Rebreather Liveaboard - Thailand

tecdivertraining · 16th December 2005, 05:29

Hi All

I am looking into putting together a liveaboard for rebreather divers only, in 2006/2007 it would be on a 5 star luxury vessel. We would plan to dive the famous Similan Islands, the Wrecks of Phuket and the deep sites of Hin Muang and Hin Daeng. I am just trying to get a feel to see if anyone would be interested.

We would have 02, helium, sorb and a booster all onboard it may even be possible to combine the trip with some training for those looking to become certified ccr divers in paradise.

The Similan’s is a first-class diving destination consistently voted one of the top ten dive sites of the world. It’s made up of nine granite islands covered in lush, tropical jungle with powder soft beaches and crystal clear waters. Underwater scenery offers huge boulder formations, beautiful hard and soft coral gardens, holes, overhangs, swimthroughs and canyons.

The profusion of marine life includes regular sightings of Manta Rays, Whale Sharks, Reef Sharks, large schools of barracuda and snapper, octopus, turtles, leopard sharks, moray eels plus plenty of macro life.

The views of the unspoilt bays as the sun sets are spectacular and a memory every diver should have. Approx. one hundred kilometres northwest of Phuket.

some of the wrecks include:

The HMS Vestal was a British Minesweeper of Algerian Class. Actually the very last Royal Naval vessel sunk during WWII. The identification is not 100% confirmed but due to its size and configuration, the odds of it being another vessel are really very small.

Algerian Class ship's displaced 990 tons for a length of 65m (225ft), 10.6m at the beam (35ft) and a drag of 3.2m (10.5ft). The motors where steam engines that could give a maximum speed of 16 knots and an autonomy of 4 500 miles at 11, 5 knots. The armament was made of one 4-inch canon, 4 20mm canons and a Hedgehog mortar. The crew was made of 8 officers and a crew of 99.

The Vestal was hit by a Japanese Kamikaze plane and finally scuttled due to extensive damage on the 26th of July 1945. The ship now lies in 72m of water flat on its keel on a sandy seabed. The dive is a spectacular one. The amount of fish surrounding the wreck is fantastic.

The ship is now covered with nets which gives it an exclusive mysterious theme but also builds up the danger of entanglement. This wreck definitely deserves a few dives to get around it. The general status of it is good.

The Petaling

This is a small cargo ship of an overall length of about 40m. Recently a team found a plate of the shipyard and we can now presume that it's the wreck of the Petaling.

The story says that it was sunk by a British submarine cruising the coasts of Phuket. The crew that survived the attack ended up drifting down to Kata Noi Beach, deported by strong currents. The story was related to us by an older Thai local who actually witnessed the attack and the final rescue of its crew.

The vessel now lies off Kata Beach in 58m of water, flat on its keel with a slit list to port.

The status of the ship is now pretty broken down. The Rudder and propeller (4 pan) are still their as if time could not harm them. This wreck for some reasons has a number of portholes lying around it that do not match the actual size of the boat. Like most of the wrecks, this one has been colonised by schools of fish, Morey eels now live in the numerous cavities, and it's not rare to spot rays lying on the surrounding seabed.

The CP 1238 catamaran transport barge. The overall length was about 50m, 8m at the beam and 6m high. At the time of writing we have no history of this vessel. All that we know is that the barge apparently sunk about 4 years ago. It transported cars that now lie on the seabed, surrounding the wreck but too far to be seen on the same dive.

The wreck now lies in 75m of water sitting straight up on a sandy seabed. The status of the wreck is excellent. The visibility can range from 10 to 30m depending on the tide and the surrounding fishing activities. On the front deck lays what could have been a life raft and closer to the stern two large 50cm diameter pipes and 4m long?

Big Carangids, Tunas, Barracudas, Morey eels, Lion fish and Scorpion fish have now invaded the barge. If you are lucky the encounter of a Manta Ray would not be impossible in the region.

Hin Daeng is classified as on of the best dive sites in Thailand. This massive limestone pinnacle protrudes by only a few meters above the surface. On the southwest side a vertical wall drops down to 50m. The pinnacle is covered with colourful soft corals and oysters, with huge beds of anemones in the shallower portions. Large stingrays have a tendency to rest on the sea bed. Large schools of barracuda, tuna and fusilier cruise around the rock and if you are lucky, you may get the visit of a reef shark. Hin Muang is definitely a world class dive site. This totally submerged rock is completely covered with hard, soft and antipatharian corals, sea fans and sea anemones. All the reef species found in the Similan can be seen here together with large oceanic visitors; whale sharks, manta rays, whitetips and silvertips.

