MV Pawara Overview
MV Pawara is among the most respected & popular Similan diving liveaboard boats. She is a 35m steel-hull cruise ship, specifically designed for luxury liveaboard trips, at affordable prices. The staff and crew are among the most established and professional in the region, having been in operation for more than twenty years. This boat and its cruises are often fully booked due to repeat custom and word-of-mouth recommendations. Therefore, booking early makes sense, not only to ensure a place but also to benefit from Early-Bird discounts. The excellent reputation is based on service, thorough preparation, & safety. This wonderful luxury liveaboard diving vessel offers its guests free Wi-Fi (when in range) in addition to Nitrox & diving insurance. The air-conditioned cabins have queen-size double or large bunk beds. And nearly all cabins have en suite private bathrooms.
Pawara liveaboard guests mostly stay in en suite cabins with individual air-conditioning units. However, there are a few 'budget cabins' which share a bathroom and have flow-through air-conditioning. In total, there are four cabin types. The Master Cabins have the best views from large windows and they can be configured to have one large double bed, or two singles. Deluxe Cabins are twin bunk only, and are also located on a higher deck with sea-view windows. The Standard Cabins on a lower deck can be twin share or queen-size double. All guests enjoy delicious buffet meals, fruits, snacks, tea & coffee throughout the cruise. In fact, the food and service are what most of our customers talk about.
Sailing out at sea for several days requires thorough preparation. There are no convenience stores, dairies or vegetable gardens out there. They always make sure that everything is covered, plus extras. Vegetarian guests are catered for. With guests from all over the world, they do an excellent job of making sure that everyone is taken care of. This doesn’t just apply to food and drinks, either. Safety comes first - at all times. The dinghies are well-maintained. There are more than enough life jackets on board, but hopefully never needed. Pawara also has responsible rules and regulations regarding diving policies, and free insurance is supplied. Rental equipment on Pawara is all new and well-maintained, as should be expected. At still at the unchanged rate of just 500B/day, which is less than many other Similan diving liveaboards.
There are free scheduled pickups from Phuket, and a welcome drink when you arrive. Divers are placeed into groups of usually four per guide, and you jump in the water in a sensible order to ensure that everyone gets to see as much as possible under water.
Instead of trying to offer low season trips, Pawara gets a full comprehensive refit every year. This involves hull and engine maintenance, plus all cabins, bathrooms and fixtures & fittings replaced, repainted or upgraded.
Pawara Liveaboard is owned and run by the same team as MV Sawasdee Fasai which is a recently-refurbished luxury liveaboard dive boat. When our team go diving in the Similans, we alway choose one of these two boats!
MV Pawara Pictures
MV Pawara Facilities, Layout & Specifications
| MV Pawara Layout |
 |
| MV Pawara Specifications | |
| Type: | Steel monohull. |
| Length: | 35m. |
| Beam: | 7.0m. |
| Draft: | 3m. |
| GRT: | 240 tons. |
| Engines: | 2x 450 HP Hino Marine. |
| Generators: | 2x 25 kw. |
| Cruising speed: | 8 - 12 Knots. |
| Max Speed: | 15 Knots. |
| Compressors: | 2x Bauer Mariner Compressors SP Electric with Nitrox unit, 60 aluminum tanks. |
| Instrumentation: | GPS Plotter, Depth Sounder, Cellular Phone and SSB Radio. |
| Fresh Water: | 25,000 litres. |
| Fuel: | 15,000 litres. |
| Guests: | Max. 24. |
| Cabins: | 10 en suite twin/double cabins with full air-conditioning, plus two twin air-conditioned budget cabins. |
| Rest Rooms: | En-suite bathrooms with toilet, wash basin & hot shower. |
| Showers: | Two showers located on the dive platform. |
| Sundeck: | 6x15m sundeck area. |
| Entertainment: | 6.5x10m shaded entertainment area, TV / Video. |
| Environmental: | Waste storage tank. |
| Dinghy: | 4.8m with 25 HP outboard. |
| Safety: | 2x Life rafts, full complement of life jackets, Fully-equipped medic first-aid station, Oxygen supply 6,000 liters capacity, Closed circuit video on the dive station and in the engine room, Full complement of fire extinguishers. |
| Refit: | 2012. |
MV Pawara Courses
There is a selection of PADI diving courses available on MV Pawara, including Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN), and the Advanced Open Water Diver course. It is always best to let us know in advance. T
Please note that PADI materials & certification (2,800 THB) are not included in the prices of courses which require them.
| Courses | |
|---|---|
| Courses | Prices |
|
Scuba review
|
1,500
THB |
|
Specialty Dives, such as Adventure, Night, Deep
|
1,500
THB
/dive
|
|
Advanced Open Water (for part-course referrals, please contact us)
|
6,000
THB |
|
Nitrox (EAN)
Including: free Nitrox fills for the remainder of the cruise.
|
6,000
THB |
MV Pawara Itinerary
Pawara plans to set sail at around 10pm from Tab Lamu Pier, and sail through the night. You wake up at the Similan Islands for four dives and an island visit on the first full day. This is the only day a night dive is available.
