Technical Diving Live-aboard Trips in the Gulf of Thailand
Background
The Gulf of Siam was heavily patrolled by US submarines, and during 1945 they sank dozens of ‘marus’ - Japanese freighters and tankers carrying everything from supplies to POW’s.
The submarines’ logs provide the starting point for each of our technical diving expeditions. We combine a mix of visiting spectacular WW2 wrecks located on our previous tech expeditions, combined with checking out new marks. This offers the chance of diving virgin WW2 wrecks throughout the Gulf of Thailand.
We also offer dives on ancient Chinese pottery wrecks. these are very difficult to find as the vessels themselves have long since rotted away, but there’s a good chance of finding some beautiful ceramics.
Divers should remember that some of our sites are war graves and we should not remove any artifacts from these particular wrecks.
To get a better idea of how our trips run, check out our tech expedition reports and diver's reports pages, plus you can see images and read about the wrecks you'll be diving on in our wreck diving section.
Our Main Technical / Wreck Diving Expeditions
Wrecks discovered on our previous technical diving trips, and new marks which we plan to investigate are spread over an enormous area in the Gulf of Thailand.
For this reason we run three main wreck diving trips - specifically to the North, East and South of Koh Tao.
Each Thailand technical diving trip offers something different, and we always travel between marks overnight to maximize the number of hours available for diving.
Expedition schedules are designed to allow for two big technical dives per day. Let's take a look at each of the tech diving trips:
- Northern Route | 3-4 days | Deep air technical diving
Run over three or four days, technical dives on our northern wreck expedition have maximum depths in the 50 - 65M range, making the trip perfect for newly certified technical divers and people looking to build up experience.
Ideal for deep air dives, the northern route offers exciting wreck diving opportunities, enjoyed by even the most seasoned technical divers. We make two technical dives per day, so usually six dives during the trip.
Known wreck dives on our northern route include the H.T.M.S. Pha-Ngan, Tanker Maru, 'Pornsri', Vlado, Unicorn and Torpedo wrecks.
This northern wreck diving trip is also perfect for trimix training, with the Pornsri wreck offering trimix divers the opportunity to get down to a maximum of 75M.
- Eastern Route | 6 Days | Deep Trimix Wreck Diving
Our eastern route is longer, usually conducted as a 6 day tech live-aboard expedition, again fitting in 2 dives per day so a 12 technical dives in total.
The depth range of technical dives on this route is 50 - 80 metres, so wreck dives on this eastern route are suitable for trimix divers or trimix diving courses. It's also a good opportunity for CCR divers to enjoy long bottom times on some spectacular WW2 wrecks.
Our eastern route is rich in fantastic wrecks with highlights including the Seacrest Drill-Ship, the impressive Tottori Maru, Araosan Maru, Akela Maru, and recently discovered 'SS Carrie'. Other great wreck dives on this route include the 'Big Boy', Nanmei No.5 Maru and Sakura Maru.
- Southern Route| 6-7 days | Deep Trimix Technical Diving
The Soutern Route is another long range expedition, usually run over 6 or 7 days.
Diving is deep, in the 50 - 80M range so again the trip is for trimix divers only, perfect for trimix CCR divers.
Fitting in two dives per day, known wrecks on the Southern Route include the gigantic 'Solimoes', Kinrei Maru, Tairyu Maru, 'Canvas Wreck', and the USS Lagarto submarine on special request.
You can read full details and see images of these wrecks in our Gulf of Thailand wreck diving section.
What's included:
We run technical diving live-aboard expeditions on a very regular basis - normally twice a month, plus very occasional recreational diving trips. All meals are provided, a mixture of Thai and international cuisine. MV Giamani also has a fully stocked bar so you won’t go hungry or thirsty - promise!
Technical tours take a maximum of twelve divers. Twins (2 x DIN aluminum 11) and DIN deco cylinders are included, all other equipment is available for rent. We are CCR rebreather - friendly. If you can put a group together, we’re more than happy to give you a daily charter price.
All 02 whether it be to the deco bars or in a stage cylinder is free of charge.
Continuous Flow Nitrox to 40% included in the above.
Trimix is also blended with continuous flow, helium costs 4.5baht/litre. Helium analyser on board.
For CCR Divers, all popular brands of rebreather sorb are available on-board (but please confirm you're requirements prior to the trip), and oxygen can be boosted to 200 bar if required. We have CCR rebreather cylinders to fit all popular CCR units.
In addition to the big trips we run local 'Wreck Wednesdays' - two great wreck dives on Koh Tao's local wrecks (the Unicorn or Torpedo) with breakfast and lunch, every Wednesday. Experienced recreational divers are welcome.
Departure Points and Considerations
Trips normally depart from Koh Tao, and also Koh Samui for southerly trips. For advice on how to reach us check out our getting here page.
We’ve only had to postpone live-aboard trips a couple of times due to weather as we choose locations according to the season. If you can’t make an alternative date, we’re happy to put you up in superior accommodation and still take you wreck diving daily. Travel Insurance is also available to cover any costs incurred, see http://www.columbusdirect.com/.