Let me know your thoughts and I will put a schedule together with costs and trip duration if we can get the numbers

silent running · 16th December 2005, 07:37

Hello Mathew, I spoke to you on the phone 6 months back. I was the guy with the Prism. Almost came for a visit, but my window coincided with your worst weather. I would be interested in such a trip. A couple of questions though:
-Will you be able to separate CCR divers by ability and have 2 different tenders? Trimix/air, etc..
-What kind of cylinders and how many will you have for bailout or onboard gas?
-Would you be able to come up with an itinerary that would keep us from running into OC divers on a regular basis? And furthermore..
-Will there be any exploratory diving, new sites not normally visited due to depth? I would like to avoid OC divers as much as possible. I think we all would...
-Finally, is there any possibility of visiting the WW2 US sub wreck?
Thanks, -Andy

tecdivertraining · 16th December 2005, 09:12

Hi Andy
Thanks for the reply. It may prove necessary to split divers into groups based on ability it would not make much sense if all divers jump in at the same time so i would plan to have 2/3 separate dive guides leading groups to avoid over crowded sites. We will aim not to dive sites when other OC divers are around, at most of the deeper site there will be no OC divers as the other boats do not go to these areas with regular fun divers.

As far a tanks goes we have loads s60/ s80 s40 and 3ltr rebreather tanks it would just be a matter of reserving them before to ensure you had the tanks for your dives. For the exploratory dives this will be determined by the level of the divers interested in these dives.

With regards to the WWII Sub its in the gulf of Thailand and would be way to far for this schedule, maybe one for the future.

Ill keep you posted as the trip develops in the meantime feel free to ask any other questions

Regards

PeteS · 16th December 2005, 09:36

I'm very interested, but how much? $$££$$

Do you have provisional dates? I'd like to miss the wet season....

tecdivertraining · 16th December 2005, 09:50

Hi Pete
It will more than likely be in feb 07 as we are in peak high season and the weather is great without doing the maths i reckon it will be around 2000 USD all in gas, sorb, boat, transfers, full board. for a seven day charter around 12-15 guests.

Thanks

PCDiver · 16th December 2005, 09:50

Also interested. I prefer a longer trip, 10+ days.

tecdivertraining · 16th December 2005, 10:02

10 days may be possible. But this may be combined with 3 days shore based diving other sites around phuket like Racha Noi also a fab dive site as well as the Famous Phi Phi Islands.

Thanks

**RichClark** · 16th December 2005, 10:10

Hmm.. I'd be interested in this, please keep me on the 'inform' list.

Cheers

Rich

tecdivertraining · 16th December 2005, 10:24

No probs rich i will keep you in the loop

Thanks

Mark Chase · 16th December 2005, 10:38

I asume this dosent include flights, any advice on where to look at costing for that.

Interested in doing a trip that involves wreck diving depth listed are fine for me

