Gentle Giant Liveaboard, Thailand

Name: The Best of the Andaman (Thap Lamu - Asia Marina)
Start: 2026-11-14
End: 2026-11-20
Location: Thailand

8.6 Fabulous

Nitrox available
Free Internet
En-Suite bathrooms
Family Cabins
Aircon Cabins
Warm Water Showers

from $ 164 / day Check dates

“The diving was great, the food was delicious, and it was nice meeting other people from different backgrounds!”
Timothy J, Canada

Highlights

World-famous dive sites like the Similan Islands
Limited availability, only 12 times yearly
A mix of international and Thai cuisine

The M/V Gentle Giant offers unique dive trips in the Andaman Sea. Covering both the north and south Andaman Sea, divers will cover the world-famous Similan islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, and Richelieu Rock, located in the north, and the southern area of Hin Daeng Hin Muang, Koh Haa, King Cruiser, Shark Point and Phi Phi. This special 6-night dive trip is only offered 12 times yearly between November and April. It is a fantastic opportunity for divers to explore the Andaman Sea, completing 22 dives over 7 days.

Topside, MV Gentle Giant caters to up to 20 guests in 10 cabins. Each cabin is en-suite with AC, sea views, and a safety deposit box. There are 1 master cabin, 1 deluxe cabin, and 8 twin standard cabins. Social areas include the fully air-conditioned indoor salon with a 55-inch TV and entertainment area, outdoor covered dining area, or large roof-top sundeck. Meals are a mix of international and Thai cuisine and are prepared fresh.

The experienced and passionate crew of the MV Gentle Giant are waiting to share the beauty of the Andaman sea. Places fill up fast, so book online today to reserve your space.

Choose your departure date

Date

Itinerary

Price

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30 Sep

4 Days / 3 Nights

$ 658

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04 Oct

4 Days / 3 Nights

$ 658

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09 Oct

4 Days / 3 Nights

$ 658

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14 Oct

5 Days / 4 Nights

$ 888

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19 Oct

5 Days / 4 Nights

$ 888

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24 Oct

5 Days / 4 Nights

$ 888

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29 Oct

5 Days / 4 Nights

$ 888

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03 Nov

5 Days / 4 Nights

$ 888

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08 Nov

5 Days / 4 Nights

$ 888

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14 Nov

7 Days / 6 Nights

$ 1,347

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23 Nov

5 Days / 4 Nights

$ 888

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28 Nov

5 Days / 4 Nights

$ 888

Select Cabin available

Included: VAT, Airport Transfer, Hotel Transfer, Drinking Water, Soft drinks, Soft Drinks at Meal Times, Tea & Coffee, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Cabin Towels, Complimentary Toiletries, WiFi internet.

Required Extras: Fuel Surcharge (800-1,600 THB per trip), National Park Fees (2,300-3,500 THB per trip).

Optional Extras: Dive Insurance (300 THB per trip), Gratuities, Alcoholic Beverages, Alcoholic Drinks at Dinner, Nitrox, Nitrox Course (7,500 THB), Private Dive Guide (12,000 THB per trip), Rental Gear, Scuba Diving Courses (1,500-7,500 THB).

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

Best Price Guaranteed

Boat features

Free Internet
En-Suite bathrooms
Family Cabins
Aircon Cabins
Warm Water Showers
Air Conditioned saloon
Sun Deck
Seaview Cabins
Non-Smoking Rooms
Custom built for diving
Charging stations
Audio & video entertainment
Available for Charter
Local & International Crew
Separate Rinse for u/w Camera
Outside Showers

Food & Drinks

Vegetarian Options
Free Soft Drinks
Beer available
Full-board Option
Snacks All Day
Buffet style
Western Food
Local Food

If you have any specific dietary requirements whilst on-board your cruise, you can add this to your special requests on step 2 of the booking form. We advise limiting these requests to religious beliefs or food allergies.

Diving

Nitrox available
Shaded Diving Area
DIN Adaptors
Dive deck

Languages Spoken

The crew speaks English, Thai, and Chinese.