The second day gives you 1-3 dives at Similan Islands and then move on to Koh Bon and sometimes Koh Tachai.
Day 3 is at Richelieu Rock, usually after an early-morning dive at The Surin Islands.
Your final day on board usually offers one dive at Koh Tachai, and the final dive at Koh Bon.
The boat usually gets back to Tab Lamu Pier at 3pm, and the team will transfer you to Phuket or Khao Lak.
The below itinerary is the plan, but is subject to last-minute changes for the safety, comfort and enjoyment of all guests on board.
This normally applies to sea or weather conditions or crowded dive sites, but can also be due to a dive site being especially good and the cruise leader deciding to dive it again.
The itineraries below are the most-common for each trip, but these can sometimes be changed for a number of reasons. Small changes are made due to weather & sea conditions, special marine life sightings, overcrowded dive sites, local-authorities' instructions, and the needs & requests of the paying guests. The safety & comfort of all guests is most important at all times.
MV Pawara Transfer Details
There are free transfers for all Pawara liveaboard guests. Pickups are scheduled and are available from hotels in Phuket, Phuket Airport and Khao Lak.
The Phuket transfers start mid afternoon.
- Beach Hotels/Resorts in Phuket (Mid-afternoon)
- North Phuket Hotels/Resorts & Phuket Airport (Late afternoon / Early evening)
- Central Khao Lak / Bang Niang (19.00 - 19.30)
For return transfers at the end of the trip guests can inform the staff of where they would like to be taken, but this needs to be confirmed at the start of the cruise so that plans can be made.
|
MV Pawara Scheduled Transfers 4D / 4N Trips
|
|
|---|---|
| 16:45 - 18:30 | Pick up from Phuket : Free |
| 19:00 - 19:30 | Pick up from Khao Lak : Free |
| 22:00 | Departure ( Tab Lamu Pier, Khao Lak ) |
| 15:30 | Return ( Tab Lamu Pier, Khao Lak ) |
| 16:00 | Drop off to Khao Lak : Free |
| 17:00 - 18:00 | Drop off to Phuket : Free |
For customers who would like a private taxi please see below for details.
(Click below for a rough guide to the rates you can expect to pay ‘per vehicle,’ not ‘per person’.)
MV Pawara Schedule & Prices
| Destinations | Duration | Budget | Standard Twin/Double | Deluxe Twin | Master |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock ( 14 dives) | 4D / 4N | Budget 26,700 THB | Standard Twin/Double 32,700 THB | Deluxe Twin 34,700 THB | Master 37,700 THB |
|
Do you have a large group and want to charter the whole boat?
click below to find out more |
7 Reasons to Book with us:
- Best-price guarantee, AND get FREE gifts.
- We don’t ask for any payment or your card details until you are ready to confirm your booking.
- For safety reasons, it’s impossible to complete a booking instantly online , as some other websites claim to offer. We always check first as each boat has a different criteria regarding diver details & experience .
- We offer each boat’s booking & payment policy (below). Some other websites have standardised terms, asking for full payment but many boats’ payment terms are a 20-30% deposit, and the balance paid on arrival.
- Our Thailand-based staff are experts about logistics, the dive sites & all the boats . Take a look at the reviews on our site & tripadvisor.
- Our team are always online to answer your questions. We always respond the same day , usually within a few minutes
- Customer service is everything!
For example, if a trip is cancelled, we will ensure you can choose between an alternative similar trip or a full & unconditional refund .
The booking process for MV Pawara is very simple & convenient.
Firstly, ask us to reserve a space in the cabin of your on the date/trip that you would like to join. We are happy to do this for free, and without any commitment from you.
When you are ready to confirm, we ask for 50% of the cruise price as a deposit. This payment can be via PayPal or a direct domestic bank transfer in several currencies.
- You don't even need a Paypal account, although PayPal will encourage you to open one.
If you pay by the direct bank transfer, you will get the best exchange rate and probably not pay any fees at all. That's because we have accounts in Euro, USD, GBP. AUD, NZD, CAD, SGD and THB.
For regular-price bookings, the 50% balance is due 60 days before departure
Trips which qualify for Early Bird discounts normally need to be paid in full upon booking, but each booking can be discussed case-by-case.
Extras, such as national marine park fees and equipment hire are paid in cash on board.
Cancellation policy:
Cancellation fees depend on the time and reason for cancelling. Please contact us for details. The management of Pawara are both considerate & flexible whenever possible regarding customer cancellations.
Most travel insurance policies can protect you from unforeseen cancellation penalties.
The official cancellation policy is as follows:
60+ days before departure = refund of deposit, minus bank fees
31-60 days before departure = no refund, but the option of transferring to another Pawara trip
0-30 days before departure = loss of full payment
Most travel insurance policies can protect you from unforeseen cancellation penalties.
Call us: (+66 89 136 3121) Fax: (+66 24225259)
or fill out the form below
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