ATB

Mark Chase

16th December 2005, 05:29	#1 (permalink)
tecdivertraining EXPLORER Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Evolution Megalodon Ouroboros Dolphin Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Dolphin Join Date: May 2005 Location: Phuket, Thailand Posts: 531	Rebreather Liveaboard - Thailand Hi All I am looking into putting together a liveaboard for rebreather divers only, in 2006/2007 it would be on a 5 star luxury vessel. We would plan to dive the famous Similan Islands, the Wrecks of Phuket and the deep sites of Hin Muang and Hin Daeng. I am just trying to get a feel to see if anyone would be interested. We would have 02, helium, sorb and a booster all onboard it may even be possible to combine the trip with some training for those looking to become certified ccr divers in paradise. The Similan’s is a first-class diving destination consistently voted one of the top ten dive sites of the world. It’s made up of nine granite islands covered in lush, tropical jungle with powder soft beaches and crystal clear waters. Underwater scenery offers huge boulder formations, beautiful hard and soft coral gardens, holes, overhangs, swimthroughs and canyons. The profusion of marine life includes regular sightings of Manta Rays, Whale Sharks, Reef Sharks, large schools of barracuda and snapper, octopus, turtles, leopard sharks, moray eels plus plenty of macro life. The views of the unspoilt bays as the sun sets are spectacular and a memory every diver should have. Approx. one hundred kilometres northwest of Phuket. some of the wrecks include: The HMS Vestal was a British Minesweeper of Algerian Class. Actually the very last Royal Naval vessel sunk during WWII. The identification is not 100% confirmed but due to its size and configuration, the odds of it being another vessel are really very small. Algerian Class ship's displaced 990 tons for a length of 65m (225ft), 10.6m at the beam (35ft) and a drag of 3.2m (10.5ft). The motors where steam engines that could give a maximum speed of 16 knots and an autonomy of 4 500 miles at 11, 5 knots. The armament was made of one 4-inch canon, 4 20mm canons and a Hedgehog mortar. The crew was made of 8 officers and a crew of 99. The Vestal was hit by a Japanese Kamikaze plane and finally scuttled due to extensive damage on the 26th of July 1945. The ship now lies in 72m of water flat on its keel on a sandy seabed. The dive is a spectacular one. The amount of fish surrounding the wreck is fantastic. The ship is now covered with nets which gives it an exclusive mysterious theme but also builds up the danger of entanglement. This wreck definitely deserves a few dives to get around it. The general status of it is good. The Petaling This is a small cargo ship of an overall length of about 40m. Recently a team found a plate of the shipyard and we can now presume that it's the wreck of the Petaling. The story says that it was sunk by a British submarine cruising the coasts of Phuket. The crew that survived the attack ended up drifting down to Kata Noi Beach, deported by strong currents. The story was related to us by an older Thai local who actually witnessed the attack and the final rescue of its crew. The vessel now lies off Kata Beach in 58m of water, flat on its keel with a slit list to port. The status of the ship is now pretty broken down. The Rudder and propeller (4 pan) are still their as if time could not harm them. This wreck for some reasons has a number of portholes lying around it that do not match the actual size of the boat. Like most of the wrecks, this one has been colonised by schools of fish, Morey eels now live in the numerous cavities, and it's not rare to spot rays lying on the surrounding seabed. The CP 1238 catamaran transport barge. The overall length was about 50m, 8m at the beam and 6m high. At the time of writing we have no history of this vessel. All that we know is that the barge apparently sunk about 4 years ago. It transported cars that now lie on the seabed, surrounding the wreck but too far to be seen on the same dive. The wreck now lies in 75m of water sitting straight up on a sandy seabed. The status of the wreck is excellent. The visibility can range from 10 to 30m depending on the tide and the surrounding fishing activities. On the front deck lays what could have been a life raft and closer to the stern two large 50cm diameter pipes and 4m long? Big Carangids, Tunas, Barracudas, Morey eels, Lion fish and Scorpion fish have now invaded the barge. If you are lucky the encounter of a Manta Ray would not be impossible in the region. Hin Daeng is classified as on of the best dive sites in Thailand. This massive limestone pinnacle protrudes by only a few meters above the surface. On the southwest side a vertical wall drops down to 50m. The pinnacle is covered with colourful soft corals and oysters, with huge beds of anemones in the shallower portions. Large stingrays have a tendency to rest on the sea bed. Large schools of barracuda, tuna and fusilier cruise around the rock and if you are lucky, you may get the visit of a reef shark. Hin Muang is definitely a world class dive site. This totally submerged rock is completely covered with hard, soft and antipatharian corals, sea fans and sea anemones. All the reef species found in the Similan can be seen here together with large oceanic visitors; whale sharks, manta rays, whitetips and silvertips. Let me know your thoughts and I will put a schedule together with costs and trip duration if we can get the numbers __________________ Mathew Partridge Technical Director Pro-Tech Dive College www.protechdivers.com www.tech-ccr.com Last edited by tecdivertraining : 16th December 2005 at 06:19.
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16th December 2005, 07:37	#2 (permalink)