Gear Rental

Equipment is available for rent on this boat. Please provide your rental needs on the booking form. If the rental gear is not included in the price, you will need to pay for it on board the boat. Show prices

Cabin Types

Boat Specifications

Length: 27 meters

Engines: 2 x Hino

Max guests: 20

Number of cabins: 10

Number of bathrooms: 10

Water capacity: 14000 liters

Fuel capacity: 9000 liters

Boat navigation and safety

Radar
Depth Sounder
GPS
Radio VHF/DSC/SSB
Emergency Rafts
Life Vests
Fire Alarm & Fire Extinguishers
Oxygen
First Aid Kits

Gentle Giant Reviews

8.6 Fabulous

Vessel

7.5
Crew

8.6
Food

9.4
Diving

8.9
Value

8.7

9.2 Superb
Chien-wen S
Taiwan

Make a wish to go again.
I had an excellent experience on Gentle Giant.
Recommended for
very good service. friendly crews. nice vegan food.
11 Apr, 2026

9.6 Exceptional
Steven D
Belgium

Highly recommended, especially the Southern trip!
A wonderful experience! The boat feels spacious and the crew takes really good care of you. It was the first time for me to do the Southern dive sites (most boats go to Similan and Surin islands). Visbility is a little bit less but wth A LOT of sea horses definitely worth visiting. I want to go again :)
Recommended for
Southern dive sites. Free soft drinks. Super friendly staff.
11 Mar, 2026

9.2 Superb
Marlene W
Austria

Simple but beautiful boat
We spent a really nice time on the Gentle Giant. The boat is simple but equipped with everything you need. Each cabin has hot water showers, air conditioning and windows. The crew is very nice and there are 4 at least 4 meals a day. Snacks are available around the clock. We enjoyed the time very much and can recommend the liveaboard to everyone.
Recommended for
Selection of diving spots. Dive guides. Essen.
23 Mar, 2026

Translated from German

9.6 Exceptional
Pieter D
Belgium

Much recommended
Great value for money. Recommended trip if you want to explore Andaman sea diving.
Recommended for
Great guidance on the boat. Great guidance in the water. Great food.
04 Apr, 2025

8.8 Fabulous
Nathan V
Australia

Big to small - you will see it all!
Diving and snorkeling with gentle giants was an absolute pleasure. Guides new where to find the rare macro life (great for photographers).
Recommended for
Marine life (macro to whale sharks), Well set up boat, Helpful and cheery staff
24 May, 2019

9.2 Superb
Juan M
Canada

Good diving and good service
Friendly cre, good guides, plenty of food.
Recommended for
Dive guides. Crew service. Good Value.
28 Feb, 2025

10 Exceptional
Christopher Q
United Kingdom

Best week ever!
This was my first liveaboard experience and I can honestly now say that I am a convert. It is THE best way to dive - 4 dives in one day?! Yes please! Everything about the week was wonderful, from the dives and seeing things from turtles to sharks, and swimming through incredible caves, to the attentiveness of the dive support team and the briefings with our guides, to the wonderful food. So glad I was able to make it over to Thailand to enjoy this incredible experience.
Recommended for
Superb customer service - everyone was so friendly and wanting to make the trip special.. The food was excellent! Yum yum yum!. The diving was great. Wonderful experience from start to finish..
27 Apr, 2026

10 Exceptional
Alicia F
United States

Best liveaboard experience!
We did 10 dives in 3 days to the surrounding islands of Phuket, and it was excellent! We saw 3 shipwrecks, lots of coral, sharks, eels, rays, other animals and millions of fish.. very satisfying! The accommodations were nice and the food was beyond excellent. All the guides were very nice and the boat boys were amazing in helping us get ready, and on/off the boat for every dive. An incredible deal for the price!
Recommended for
Friendly Service, Great Sites, Great Food
04 Jul, 2018

8.4 Very good
Sergio S
Brazil

Please have more beer on board next time! :-)
Tiger shark, white tip reef sharks and much more!!! Great crew and great diving buddies!!!
Recommended for
Good dive, safety and great ambience!
14 Jan, 2020

10 Exceptional
Timothy J
Canada

My first liveaboard experience and expectations were surpassed!
The diving was great, the food was delicious, and it was nice meeting other people from different backgrounds!
Recommended for
Dives; food; comfort!
28 Mar, 2024

60 reviews

8.6 Fabulous
60 Verified Reviews

Sort reviews by:

7.2 Good
Jared S
Canada

Good trip
Good dive guides with lots of different experienced and non experienced divers
Recommended for
Diving. The food cooks very pleasantly. Freedom.
08 Feb, 2026

