MV MERMAID II SIMILANS & SURIN SPECIAL - 7 DAYS/ 6 NIGHTS DAY ITINERARY DIVES Mon Guests transfer to Patong between 17:00-18:00 for check in plus dinner at Royal Phawadee Village. We transfer to Mermaid II by 19:30 for boat + safety briefing, settle into your cabin and set up equipment. Prior to getting underway, the crew set off firecrackers to bring good luck for the cruise and we sail usually calm seas to the Similans -- Tue Wake up call at 7am in paradise! After a continental breakfast, dives around the beautiful Similan Islands, including sites such as the glorious Anita s Reef, East and West of Eden and night dive at Honeymoon Bay or similar great location. Wed An extra full day s diving at the Similans taking in sites such as the famous Elephants Head Rock with its pelagics and amazing topography and swimthroughs, North Point granite boulders will continue to amaze you, ThreeTrees for a great drift and night dive at Koh Bon bay. Thu Early morning, Koh Bonn s pinnacle calls up to hunt for leopard sharks and other treasures this area is famous for its Mantas! In the afternoon we head to Koh Tachai pinnacle for the feeding action and a great night dive too! Fri The wonders of Richelieu Rock will astound you today. Frogfish, ghost pipefish, seahorse, pinecone fish, barracudas, jacks, rays, mantas whaleshark please!!! Then we head over to Surin Islands to enjoy Koh Torinla and its beautiful corals and Cabbage Bay juvenile batfish love this area Sat Good morning call for 7am and more dives at Richelieu Rock - How were the conditions yesterday? (an extra chance for those whalesharks!)then back for more big fish action at Koh Tachai then on to more of the famous Similans at sites like Christmas Point and Turtle Rock.
Sun East of Eden bommie encrusted in soft corals will bring more delight this morning followed by a usually action packed dive at either Shark Fin Reef or Boulder City for its Leopard Sharks, maybe mantas!, napoleon wrasse, lion fish in big numbers hunting the myriad of glass fish around the gorgonians what a wonderful way to end your cruise. Then the crew help rinse and pack your gear and you cruise back to Phuket arriving in Patong at approx 16:00 hours 2 TOTAL DIVES 22 BOAT SPECIFICATIONS Facts MV Mermaid II Length overall 33 m / 10 feet Beam 7 m / 21 feet Draft 2.5 m / 8 feet Water 20,000 l Fuel 18,000 l Cruising Speed 9.5 knots Max. Speed 12 knots Max. Guest 18 Persons Dinghy 2 x.7 m / ladders Engines Hino Engines 2 x 50 hp Generator Hino 2 x 100 kw Compressor Bauer 3 x Mariner 190 l / min Mariner 215 l / min Capitano 10 l / min Nitrox Blending panel 1. Dive platform 2. Dive deck 3. Guest cabin. Toilet/shower 5. Party Deck 6. Dining area/salon 7. Crew quarters 8. Wheelhouse 9. Engine room 10. Generator/workshop Inventory 8 A/C cabins with double bed & private bathroom 2 A/C Cabins with twin bunks & semi private bathrooms Individually controlled air-conditioning staff cabins 11 bathrooms with hot water 2 Shower at the stern 1 Air-Con Saloon with TV, Stereo, VDO Sundeck 30 sqm Diving Area Dive deck 35 sqm Dive platform 18 sqm Tanks 20 x 12 l Air Tanks 20 x 12 l Nitrox Tanks 5 x 15 l Nitrox or Air Weights 200 x 1 kg or 2.2 lbs Diving Equipment 10 Sets 11. Galley 12. Galley storage 13. Storage 1. Cold Room 15. Sundeck
FAQ Number of Dives/Site selection: We plan a minimum of 22 dives for the Andaman Safari subject to weather and security issues 1 dives in the Similans Islands/Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock areas and 8 around Hin Daeng/Hin Muang/Koh Haa and the Phi Phi Islands. Dive site selection detailed in the published itinerary is subject to change by the Captain or Cruise Director without prior notice. There are numerous fantastic sites and our objective is to take you to the best of the best! What diver certification level is needed for diving in the Similans and Hin Daeng? : Everyone is welcome on board, no matter what level your certification. Dive groups and site selection will be chosen to meet your safety, comfort and diving ability and is subject to the discretion of the Cruise Director. Dive Guides and Diver Safety: Our experienced dive crew would be delighted to assist you. Divers are welcome to dive with their buddy on sites deemed suitable by the Cruise Director. For diver safety the use of individual dive computers is mandatory for all divers. Nitrox fills and courses are available on board to enhance your diving safety. Please allow 2 hours between last dive and flying. Guests are requested to show diving certification cards on checking in and are strongly recommended to have valid dive insurance (Padi, Dan or equivalent). Departure and Arrival Times: Guests are required to arrive in Phuket no later than 18:00 hours which allows us to make our planned 19:30 departure from Patong, Phuket. Final cruise departure time is subject to guest arrival times. Please liaise with Mermaid Liveaboards if your flight times cannot fit this schedule and we will do our best to accommodate. Transfers: Transfers from/to the airport or hotels anywhere on Phuket Island are free of charge. Guests arriving in Phuket on departure day will be transferred to Royal Phawadee Village just next door to Mermaid s office. Relax by the pool or on the beach, have a massage, enjoy lunch in one of the delicious restaurants or go sightseeing till cruise check in time at 18:00 hours at Reception. At 18:00 hours everyone meets at Royal Phawadee Village for cruise check in while luggage is transferred to the boat. A delicious Thai Buffet is served and at approximately 19:30 hours guests are transferred to Mermaid I. Pick up times : Start at 17:00 hours - Chalong, Rawai, Nai Hairn, Phuket Town, Bang Tao, Nai Yang, Start at 17:30 hours - Kata, Karon, Kamala, Surin, Kathu Start at 18:00 hours - Patong Water Temperature and Wetsuit recommendations: Water temperatures are a very comfortable 27-30 degrees a 3-5 mm shorty is fine with many guests bringing their own 3-5mm long. Burma Safari please consider 5mm long wetsuits Equipment on board: Full rental equipment is available including a good range of long wetsuits and open heel fins. Please