Making your dream diving holidays come true!
Since 2012, The Smiling Seahorse has been taking divers to some of the most spectacular underwater sanctuaries of the Andaman Sea. Aboard the MV Smiling Seahorse — a modern liveaboard custom-built in 2018 — enjoy generous spaces and a level of comfort designed by and for divers.
From the famous Thai marine reserves of the Similan Islands and Surin Islands, including Richelieu Rock, to the pristine pinnacles of Myanmar’s (Burma’s) Mergui Archipelago, we open the doors to a true underwater paradise. Easily accessible from Thailand, this wild labyrinth of more than 800 islands has remained largely untouched by time, far from traditional tourist routes.
Between deserted beaches, secluded anchorages in emerald bays, and spectacular dives, your adventure will be just as unforgettable above the water as it is beneath the surface!
Until the 1990s, the Burma Banks were known only to a handful of fishermen, and their exact location was not widely known. Divers searching for exceptional dive sites gradually began exploring these remote areas more regularly. Myanmar was once far from being a major tourist destination, but it has increasingly become a sought-after destination for divers looking for a truly exclusive diving experience.
The MV Smiling Seahorse has everything you need: friendly staff, comfort, and exceptional service for breathtaking diving…
Our destinations are exclusive; we don’t like taking you diving on crowded dive sites.
When we visit Richelieu Rock or another world-famous dive site, we do our best to schedule dives outside the busiest periods. We also always dive in small groups of a maximum of 4 divers + 1 guide, with intervals of a few minutes before the next group enters the water.
You will come back from every dive with stories to tell and new species to discover in our fish encyclopedias, from tiny frogfish, ghost pipefish, and seahorses to large whale sharks — and, of course, majestic manta rays!
We love spoiling our guests with delicious food (European, Asian, and BBQ) and personalised service, which is why we only take 16 passengers on our boat.
Besides unforgettable diving, we can also organise a variety of additional activities. Why not take our canoe through the nearby mangrove forest, visit one of the many white-sand beaches, or swim and snorkel in crystal-clear waters?
The Smiling Seahorse’s promises
To abide by the Green Fins Principles
To encourage environmentally responsible diving practices
To reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as we can
To offer reef-friendly products, such as our refillable, organic, reef-safe soap, shampoo, and hair conditioner
To encourage all our employees to contribute to ocean conservation efforts
To support marine science research and marine cleanup projects
We are part of the Manta Trust Operator Wall of Fame—a community of tourism operators recognized for their commitment to manta conservation and sustainable dive and snorkel tourism.
The MV Smiling Seahorse took her maiden voyage in November 2018. We broke the mold by choosing to build a specialised vessel designed by and for divers, rather than converting a fishing boat, as is very common in this region.
Her steel hull is much better suited to cutting through waves than a wooden hull, while her two powerful engines allow the MV Smiling Seahorse to venture further into the unknown.
Although the boat is larger than her predecessor, measuring 25 metres long and 6.4 metres wide, her 8 cabins and bathrooms spread across 4 decks still accommodate a maximum of just 16 guests.
More space for the same number of people means a higher level of comfort and freedom throughout your cruise.
With only 16 guests onboard, we offer an exceptional ratio of almost 1:1 staff to diver! Our cruise directors are the most experienced in the region. We have 4 dive instructors onboard to ensure no more than 4 divers per group. In addition to our dive team, a dedicated local crew of 9 is on hand at all times to take care of you:
The Captain (a true sea dog) & 2 mechanics: Ensuring precision navigation and the smooth running of the vessel.
Our 2 chefs, Choui and Boom: The artisans behind a varied and mouthwatering cuisine, often highlighted as one of the trip’s finest memories.
May, Pong, Mot, and Champ on deck: Always attentive, smiling, and proactive, they quickly make themselves indispensable to ensure your time onboard is pure relaxation.
When your cruise revolves around “Dive, Eat, Sleep!”, the food is just as important as what you see underwater!
Our two chefs, Choui and Boom, fill the air with tempting aromas four times a day.
We take you to the best dive sites and provide comfortable cabins, but it’s our chefs who receive the most compliments!
French and Thai people share the same love of gastronomy, so we have combined our culinary expertise to offer Thai and international cuisine that is sure to satisfy every palate.
Please let us know about any dietary restrictions!
Particularly suitable to fun divers and photographers
Making your dream diving holidays come true!
The Smiling Seahorse has run dive cruises since 2012 to the top-rated dive sites around the Andaman Sea. We operate MV Smiling Seahorse, a brand new (November 2018), comfortable liveaboard conceived by and for divers for an ultimate experience.
We run trips in Myanmar (Burma) and all over the west coast of Thailand from Richelieu Rock in the Surin Islands to Koh Lipe in the South Andaman near the Malaysian border, passing by the Similan Islands, Phi Phi, and Koh Lanta National Parks.
The Smiling Seahorse has just what you need for an unforgettable diving holiday: a friendly staff, a comfortable boat, exceptional service, and breathtaking diving.
Our destinations are exclusive; we don’t like to dive on busy dive sites, and we know you don’t either. When we go to Richelieu Rock or other world-famous dive sites that are not to be missed, we do our best to time the dives away from the crowds and always jump in a small group of up to 4 divers + 1 guide with a few minutes’ interval to the next group.
You will come back from each one of your dives with stories to tell and new species to search in our fish encyclopedias, from the small frogfish, ghost pipefish, and seahorses to the large whale sharks and mantas; our waters have very diverse marine life!
We like to spoil our guests with yummy food (European, Asian, and BBQ) and personalised services, which is why we only take up to 16 passengers on our spacious vessel.
Besides the amazing diving, you can also take our canoe to one of the many white-sanded beaches or go swimming and snorkelling in the sapphire blue waters.
The Smiling Seahorse’s promises
We are part of the Manta Trust Operator Wall of Fame—a community of tourism operators showcased for their blue commitment to manta conservation and sustainable dive and snorkel tourism. |
Built in 2018 by and for diver, this strong steel-hull will bring you cruising around the Andaman Sea in style. Dedicated page about our boat
With only 16 guests onboard, we offer an exceptional ratio of almost 1:1 staff to diver! Our cruise directors are the most experienced in the region. We have 4 dive instructors onboard to ensure no more than 4 divers per group. In addition to our dive team, a dedicated local crew of 9 is on hand at all times to take care of you:
The Captain (a true sea dog) & 2 mechanics: Ensuring precision navigation and the smooth running of the vessel.
Our 2 chefs, Choui and Boom: The artisans behind a varied and mouthwatering cuisine, often highlighted as one of the trip’s finest memories.
May, Pong, Mot, and Champ on deck: Always attentive, smiling, and proactive, they quickly make themselves indispensable to ensure your time onboard is pure relaxation.
We take you to the best dive sites and offer you the most comfortable cabins, but our chef is probably what brings back the most raving reviews!
French and Thais are both very serious about good food; we combined our forces to offer both Thai and international cuisine for everyone’s enjoyment.
Explore the Surin Islands, Richelieu Rock and the Similan Islands.
Prices in Thai baht (THB), per diver. The 10% discount is already applied.
