, where sea fans sway gently in the current. This scenery is punctuated by colossal granite boulders, which have been arranged by nature into dramatic rock formations. These create a thrilling playground for liveaboard divers, featuring swim-through arches, hidden caves, and deep, shadowy canyons that beckon exploration. The Similan experience is often defined by exhilarating drift dives, where currents sweep over reefs teeming with life, allowing you to glide effortlessly as a spectator to the marine metropolis below.
The Junk's itinerary will also include the legendary Richelieu Rock, a submerged pinnacle world-renowned as the ultimate site in Thailand for a majestic encounter with the gentle giant of the sea, the whale shark. During the diving season, it is also a common cleaning station for manta rays, whose balletic flights are a sight to behold. Given its unparalleled biodiversity, your guides will almost certainly plan multiple dives at this unforgettable site. The water column is often thick with massive, shimmering schools of trevally and barracuda, while a closer look at the intricate coral and rocky crevices reveals a micro-world of hidden critters, including expertly camouflaged frogfish and harlequin shrimp, ensuring that every dive is filled with macro wonders as well as big animal action.
Day 5
The itinerary for the last day includes 2 final morning dives, offering a last opportunity to explore the rich marine life. After the dives, a full breakfast will be served onboard the Junk. Once you have refreshed and packed your personal belongings, the liveaboard will proceed with disembarkation in Khao Lak.
Similan, Surin, Richelieu Rock & Khao Lak (7 Days / 6 Nights - 19 Dives)
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, very popular, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Surin Islands, Richelieu Rock, and Khao Lak wrecks
Day 1
Your dive expedition with the Junk begins with an evening departure from Khao Lak. After settling in, you will be formally welcomed by your tour leader, who will assist with cabin assignments and provide a detailed safety and orientation briefing, covering the liveaboard’s amenities and the planned schedule for the trip.
Core Days
This extensive exploration of the Thai Andaman Sea includes a visit to the remote Surin Islands, where some of Thailand's healthiest reefs and greatest variety of hard corals await. These waters are home to a magnificent cast of characters, including the distinctive Napoleon wrasse, vibrant angelfish, and schools of bumphead parrotfish, while the islands themselves remain a vital nesting ground for several species of sea turtles.
Renowned as Thailand's most spectacular dive destination, the Similan Islands present a breathtaking archipelago of nine granite islands with powdery white beaches. Below the surface of its sparkling, azure waters lies a submerged world of dramatic beauty. Divers explore a landscape adorned with gardens of hard and soft corals, interspersed with house-sized boulders that form thrilling swim-throughs, hidden canyons, and awe-inspiring rock formations. The nutrient-rich currents that flow through these waters not only sustain the reefs but also create ideal conditions for exhilarating drift dives, allowing you to glide effortlessly past the bustling marine metropolis.
The Junk will visit liveaboard Koh Bon, renowned for its thrilling pelagic encounters, particularly the regular sightings of manta rays that glide effortlessly along its steep western ridge. Just a short distance away, Koh Tachai Pinnacle offers a breathtaking concentration of marine life, where schools of barracuda, trevally, and batfish school in a mesmerising vortex. The submerged plateau of Koh Tachai itself acts as a bustling marine crossroads, attracting everything from docile whale sharks to patrolling sharks.
Then the iconic Richelieu Rock offers the premier opportunity in the region for a majestic encounter with the whale shark. This submerged pinnacle is also a seasonal hotspot for the displays of eagle and manta rays. Given its unparalleled biodiversity, your guides will likely schedule multiple dives here. The strong currents attract massive, shimmering schools of trevally and rainbow runners, while the intricate crevices shelter a fascinating micro-world of cryptic creatures like ghost pipefish and seahorses.
Day 7
Following a final morning breakfast served onboard, the liveaboard adventure officially concludes. You will disembark at Khao Lak pier.
[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].
Onboard the Junk, all meals are served in the communal dining area on the main deck of the liveaboard, providing a wonderful opportunity to relax and share stories with fellow divers.