10 Exceptional
Eric K
United States

Liveaboard heaven!
MV Gentle Giant was simply amazing. This was my first liveaboard dive boat and I couldn't have been happier. Let's start with what is most important, the diving. Anyone looking into diving in Phuket knows Similan Islands to the northwest and Phi Phi Islands to the Southwest. This boat, in one trip, covers it all. We did a 5 day trip and dove 18 times. We went everywhere that Thailand has to offer and saw more fish, coral, reefs, sharks, octopus and other amazing creatures than you could hope for. You set up your gear (or they provide if necessary) on day 1 and it never moves. They refill your tank between each dive so all you have to do is put on your gear and jump in the water. They even have people on deck to defog your mask, help you put on or take off your fins and hand you any gear that you want (pokers, lights, cameras, etc...) Now, the food. My expectations were low and was I ever surprised. The chef was amazing. We have an assortment of Thai and international foods. Hot pots, steaks, seafood, eggs, rice and just about anything you could imagine. Have a request, they can do it. Finally, the crew. Travis was the dive master assigned to my group of 4 and he was amazing. He could help you with your gear, show you some amazing creatures and was just great to hang around with. Overall, there were 5 dive masters for 20 divers, so each dive master had a group of 4 each time. This love diver to dive master ratio was spectacular. Another unexpected treat. As a diver for over 20 years who has been around the world, all I can say is, if you are looking for a live-aboard this is the boat for you.
Recommended for
The crew, the diving and the food
29 Jan, 2020

9.6 Exceptional
Cristian P
Spain

Perfect boat
Great experience and great people!
Recommended for
Crew. Dives. Ammenities.
20 Jan, 2026

9.6 Exceptional
Benoit V
Belgium

An amazing first liveaboard experience
We had such a great time on the Gentle Giant! Pipe, TK, Mint, Min and the rest of the crew made this journey unforgettable 🤩 The diving spots were some of the best ones I've ever seen 🐟 The gear and general safety were good 👍 The food was delicious and abundant. I didn't want to leave this dream ship! 🥲
Recommended for
The crew. The dive spots. 5 meals a day.
06 Mar, 2026

10 Exceptional
Lisa B
United Kingdom

Amazing…couldn’t of asked for a better trip
Cannot thank our crew and the staff members on board enough. They made our short stay unforgettable. Everyone so friendly, professional and made us feel like part of the family. Every meal was incredible! And there was plenty of! Our dive guide was amazing and we were lucky enough to see elusive guitar sharks…truly incredible. The rooms were simple but comfortable. Each day we had a dive briefing, a very clear plan of action so we knew what to expect. Truly cannot recommend enough and we rave about the Gentle Giant to everyone who asks about our Thailand honeymoon.
Recommended for
Each and every staff member on board. The diving. The food.
03 Nov, 2025

9.2 Superb
Paul S
United States

A fantastic dive tour of the Andaman Sea islands and dive sites.
I selected Gentle Giant because of its itinerary. Most boats either dive the northern or the southern Andaman Sea. In the same trip, Gentle Giant visits all the most important and beautiful dive sites on the Indian Ocean coast of Thailand, both in the north and south. From the Richelieu Rocks teeming with life, through the fifty-plus meter visibility of the Similian Islands, to the sharks of Koh Phi Phi, our guides, fluent in both English and Mandarin, put us on all the best spots! The diving was amazing! The staff and crew were super friendly and helpful, and the food was fresh, savory, and abundant, with Thai, Chinese and Western selections. I look forward to diving again with Gentle Giant in the future.
Recommended for
The extensive itinerary, the diving and dive guides, and the crew services and friendliness.
28 Mar, 2023

9.6 Exceptional
Juliana B
Brazil

Great crew!
I super recommend this trip, mainly because the crew is amazing and will do everything to make you happy! I loved it
Recommended for
Amazing staff. Great food. Great crew.
17 Mar, 2025

8.0 Very good
Peter S
Switzerland

Super trip
Helpful staff, great dive sights
Recommended for
Whale shark, lovebirds and always delicious food
16 Jul, 2019

8.8 Fabulous
Hiren P
India

Best of Thailand
A very nice trip offering the best of Thailand. The boat crew, Gai, Anne and Lee supported by the 2 lovely always smiling ladies who cooked and served us. And of course the boat staff who helped us gear up. Did the South Thailand dive sites which was a first for me.
Recommended for
Food and hygine. Dive guides: Anne and Lee. On board company.
13 Mar, 2025

8.4 Very good
Rod V
Canada

Small Boat but Great Staff
Had a lot of good dives. There were lots of fish. I was hoping to see some larger marine life. Leader was excellent and informative.
Recommended for
Dives, Dive Leaders, scenery
01 Mar, 2023

10 Exceptional
Eric K
France

Excellent experience
I highly recommend this experience, even for someone traveling alone. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The dives are breathtaking. I was even able to switch to Advanced Open Water on the 2nd day, which was not planned. Safety is a must. Well done!
Recommended for
The staff. The dives. Food.
04 Feb, 2025

Translated from French

8.0 Very good
Sophie R
France

To be done again but with a boat better fitted out for photographers.
Boat and cabins could use a refreshment.I didn't really appreciate the fact that I was equipped to get on the zodiac to go to the dive sites.Instructors and crew at the top! Attentive and warm. Have a good week.
Recommended for
Attentive and warm crew. Wonderful dive sites. Very good food..
17 Feb, 2026

