Smiling Seahorse, Thailand
9.1 Superb - Nitrox available
- En-Suite bathrooms
- Family Cabins
“I would book again at any time!”
Highlights
Newly built for 2018, the Smiling Seahorse liveaboard offers fantastic dive trips to Thailand and Myanmar. The 3-night 'Best of Thailand' trip showcases some of the best dive areas in the Andaman Sea, including the Surin Islands, Richelieu Rock, Koh Tahcai & Koh Bon. The Myanmar dive trips are a fantastic way to explore this newly opened dive area and to get up close with manta rays, eagle rays, mobula rays, leopard sharks and cool macro critters such as frogfish, seahorses, and pipefish. The spacious dive deck at the back of the boat allows ample room for kitting up and gear storage and a dedicated photography room.
The Smiling Seahorse is 25m long and accommodates 16 divers over 4 decks. On the upper deck are 2 standard cabins with one double or two single beds and shared bathrooms. The 4 deluxe and 2 master cabins on the main deck have en-suite bathrooms, and all cabins feature air-conditioning. There is also an open-air dining room, a huge sun deck, and a camera station for photographers.
The experienced and professional crew of the Smiling Seahorse liveaboard offers a warm welcome. Book online today to reserve your space.
Choose your departure date
Included: VAT, Drinking Water, Soft drinks, Tea & Coffee, Beach BBQ, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Kayaks, Cabin Towels, Deck Towels.
Required Extras: National Park Fees (30-300 USD per trip).
Optional Extras: Gratuities (1,000 THB per day), Airport Transfer, Hotel Transfer, Alcoholic Beverages, Nitrox, Nitrox Course, Private Dive Guide (3,500 THB per day), Rental Gear (600 THB per day), Scuba Diving Courses, Land Excursions, Snorkel Gear.
Book now, pay later: You can easily place your booking online. We will then hold the spaces for you and you can confirm with a payment later.
* Extra fees are shown per person.
Pay by bank transfer or online with
Drawings & Vessel Layouts
Cabin Types
Smiling Seahorse Reviews
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- 9.1 Superb
- Vessel 8.9
- Crew 8.8
- Food 9.8
- Diving 9.4
- Value 8.9
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- 10 Exceptional
- Jeremie R
-
France
A memorable experience
A wonderful experience, with pristine dive sites teeming with life and color (lots of macro), outstanding dive masters, a kind and attentive crew, delicious meals, and a perfect, beautifully designed boat. Crossing into Burmese waters adds to the sense of escape and adventure, making this cruise a truly unique experience.
- Recommended for
- Dives sites. Friendly and professional staff. Boat.
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- 10 Exceptional
- Gerard K
-
Netherlands
An amazing trip to uncharted waters, with a top notch boat and crew: high quality experience!
We enjoyed our trip with the Smiling Seahorse a lot. Our hope was to escape crowded dive sites in Thailand by embarking on a trip to the Mergui Archipeligo. This worked out great: we have seen no other divers throughout the entire trip. The diving was excellent, at healthy reefs with abundant marine life. The Smiling seahorse is a well maintained vessel that has been run by the same crew for many years. The whole team works together like a Swiss clock, delivering a care free experience of high quality and maximum fun. Attention to details is massive (e.g. reef friendly soap, a water branded bottle to replace glass as much as possible, Isotoner sachets, etc.). The group was quickly split up into groups of 4 divers & 1 dive guide. The groups take turns gearing up, so the dive deck is always calm and remains spacious. Each crew member knows what to do and delivers. The dive guides are very experienced, good company and a pleasure to dive with. Special thanks to James! By choosing to go to Myanmar, a country in troubled times, the organization adds an exiting edge to the trip, somewhat exclusive and special. Their contact with the Myanmar authorities is solid and the process went pretty smooth. One special feature on our trip was the Blackwater diving. What a great experience and eye opener! We came home truly enriched in our understanding of the ocean and stimulated in our ambitions to keep on exploring. Thanks Franck and crew!
- Recommended for
- Very professional organization. Focus on excellent diving experience. Pushing for new experiences: Blackwater diving in Myanmar's waters.
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- 9.2 Superb
- Shun C
- France
Burma diving exceptional experience with smiling Seahorse
One of the best liveaboard experience overall
- Recommended for
- Excellent diving guide. Julien highly recommend. Superbly designed diving boat very comfortably setup in a compact yet very thoughtful arrangement. Great staff, friendly and well experienced.
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- 9.2 Superb
- Jia Juen N
-
Malaysia
Highly recommended, exclusive services , friendly crew member, well organised diving.
In a summary, the trip was adventurous and amazing! We are pampered throughout the week and am amazed by the : Services Special mention on the services of the crews, they will try to fulfil the requests of customer with their best. They take note on each customer special needs and preferences very well. Owner Franck also provide very detailed briefing on every important matters and is always there to reach out. Diving The diving are well organised which you wont feel packed or waiting too long for you turn at the dive deck. We are divided into smaller dive groups at the ratio to dive guide at 4:1 and each group will take a rotation of sequence, which is fair and further enhances the overall diving experience. Dive guides are also very attentive and take safety precautions as priority. Furthermore, the boat and cabins are at the above average standard as this is not the luxury boat which also justify the price to be paid for.
- Recommended for
- well organised diving. friendly and helpful crew. variety of activites other than diving.
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- 10 Exceptional
- Wendy H
-
United Kingdom
Fabulous trip with great team
Seeing a manta ray. Relaxed atmosphere. Good group pairings.