Your day will begin with an early, light breakfast to energise you for the first dive. This typically includes fresh coffee, tea, and simple options like toast with marmalade or cheese. Following your first dive, you will return to a hearty, full breakfast spread. This is a wide selection to suit all tastes, featuring different styles of eggs daily, bacon, ham, fried beans, fruit, yoghurt, a choice of bread, pancakes, warm croissants, and fresh tomatoes and cucumber. For those preferring a local start, a traditional Asian rice soup is also available.
Lunch is is served after the second dive and is a satisfying and predominantly Thai/Asian-inspired meal, designed to be both nourishing and light to keep you ready for the afternoon's activities. You can expect 3 to 4 main dishes of fresh seafood, meat, and vegetarian options, served alongside different kinds of rice or noodles, and plenty of vegetables and fresh salad.
Dinner is served around 6 pm (before the night dive) and is a more extensive affair. The menu offers a full complement of Asian dishes alongside popular Western options, which may include pasta, pork steak and fries, Mexican food, or goulash with potatoes.
Throughout the day, complimentary snacks are readily available to keep your energy levels high. You will find fresh fruit and cookies accessible at all times. A particularly nice touch is the sweet treat that awaits after the night dive, which could be doughnuts, banana cake, cheesecake, custard, fruit in syrup, or nuts.
For beverages, a selection of complimentary drinks including coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and drinking water is available throughout the day. Soft drinks and alcohol can be purchased from the onboard bar.
If you are a vegan/vegetarian or have any specific dietary requests, let us know before and the Junk's chef will cater to your requirements.
"Everything above expectations. The crew was a very, very smooth operating machine and extremely friendly and profesional but also personal! Would have been very cool to experience some sailing on The Junk." - Filippa, Sweden, 17 December 2023 ...
"Equipment was new, well-maintained and the service from the support crew was fantastic.The food was fantastic. The sleeping quarters/ bunks were o.k. Nothing glamorous but there was air con and everything we needed." - Hillary Brown, Scotland, 25 January 2017 ...
"Equipment worked very well. Was in good condition. Staff was Great. Very impressed. The "fintastic service" and back rubs following a dive were phenomenal. Facilities were good. Nice to have own shower and separate toilet. Nice rooms. Clean. Beds made daily and turndown service." - Curtis Ronning, Canada, 04 January 2017 ...
"The welcome briefing very precise. The liveaboard manager was on the boat before we took off to make sure all was good for the guests on board and only upon confirming, took off to start the journey.
Very diligent helpful crew. Always on time with schedule. Was impressed how the pickup time was perfectly on time before boarding the boat and the preciseness continued.
Awesome food. Always was so much, good balance of vegetables, fish, meat, fruit with mix of Thai and western dishes." - Shiila Takaoka, Hong Kong, 20 March 2013 ...
"Really professional guys, excellent guides! Boat crew is very good too, additional 'thanks' to cook Na. Rating would be excellent if the the price is lower. " - Anna Shtemberg, Russia, 13 February 2012 ...
"Excellent ambiance, strong emphasis on safety, professional, really tried their best. Not for free but good value for money." - Martin Aberg, Sweden, 1 February 2012 ...
"The crew of The Junk was very helpful, ran a great boat and was very knowledgable. They made the trip just amazing. " - Ori Ayalon, Israel, 23 January 2012 ...
"Unique well-kept liveaboard boat with friendly staff. Food was excellent. The divemasters were very personable and knowledgeable about the local sealife. Felt like I got very good value for the money. Would go again." - Drew Reese, USA, 4 January 2012 ...
"The operator was incredible. The boat was a one of a kind vessel which you should never pass up. The crew went out of their way to try and make sure we had everything we needed. Would definitely return to the ship in a heartbeat. I recommended this to all my friends and think some may be coming eventually. " - Oscar Prat, USA, 29 December 2011 ...
"We had an excellent time; best liveaboard we have ever been on. The diving was great; the divemasters were great and the boat staff was great too." - Michael Hayes, USA, 16 March 2011 ...
