The Junk is 33-meters & accomodates up to 18 guests. On most cruises, you will find only 12 guests, so lots of space & plenty of privacy. Her itineraries include the Surin & Similan Islands.
A word from Dom … “Operated now by Worldwide Dive and Sail who have the Siren & Master Liveaboards, the lovely Junk offers the same standard of service you would find on a Siren or Master liveaboard. She’s a lovely option for the classic diving in Thailand.” … Dominick Macan
ON BOARD THE JUNK
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CLASSIC CRUISING IN THE ANDAMAN SEA
Although the Junk typically sails with 12 divers, she is an excellent option for groups, especially if there are families, due to her capacity to carry 18 people. With 2 triple and 2 quad rooms, which are normally used as twin or double cabins, family accommodation is easy & convenient.
There are 2 outdoor recreational areas giving divers plenty of room to spread out and relax between & after dives. You find a combination lounge/dining area indoors on the main deck and there’s a selection of onboard entertainment lurking behind the hand carved facades of shelves, cabinets and drawers in the salon, along with an extensive library of books and videos. All of the cabins are located on the lower deck.
Meals are a combination of classic Asian and Western cuisine. If you are a vegetarian or if you have food allergies, let us know when you book. The chef will happily accommodate your needs. The food on board The Junk always pleases. In between meals there is always fresh fruit available, cookies in a jar or a selection of banana cake, cheese cake, custard, fruits in heavy syrup, nuts & snacks for the people who have a drink after the day’s diving is finished.
LAYOUT & SPECS
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SPECIFICATIONS
Built: 1962
Length: 33 metres
Breadth: 8.5 metres
Draft: TBC
Construction: Wood
Engines: 1 x 380HP Hino
Cruising Speed: 8 knots (with engine)
Generator: 2 x 50Kw
Water: 6000 litres per day made
CREW
Captain: 1
Crew: 9
SAFETY EQUIPMENT
First Aid: Fully Stocked Kit
Emergency Responders
Emergency Oxygen
Life jackets: full complement
Life Raft: 1
Life Rings: 2
Radios: 3 x VHF
2 x CB
EPIRB
Fire extinguisher system
DIVING FACILITIES
Aqualung/Mares scuba equipment rental: Additional charges apply
12l Aluminium Tank
15l Aluminium /Steel Tank: Additional charges apply
Weights
Valve Fittings: DIN and INT
Compressors: 2 x Bauer
Nitrox
Surface Marker Buoys{/sliders}
ITINERARIES
Most of the year, The Junk specializes in 4 to 6-night trips to the Similan & Surin Islands of the North Andaman Sea. She does 2-night trips to the Southern Andamans from April to mid-October when the weather in the north is poor for diving.
{slider See dive site highlights and map …. open|dest|closed} A few of the highlights include:
Similan Islands
The above water scenery will provide stunningly beautiful white sandy beaches with small forested areas. Under the surface you get other-worldly topography with great tunnels & caves & swim-throughs … corals in a kaleidoscope of colors, some shark action, lots of reef fish, pelagic fish, some super macro sites, plenty of turtles & eels … and in season, mantas and whale sharks.
Elephant Head Rock – the biggest pinnacle in the Similans, has some fantastic swim-throughs. You may see white tip reef sharks, batfish, trevally and barracuda plus in the rubble you can see smashing mantis shrimp, porcelain crab, moray eels and cleaner shrimp.
Koh Bon – a dive site where manta rays may be seen but also Napoleon wrasse, sweetlips, octopus, blue fin trevally, giant moray eels, great barracudas, fire dart goby, popcorn shrimp, spiny lobster and nudibranchs of many types in lovely coral gardens.
Koh Tachai – famous for its pinnacle dive site and more relaxed reef diving. Normally, turtles, barracuda, pipe fish, and nudibranchs can be found here. there is also a chance to see bigger species in this area like manta rays and whale sharks, especially by late January till April.
Richelieu Rock – a limestone pinnacle offers gorgeous purple soft corals and magnificent sea anemones. The marine life is prolific and includes; pharaoh cuttlefish, all 5 varieties of anemone fish of the Andaman Sea, a variety of moray eels, macro life (ornate ghost pipefish, mantis shrimps, harlequin shrimps, tiger tail sea horses & more) many schooling snappers and occasional sightings of manta rays and whale sharks.
Surin Islands
The exquisite scenery of Koh Surin offers evergreen forests, mangroves and small beaches. Uderwater, the reefs of Surin have the greatest hard coral diversity in Thailand you’ll be likely to see Napoleon wrasse, yellow-masked angelfish, bumphead parrotfish, tomato anemonefish and barramundi, as well as lots of turtles that still come ashore in this area to lay their eggs.
Khao Lak Wrecks – There is a choice of easily diveable wrecks between The Similan Islands and Khao Lak. These lie in shallow water and are covered in nudibranchs and shrimps as well as large numbers of the unusual honeycomb moray.{/sliders}
TRAVEL & CRUISE LOGISTICS
A few airlines have direct international flights into Phuket, which is where the boat leaves from for Similan Islands trips. Howerver, for most travellers, the more practical solution is an international flight to Bangkok, Thailand (BKK). It’s then a quick flight from Bangkok to Phuket (HKT).
Similan & Surin Islands itineraries
You will depart from & return to Tap Lamu Pier in Khao Lak which is north of Phuket.
FIND AVAILABLE SPACES & BOOK YOUR TRIP ABOARD THE JUNK