Mandarin Queen 9

Mandarin Queen 9, also known as MV Jovanna, is the youngest vessel on the Andaman Sea liveaboard circuit. Her 37.5-metre steel hull was launched in 2023 and has worked the Similans from her very first season. The operator is Phuket Dive Center, and the boat leaves from Thap Lamu pier near Khao Lak. A trip runs 5 days and 4 nights and fits up to 15 dives.

What sets her apart from the rest of the fleet is that nitrox is included on all 15 dives. In Thailand that is unusual — the going rate is normally 2,500–3,000 THB per trip. On board there are two compressors and two membrane units with a nitrox block, 50 aluminium tanks with both Yoke and DIN valves, four showers right on the dive platform, and two tenders that ferry groups out to the sites.

The itinerary is the northern one: the Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock. Richelieu is a limestone pinnacle in open water, Thailand’s best spot for meeting a whale shark; Koh Bon reliably produces mantas; the Similans are granite boulders, arches and swim-throughs draped in soft corals. In winter the operator also runs the southern route — Koh Ha, Hin Muang, Hin Daeng, Koh Lipe and Phi Phi — but those departures are sold direct and do not appear in the general schedule.

The cabins are the boat’s strong suit. There are thirteen of them for 26 guests, and every one has its own bathroom with a shower and hot water: eight on the upper deck (two with a double bed and six twins, all with a large window onto the sea) and five on the lower deck (two doubles and three twins, without windows). Each cabin has air conditioning with its own control, a TV, a wardrobe, a hairdryer, towels, toiletries and life jackets.

The common areas spread over four decks. The sun deck holds a jacuzzi and loungers; below it are a covered al fresco dining area and an air-conditioned saloon with a big screen and a gaming corner with a PlayStation 5 and a Nintendo. A separate camera room with five workstations, power sockets and rinse tanks is a rarity on boats of this class. Meals come four times a day, buffet style, Thai and Western, with vegetarian and vegan dishes on request.

Worth knowing in advance. The marine national park fee is not included and is paid separately: 2,300 THB per foreign diver and 1,500 THB per non-diver for the trip. Insurance covering treatment and a decompression chamber is compulsory — the confirmation, in English, is checked on departure day. The minimum certification is Open Water; if you have fewer than fifty dives or a break of more than a year, the operator will ask you to take a refresher. Wi-Fi is advertised neither by the operator nor in the vessel description, so do not count on being connected far from shore.