advise your rental equipment needs including sizes when you book. MV Mermaid I carries mostly 12 litre steel tanks with a few 15 litre steel/aluminium tanks available. Tank valves are international and some DIN adapters are available on board. Any dive equipment failure or loss will require you to rent a replacement from Mermaid Liveaboards at our published rates. If Mermaid Liveaboard equipment is lost/damaged, full replacement cost will be charged at the discretion of the Cruise Director. Published equipment prices are available on board. Camera Stations : There is a large camera table on the dive deck with several rinse containers catering for small to super large camera/video setups. There are several power points in every cabin plus throughout the saloon and dining area for charging. The saloon has an electrical outlets for your laptops too. Usually our dive crew will have a laptop available in case you experience any problems with yours. As possible, we also offer a DVD burning service in case you cannot bring your laptop with you. Electrical current and plugs : 220 volts is standard throughout the boat. 110v adapters are available. Please ask the Tour Leader on boarding if you are not sure what to use.we have a few adapters on board. The cabins can handle both the following plug types :-
Meals: Our Thai cook is excellent, preparing a variety of Thai and Western dishes. Please advise any special meal requirements on the guest information form. Luggage and what should I bring : Please make sure all your luggage is clearly name tagged. All luggage may be taken on board. If you have large bags you do not need on the trip, please arrange to leave at your hotel or we can store it at Mermaid s office. Please bring your passport, diver certification card and insurance details. For Burma remember you must bring x passport photos and a photocopy of the picture page of your passport and fees in US dollars new unmarked notes only post year 2000. Other items you may need on board are bathing suits, shorts, t-shirts, sunscreen and a light weight jacket or sweater. Can I be contacted while on board : Both our vessels are equipped with state of the art satellite phone systems. The numbers are Mermaid I - IDD code <870> + 76 853 19 and for Mermaid II IDD code < 870> + 765 05 76 Guests can keep in touch with the families and loved ones at many points throughout their cruises via mobile phone and the Tour Leader will advise when signal is available. For added security, please note the satellite number and share with families and friends as the phone is on 2/7. Incoming calls and outgoing calls are available for a nominal fee of euros 2 per minute. If there is any difficulty getting through, please don't hesitate to call our Hotline Numbers Thailand +66 8727 838 - Indonesia +62 81 337 778 077 and we will assist you Insurance : You need 2 types of insurance when planning your dive holiday : 1) Diving insurance is strongly recommended due to the high cost for you should you have a diving accident and require hospitalization and/or hyperbaric chamber care. Please contact www.diversalertnetwork.org to check which Dan area can cover you. Click on About Dan for links to all the Dan organizations around the world. 2) General travel/cancellation insurance. There are several companies around the world that can assist and we suggest you look at www.worldnomads.com for reliable and professional service recommended by The Lonely Planet. If you are unable to make your dive trip and the date has past our cancellation terms and conditions we are very sorry but regardless of the circumstances we cannot refund or transfer to another date. Medical Assistance : Mermaid I cruises to remote areas however we are prepared to handle most accident or medical emergencies. Mermaid s management team is available 2 hours a day via our satellite communications to expedite tried and tested emergency evacuation plans to the nearest recompression chamber and/or modern hospital in Phuket. Our dive crews are first aid trained and we have an extensive first aid kit on board plus loads of emergency oxygen. Please bring any of your own medications that you may need. You can help as well by making sure you are in good condition for diving prevention is always better than the cure. Please remember to dive safely and to make sure your Dan or other dive insurance is up to date. Currency: On board payments are accepted in Thai Baht, US dollars and Euros. Credit card is also accepted for all payments including crew gratuities. Credit card payments incur a 3% fee. We suggest you also have some Thai baht for souvenir shopping on Similans Island no. and on Phi Phi Island. There are several currency exchange services and ATM machines at the airport, near Mermaid Liveaboard s office and near Royal Phawadee Village in Patong, Phuket. Crew Tips/Gratutity: Our Boat and Dive Crews will try very hard to deliver a high level of service, safety and professionalism tempered with lots of fun to optimize your holiday. Many of our guests use 5-10% of the cruise price as a tipping guideline. Tipping is voluntary and most appreciated! I want to dive around Phuket as well : Contact your agent or Mermaid Liveaboards for special Liveaboard + Phuket diving/accommodation packages. Detail how many days you would like and we can recommend a package to suit. Children s Policy: Diving child 10 years or older - pays full diver price. Non diving child 12 years or older - pays full non diver rate.child 12 years or under - non diving - pays 50% of diver rate if shares with 2 parents/guardians Child 12 years and under - non diving - pays full non diver rate if sharing with only 1 parent/guardian. Parents/guardians must be with the child at all times. If both parents want to dive and the child remains on board, we can hire an additional dive crew - at euros 30 per day x total number of cruise diving days - at the parent's cost to supervise the child's activities while the parents/guardians are in the water. Please note we require a minimum of week s notice to arrange this service.
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