Our First MV Smiling Seahorse Test Cruise: Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock
We had to try our new boat, so we decided to do a little “test cruise” around the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock!
We were so happy to welcome our very first customers on board: Marco, Rico, Jialan, Justin, Patrick, Marc and Meredith.
The boat was all shiny, spacious and ready for its first adventure. After all the preparation, there was nothing better than finally seeing the MV Smiling Seahorse at sea, doing what she was built for: taking divers to some of the best dive sites in the Andaman Sea.
A brand-new boat with plenty of space
The first thing everyone noticed was the space. The boat felt huge, with plenty of room to relax between dives, enjoy the scenery and simply make the most of being out at sea.
And, of course, we had a gigantic sofa. The perfect place to chill, chat with fellow divers and look at the sunsets after a day underwater…
The sundeck: hammocks and afternoon naps
Then there was the fantastic sundeck, complete with hammocks. It quickly became obvious that this was going to be one of the favourite places on board for relaxing between dives.
Good for an afternoon nap, a bit of sunshine, a book or simply watching the islands and sea go by 😉
A dive deck big enough to lose your buddy!
And then came the really important part for a dive liveaboard: the dive deck.
It was so large that you could almost lose your buddy on it 😉
Underwater at Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock
Underwater, our famous photographer was not on duty, so we borrowed a few pictures from our customers instead.
The visibility was great and the schools of fish were everywhere. The Andaman Sea certainly knows how to put on a show, with jacks, emperors, barracudas and plenty of other fish filling the water around the reefs.
For our first test cruise, it was a great opportunity to see how the new boat performed while exploring two very different and particularly exciting destinations: the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock.
Smaller size, but just as impressive
Of course, it wasn’t all about the big schools of fish. The Andaman Sea is also full of smaller creatures that reward divers who slow down and look carefully.
Smaller size, but just as impressive!
Cuttlefish mating: an amazing underwater show
Cuttlefish were mating, what an amazing show!
Watching cuttlefish courtship is one of those memorable encounters that can happen when diving the shallow reefs of the Andaman Sea. Their changing colours and patterns make an already fascinating animal even more spectacular to watch.
More underwater encounters
And, of course, there were plenty of other nice encounters along the way. This is exactly what makes diving around Thailand’s Andaman Sea so enjoyable: you never quite know what will appear in front of you on the next dive.
Barbecue night and a new dance floor
After all that diving, it was time for one of our famous barbecue nights with a bunch of happy people!
And because the new boat wasn’t short on space, we even had room for a little party on our new dance floor 😉
The first test cruise was a success!
Our first test cruise gave us exactly what we needed: the chance to put the new boat through her paces, welcome our first guests on board and enjoy some excellent diving around the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock.
The boat was spacious, the dive deck was ready, the sundeck proved perfect for relaxing, and the underwater world delivered plenty of life, from huge schools of fish to fascinating smaller encounters and mating cuttlefish.
Most importantly, we had a fantastic bunch of people sharing this first adventure with us.
Hope to see you soon 😉