10 Exceptional
Pavel V
Canada

I was looking for an adventure, but instead I found a family that loves diving as much as I do.
Everyone on the crew was great and made this experience very special. Great group of divers to share this trip with. I felt like I have known them for a long time. Astounding rock formations at Elephant Head. The huge amount of marine life at Richelieu, that is impossible to describe. Must see for yourself. The beauty of Similan. Special thank you to Fei. You will always have my respect and admiration.
Recommended for
Fei, the best dive guide ever. She was amazing. Great diving locations, north and south of Andaman in one trip. The big family liveaboard experience.
30 Dec, 2023

10 Exceptional
Russell A
United Kingdom

Five stars are not enough! This was an exceptional trip with a brilliant crew, what a wonderful week.
We were upgraded from Gentle Giant to the Raga; this was an unexpected bonus as the boat was excellent. Well appointed, comfortable cabins etc. The food was restaurant quality, every day the meals and snacks were different, from coconut smoothies to ice cream cones! The crew couldn’t have been more helpful, from the boat drivers to the kitchen staff & guides, they were all friendly , attentive and eager to help. Nothing seemed to faze them and nothing was too much trouble. This is undoubtedly the best liveaboard I have been on - well done Smile Dolphin, we will definitely be using you again.
Recommended for
The staff - friendly, kind & attentive. The boat - excellent facilities. The diving - obviously!.
08 Mar, 2025

7.6 Good
Franz V
Germany

Varied beautiful diving
With great dives in the north and south in the Andaman Sea, this trip offered varied dives from beautiful coral reefs to always beautiful schools of fish and highlights such as leopard sharks and seahorses. Despite some poor visibility, the dives were relaxed and quite beautiful.
Recommended for
lots of schools of fish. Leopard shark. partly beautiful corals.
11 Jan, 2025

9.2 Superb
Helena E
Sweden

Enjoyed the Gentle Giant liveaboard a lot
Manta ray at similian islands The abundance of life under water at Richeliue Rock
Recommended for
genuine and friendly staff that created a great athmosphere onboard, covered a lot of different dive sites both north and south, delicious food
14 Jan, 2020

8.0 Very good
Anna K
Poland

North is the best
First of all I’d like to thank our amazing dive guide Mint for her professionalism and commitment, she kept us safe and we had a very good time underwater thanks to her, then I’d like to thank the kitchen chef, food was amazing, and the boat crew for all the hard work. As negative aspects of our trip I noticed the following: - very noisy boat, made it very difficult to sleep at night - ⁠very reductive briefings pre-dive, missing information about currents, visibility and in general the risks we could face underwater - ⁠the itinerary was mentioning to visit the best sites, but only the dives we did in the north were beautiful, going south the chosen sites had always little coral, little fish, bad visibility - ⁠uncomfortable common areas and a living room that was acting as bedroom for the dive guides, so could not really be used much as common space, the top of the boat had little cover from the sun, and just some mats with no pillows, the dining area was not the best place to relax in between dives as the space was reduced by the dining tables and to sit you just had benches. - ⁠the boarding part in and out was never comfortable as we had to go through another boat or use the dinghy - ⁠the dive time was always ridiculously short: 50min max day and 40min night, and we were not informed about it before paying for 15L tanks As positive aspects I noticed: - our dive guide Mint, thanks again Mint you really did an amazing job - ⁠shower with hot water - ⁠the food was amazing
Recommended for
Food. Dive Master Mint. North Andaman sites.
01 Apr, 2026

8.8 Fabulous
Lauren E
United Kingdom

Fabulous people, incredible diving and just a wonderful week!
My partner and I had an incredible week onboard the Gentle Giant. Firstly, everything was very well organised so we were kept well informed of the daily plans. All the crew were excellent - the guides, the chef, stewardess, the boat guys and captain. Everyone was helpful, friendly and really made our stay fun, enjoyable and just really easy. The itinerary was well balanced and we felt that we really made the most of our time on the trip. Our guide, Gai, was very knowledgable and knew the sites well, he made sure we were kept away from larger groups underwater and pointed things out that we wanted to see. Overall, an excellent time - would recommend!
Recommended for
It's too hard to think of just three! I would say; the itinerary, the people and the ease of the whole week.
17 Feb, 2024

6.8 Review score
Jared S
Canada

Good marine life
Spicy food
Recommended for
Good fish action
13 Feb, 2023

9.2 Superb
Charles L
United States

first liveaboard exceeded expectations
as a new diver on my first liveaboard I must say that for the price, the Gentle Giant has set a high bar for quality of service and hospitality.
Recommended for
quality of staff. coherent schedule and communication. meal variety.
24 Dec, 2024