Enjoy a short getaway to the famous Phi Phi Islands on board MV Giamani. Marvel at the stunning limestone cliffs cruising around Phi Phi Lay, snorkel in shallow, crystal clear, turquoise water lagoons teeming with colourful tropical fish or scuba dive some of the best dive sites in the South Andaman Sea. Visit Phi Phi Don in the evening to revel in the island’s lively nightlife or simply soak up the whole Phi Phi experience from afar relaxing on our luxurious Thailand liveaboard.
Departing Every Tuesday
You will board MV Giamani at around 15:30 on Tuesday afternoon. After a warm welcome from our crew and a cool refreshing drink there is ample time to explore the boat, check your snorkelling or diving equipment and settle into your comfortable en-suite cabin before the we begin our cruise to the Phi Phi Islands.
Once underway you can relax, get to know the other guests onboard and enjoy the sun setting over Phuket as we make our way east. Dinner is served around 19:00, your first taste of the legendary Giamani cuisine.
Arriving at the Phi Phi Islands our captain will find a quiet, secluded bay to moor the boat overnight, ensuring you get a good nights sleep.
Day One – Exploring Phi Phi Lay
We start our day just after sunrise. This will be your first opportunity to really appreciate the magnificent scenery of Phi Phi Lay, with the early morning sunlight shining bright on the towering limestone cliffs. Once you catch your breath it is time for a light breakfast before with hit the water.
Phi Phi Diving and Snorkelling
The first dive or snorkel stop is always at an easy, safe location. We chose all our sites based on our guests experience levels and wishes to ensure you get the most from you time in or under the water. We usually start at a site called Viking Cave, named after a nearby large, impressive cave in the side of the island’s rocky wall. In the cave, archaeologists have discovered evidence that the Vikings had once visited this area.
Underwater near Viking Cave there are shallow rocks and coral structures dotted along a sandy slope from around 5m, slowly descending to around 20m in depth. One of the most interesting underwater features here is an artificial reef. The concrete blocks that make up the reef form interesting shapes and structures backlit by the early morning sunshine, fun to dive around and to witness the early stages of coral growth. The artificial reef is already home to numerous species of fish, soft and hard corals and small seafans.
A full cooked breakfast is served on board Giamani after the early morning dive. Between dives or snorkelling stops there is plenty of time to relax on the boat, swim or snorkel amongst shallow reefs and soak up the impressive scenery.
Dive two usually begins around 11:00 at another site close to Phi Phi Lay. Our dive staff always pay close attention to the ocean tides and conditions when choosing our dive schedule. We strive to show you the best sites when the conditions are optimum.
A delicious Thai lunch is served after the second dive. During the hot midday hours, the pace onboard our liveaboard slows down a little. Giamani features a large, outdoor shaded sofa area ideal to relax with a book or take a short afternoon nap. There is also an air-conditioned saloon or better still, the inviting cooling waters of the Andaman Sea are always close by should temperatures get too high.
Impressive Wreck Diving
One of the highlights of our first day around Phi Phi Lay is a dive at the Phi Phi Wreck. Originally the HTMS Kled Kaeow, this decommissioned Thai Naval vessel was sunk in 2014 to form an artificial reef. The wreck lies between 14m and 27m with most of the interesting features at an average depth of 18m making it an ideal dive for most experience levels.
Though the wreck is only three years old it is already a magnet for fish life. Huge schools of various types of snapper hide around the ship’s rudder and in the former holds and compartments. The waters around the wreck are teeming with fusiliers, rabbit fish and porcupine puffer fish. Schools of pick-handle and chevron barracuda are never from from sight, patrolling out in the blue. On the wreck itself there are plenty of scorpionfish and lion fish as well as smaller critters and nudibranchs for the macro enthusiasts.
Lazy Afternoons and Lively Evenings
After dive three our cook eases off a little, serving light afternoon snacks. As temperatures cool this is a really nice time to check out the sundeck on Giamani. You can enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding scenery, lounging comfortably as the sun slowly sets behind Phi Phi Lay to the West. You will need to charge your batteries as our day is far from over.
The final dive or snorkel stop of the day is usually along one of the coral walls on the eastern side of Phi Phi Lay. It is always a nice relaxing dive with a lot of underwater activity. As the light slowly fades it is interesting to observe the reefs transform. Butterfly and angelfish slow down their activity while moray eels, snapper and other predators stir into life anticipating their nocturnal feeding time. Feather stars begin to open up adding an extra profusion of colour to the scene.
Dinner time on Giamani is when our cook really shows off his culinary skills serving a delicious fusion of traditional Thai cuisines and western favourites. It is amazing what the cook creates within the confines of the boat’s kitchen, something firmly backed-up with countless positive reviews from our guests.
After dinner there is the opportunity to explore the main inhabited island of the Phi Phi Archipelago, Phi Phi Don. You can enjoy a stroll through the main shopping area of the town centre, slowly making our way to one of the nice, quieter beach side bars for a refreshing drink. Phi Phi really comes to life at nighttime and the beachfront is a hive of activity with loud music, fire shows and party games.
Day Two – Exceptional Phi Phi Diving
We start our day with a light breakfast as we cruise south to the smallest two rocky islands of the Phi Phi Archipelago, Koh Bida Nok and Koh Bida Nai. These are two of the best dive and snorkel spots in the area and certainly not to be missed. Starting early we avoid the crowds from Phi Phi that arrive later in the day.
Koh Bida Nok and Koh Bida Nai
Dive one is usually at Koh Bida Nok. We start the dive from a shallow bay to the south of this small limestone island. If we are lucky, it’s possible to encounter black-tip reef sharks cruising around the bay in the early morning light. The dive site features very diverse topography. The bay is dotted with large coral structures, home to an abundance of various reef fish. Heading west around the island there is an impressive wall, broken up by a series of rocky ridges and underwater pinnacles.
To the east, the site features large sloping sandy areas broken up by rocky ridges and impressive coral structures. Dotted all around the site are huge gorgonian fan corals and barrel sponges. Different areas feature different varieties of hard and soft corals making the dive a wonderful journey through ever changing scenery. As well as black-tip reef sharks, keep your eyes peeled for leopard sharks, turtles, sea snakes, moray eels and larger pelagic fish that constantly circle the dive site.
Koh Bida Nai is usually dive two after a hearty breakfast and a couple of hours relaxation time. Though close to Bida Nok, Bida Nai has it’s own variation of interesting underwater topography. There are impressive coral clad walls, sandy and rocky plateaus, rocky pinnacles and channels as well as plenty of shallow areas making this an ideal site for both diving and snorkelling. Fish life is similar at both of these sites, always varied and always abundant.
More Delicious Food
After an exciting morning diving and snorkelling around the Bida Islands it’s time for yet more delicious Thai food. By this stage of the trip, all onboard are well accustomed to the relaxation time that follows meal times on Giamani.
Our third and final dive of the day will be at another of the great Phi Phi dive sites. Our dive staff will always try and choose somewhere away from the busy day trips.
On conclusion of our final dive there is still plenty of time to enjoy the excellent hospitality back on board the boat as we cruise to Phuket. Our staff will wash and dry your dive equipment and help you complete you dive log books. You will have full use of your cabin until we dock in Chalong Pier so you are well rested and refreshed ready for disembarkation and the hustle and bustle of Phuket Island.