"Wonderful people and a great Thai liveaboard crew. Eager to please and help in any way they could. Very knowledgeable about the dive sites. They had the equipment there and on time. They just didn't have a wetsuit that would fit me. They were helpful." - Brandon Babcock, USA, 7 March 2011 ...
"The staff were excellent on the Junk. There was plenty of food. The dive guides were excellent. There were some passengers though that had the TV on from 6 am until 10 pm. They never turned the TV off. Maybe this should be mentioned in the initial dive brief that there are other customers onboard and not only them. A few customers did speak to the guides about this but they did not to seem to have any success with a big group of Americans! " - Karen Wellings, Saudi Arabia, 20 November 2010 ...
"Dive masters available at any moment and competence. Very good cooking, varied dishes. Kindness and availability of the boat crew." - Guy Raiwisque, France, 14 January 2009 ...
"Great divemasters, very professional and friendly, helpful and cheerful staff, great food. They took excellent care of another diver who had to be evacuated for decompression sickness on Day 2. That emergency medical situation was handled very professionally and calmly. Very nice, relaxed, friendly atmosphere on the boat, great video provided at the end of the tour." - Mia Hyun, USA, 1 February 2008 ...
"The dive boat was well organised with good briefings conducted before each dive explaining what we would expect to see. The food was good too! It was also a unique experience to be able to sail on a junk!!" - Vivian Fong, Singapore, 31 December 2007 ...
"The crew were all very professional, the atmosphere was relaxed and the facilities first class. The food was plentiful and very good, if anything too good as I ate too much. All in all a very good experience." - Mark Saunders, USA, 11 July 2007 ...
"We are talking about making this an annual trip, it was so good!" - Sharon Winders, UK, 1 April 2005 ...
DEPARTURE SCHEDULE & PRICES
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MORE TRIP DETAILS
Notes: Child policy: Children under 18 years of age must not be left unsupervised while on-board or in the water. Parents and guardians are responsible for the supervision of children under 18 years of age. One parent or guardian must supervise children during dives. This may mean that parents or guardians are unable to dive together. Guests are not advised to bring children under the age of 12 on a liveaboard safari due to the environment and the nature of the holiday.
Dive experience: Open water certification only.
Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, hot drinks, return transfers from Phuket airport and all hotels in Phuket (Patong, Kata, Karon, Chalong, Rawai, Kamala) and Khao Lak (Khao Lak transfers excluded for boat departures from Chalong), dives (as detailed in the trips above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (6 divers per DM), 12 litre tanks, weights and weightbelt, sales tax.
Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (4 nights: USD90), dive insurance, Similan and Surin park fees (4 nights: USD50). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash or by credit card).
Optional extras: Soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers (4 nights: USD105), torch, dive computer, 15 litre tank. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.
How to get there: Similan Island & Richelieu Rock:The Junk's liveaboard tour departs at 7 pm from either Thaplamu pier in Khao Lak or Patong Beach in Phuket, depending on the itinerary. 4 night trips begin and end in Khao Lak. 6 night trips may begin either from Khao Lak and end in Phuket, or begin in Phuket and end in Khao Lak. A minibus service from all hotels in Phuket and Khao Lak to and from the boat is provided (approximately 2 hours transfer).
4 night trips disembark at 2 pm, 6 night trips at 10 am. The last dive is on the penultimate day at 11 am (4 night trips) / 2 pm (6 night trips). Please allow 18 hours before flying after diving. Phuket & Phi Phi Island: These safaris depart from Chalong pier in Phuket. A minibus service from hotels in Phuket (Patong, Kata, Karon, Chalong, Rawai) to and from the boat is provided.
For more details, including airlines, see our Thailand travel information section.
Non-diver rate: 10% off the published price.
Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin, or pay a supplement of 80% to the published price: for their own cabin.
Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 8 guests and 1 extra person can join in the lowest price cabin free of charge (9+ guests).
Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 16 guests and 2 extra persons can join free of charge (max. 18 guests).
Click to view product. Special discounted trips highlighted in yellow