silent running Mature mouth breather Current Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: U.S.A. Brooklyn, New York Posts: 1,873	Re: Rebreather Liveaboard - Thailand Hello Mathew, I spoke to you on the phone 6 months back. I was the guy with the Prism. Almost came for a visit, but my window coincided with your worst weather. I would be interested in such a trip. A couple of questions though: -Will you be able to separate CCR divers by ability and have 2 different tenders? Trimix/air, etc.. -What kind of cylinders and how many will you have for bailout or onboard gas? -Would you be able to come up with an itinerary that would keep us from running into OC divers on a regular basis? And furthermore.. -Will there be any exploratory diving, new sites not normally visited due to depth? I would like to avoid OC divers as much as possible. I think we all would... -Finally, is there any possibility of visiting the WW2 US sub wreck? Thanks, -Andy
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16th December 2005, 09:12	#3 (permalink)
tecdivertraining EXPLORER Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Evolution Megalodon Ouroboros Dolphin Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Dolphin Join Date: May 2005 Location: Phuket, Thailand Posts: 531	Re: Rebreather Liveaboard - Thailand Hi Andy Thanks for the reply. It may prove necessary to split divers into groups based on ability it would not make much sense if all divers jump in at the same time so i would plan to have 2/3 separate dive guides leading groups to avoid over crowded sites. We will aim not to dive sites when other OC divers are around, at most of the deeper site there will be no OC divers as the other boats do not go to these areas with regular fun divers. As far a tanks goes we have loads s60/ s80 s40 and 3ltr rebreather tanks it would just be a matter of reserving them before to ensure you had the tanks for your dives. For the exploratory dives this will be determined by the level of the divers interested in these dives. With regards to the WWII Sub its in the gulf of Thailand and would be way to far for this schedule, maybe one for the future. Ill keep you posted as the trip develops in the meantime feel free to ask any other questions Regards __________________ Mathew Partridge Technical Director Pro-Tech Dive College www.protechdivers.com www.tech-ccr.com
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16th December 2005, 09:36	#4 (permalink)
PeteS Consent Issued! Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: New Zealand Posts: 543	I'm very interested, but how much? $$££$$ Do you have provisional dates? I'd like to miss the wet season.... __________________ Pete S. http://www.steggle.co.nz Every silver lining has a cloud
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16th December 2005, 09:50	#5 (permalink)
tecdivertraining EXPLORER Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Evolution Megalodon Ouroboros Dolphin Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Dolphin Join Date: May 2005 Location: Phuket, Thailand Posts: 531	Re: Rebreather Liveaboard - Thailand Hi Pete It will more than likely be in feb 07 as we are in peak high season and the weather is great without doing the maths i reckon it will be around 2000 USD all in gas, sorb, boat, transfers, full board. for a seven day charter around 12-15 guests. Thanks __________________ Mathew Partridge Technical Director Pro-Tech Dive College www.protechdivers.com www.tech-ccr.com
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16th December 2005, 09:50	#6 (permalink)
PCDiver Submerge Productions Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 1,002	Re: Rebreather Liveaboard - Thailand Also interested. I prefer a longer trip, 10+ days.
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16th December 2005, 10:02	#7 (permalink)
tecdivertraining EXPLORER Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Evolution Megalodon Ouroboros Dolphin Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Dolphin Join Date: May 2005 Location: Phuket, Thailand Posts: 531	Re: Rebreather Liveaboard - Thailand 10 days may be possible. But this may be combined with 3 days shore based diving other sites around phuket like Racha Noi also a fab dive site as well as the Famous Phi Phi Islands. Thanks __________________ Mathew Partridge Technical Director Pro-Tech Dive College www.protechdivers.com www.tech-ccr.com
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16th December 2005, 10:10	#8 (permalink)
RichClark Classic KISS No. 226 Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hove, UK Posts: 793	Re: Rebreather Liveaboard - Thailand Hmm.. I'd be interested in this, please keep me on the 'inform' list. Cheers Rich __________________ The more I learn about women, the more I want to go diving... just don't tell my wife I said that To taste something a little different, try http://www.thechillikitchen.co.uk
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16th December 2005, 10:24	#9 (permalink)
tecdivertraining EXPLORER Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Evolution Megalodon Ouroboros Dolphin Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Dolphin Join Date: May 2005 Location: Phuket, Thailand Posts: 531	Re: Rebreather Liveaboard - Thailand No probs rich i will keep you in the loop Thanks __________________ Mathew Partridge Technical Director Pro-Tech Dive College www.protechdivers.com www.tech-ccr.com
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16th December 2005, 10:38	#10 (permalink)
Mark Chase RBW Member Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,854	Re: Rebreather Liveaboard - Thailand I asume this dosent include flights, any advice on where to look at costing for that. Interested in doing a trip that involves wreck diving depth listed are fine for me ATB Mark Chase __________________ See my "Doing It Chasey" video where I'm locked into a padded room, naked, with two ball bearings and within an Hour, I manage to lose one and break the other!!! Kevin Juergensen 16/11/08 [/quote]
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