- Recommended for
- Organised. Clean boat. Crew
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- 10 Exceptional
- Jonah N
-
Germany
Tiger sharks at Burma Banks
Only dive boat in the region at that moment Fantastic landscape under and above the water great companionship on the boat playing cards with my dive buddies
- Recommended for
- excellent dive guide, professional staff, Tiger shark
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- 9.6 Exceptional
- Sebastian S
- Germany
Great experience
I can highly recommend the smiling seahorse. First and foremost, the entire crew is highly professional in all aspects of the operation. Briefings, operational procedures, tidinesses on the dive deck, execution of the dives and pick up back to the boat, all are done in a way to guarantee the utmost safety and comfort for the guests. I’ve been diving for more than 20 years and this has been one of the top operators I’ve had the pleasure to dive with. I can’t stress this enough: safe diving is the basis of a happy trip! Then there is the boat itself and the food: cabins were comfy, AC was very good (though it was also possible to sleep with the window open, which was very nice), the decks are set up really well, and the food was very good. Finally, and most importantly: the crew, from the deck hand to the dive leader, all were extremely friendly, approachable, and concerned with the safety, comfort and well-being of the guests. Thank you very much for making this a great trip!!
- Recommended for
- Professionalism, Friendliness, Cleanliness
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- 9.6 Exceptional
- Rob C
- United Kingdom
Truly superb live aboard experience!
This was our first liveaboard diving trip so we have nothing to compare this with, however, I can honestly say that our expectations were more than exceeded in every respect. The Smiling Seahorse operation is superbly run and managed by its owner Franck, an extremely personable individual and diving enthusiast, who goes to great lengths to ensure that no detail of your stay onboard is overlooked. After being swiftly administered on arrival, Franck then delivered a welcome address to all passengers to explain how the boat functions, where everything was and then introduced all of his staff, from the captain and diving instructors to the chefs and general assistants. This was a great touch and showed how invested he is in his crew and for us to meet each and every one of the staff onboard. We were assigned our diving instructor (Mici) and dived with another couple of similar experience for the duration of the trip. Mici went to great lengths to put us at ease and explained every step of each dive we undertook but made absolutely clear that safety was her primary concern throughout. We undertook our PADI AOW qualification whilst diving and this was seamlessly integrated in to our diving programme. Some of the dives were quite challenging due to varying currents and invariably plans had to be changed underwater to reflect the conditions but at all times she had the whole group’s welfare and safety in mind. On all of the dives, the pace at which we covered the terrain was excellent and she was always attentive and keen to point out the abundant wildlife. The diving itself was varied, with Richelieu Rock providing the most spectacular array of sea life, from huge shoals of Trevally and Barracuda to amazing fan corals to name but a few. Visibility wasn’t always great and at times the currents were strong but we viewed this as positive learning and we always managed to see some incredible sights. The food onboard was simply outstanding! We are vegetarians and the chefs went to great lengths to ensure that we had an appropriate choice for each meal - the food was largely Thai inspired and was truly delicious. On one evening they even prepared a BBQ on the sun deck and this was preceded by some delicious rum cocktails, which went down very well! At various intervals Franck would make announcements to ensure all were informed or (as a keen underwater photographer) brief us on other aspects of diving (black water diving), which was offered as an additional activity. Despite the broad international makeup of the guests onboard, all were made to feel part of the ‘family’ and we made some great acquaintances during our trip. Overall, Franck’s outstanding leadership of the Smiling Seahorse and attention to detail is what made this trip so successful and enjoyable for all concerned. We would thoroughly recommend to anyone considering a live aboard and will undoubtedly be back again.
- Recommended for
- Boat leadership; diving instructors; food
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- 8.8 Fabulous
- Robert F
- Germany
"Great Diving, Great Crew – A No-Frills Liveaboard That Delivers"
The dive safari with The Smiling Seahorse was a fantastic experience, offering great value for money without unnecessary frills. If you're looking for a well-organized, professional, and welcoming liveaboard in the Andaman Sea, this is a great choice. The dive team—James, Velika, Lady, and Simon—are exceptional. Not only do they know the dive sites inside out, but they also have a deep passion for the craft, ensuring each dive is both safe and memorable. The crew on board is equally impressive, keeping everything running smoothly, maintaining the gear, and assisting with effortless water entries and exits. The boat itself provides everything you need for a successful dive safari. There’s a dedicated camera station with compressed air and ample power outlets for charging equipment. Between dives, you’ll find plenty of space to relax in the shade—or stay dry if the weather turns. While the accommodations and amenities are simple and practical rather than luxurious, they are more than sufficient for a comfortable trip. Overall, The Smiling Seahorse delivers an excellent diving experience at a fair price, making it a solid choice for divers who prioritize top-notch guiding and seamless logistics over high-end amenities. If you're after incredible diving in the Andaman Sea without breaking the bank, this is a great option.
- Recommended for
- The dive guides. The crew. The organisation on board.
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- 10 Exceptional
- lisa C
-
Canada
Utterly terrific!
The meals were amazing as were the dive guides and the rest of the crew. Safety for divers was made a priority, and we felt well cared for on the Smiling Seahorse. A truly amazing dive operation epitomizing professionalism at its finest. Thank you so much for making one of our bucket list dive trips better than we could have ever imagined.
- Recommended for
- The crew, the food, and of course, the diving!
