Dive Review of The Junk in
Thailand/Adaman Sea

Other Thailand reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here

The Junk, Dec, 2008, by John Woolley, WA, United States ( Sr. Reviewer 11 reports). Report 4611.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Six nights on a converted Chinese junk, diving in the Andaman Sea, with a Thai chef is about as close to Nirvana as you can get. Richelieu Rock is a must see for divers, one of those places you've heard about that absolutely lives up to its hype. And while whale sharks are cool, the majesty of a manta with a 12-foot wingspan as it glides over your head is a memory for a lifetime. But lets get back to the accommodations. “The Junk” is a live aboard that sails from Phuket. Built in the 1960’s, it has been beautifully restored and converted to a scuba live aboard. With room for 18 divers, we had 12 on our trip. Small breakfast is followed by a dive, which is followed by a big breakfast, which is followed by a dive, which is followed by lunch, which is followed by a dive, which is followed by a snack, which is followed by a night dive, which is followed by dinner. And those meals! While each meal included a number of western foods, it’s the 10 dish Thai smorgasbord that made the dives feel almost like afterthoughts--enough of the mantas, lets get back onboard and eat! Trading beer for fresh fish with local fisherman insured freshness. Because raising the sails on a junk is a bit difficult, we sailed on just one day. But gee, on that sailing day, its margaritas on-the-house. So I suppose that the one thing that can surpass diving with the incredible amount of fish life in the Andaman Sea, eating Thai food on a Chinese junk, is washing that food down with margaritas. Yes, I’d recommend this to anyone wishing to have a memorable five days of diving.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Puget Sound
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-70 Ft/ 15-21 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	We did stay, somewhat, together as a group. However, the pace was sedate, so lets say a "partial" to "dive your own profile?"
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	1 or 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here

Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 107 dive reviews of Thailand and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

All Thailand Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Thailand
Diving Reviews for All Dive Destinations

Want to assemble your own collection of Thailand reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

Undercurrent Home

Page computed and displayed in 0.15 seconds

Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email. And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent
Get a free monthly email and a sample issue!

Dive Review of The Junk in Thailand/Adaman Sea

The Junk, Dec, 2008,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of The Junk in
Thailand/Adaman Sea