MV Bunmee 3

Bunmee 3 is a very popular scuba diving liveaboard that has a wide selection of cabins. Newly-launched in 2015, this boat is owned and run by a very-experienced team who know what divers want from a liveaboard safari in Thailand. It’s of average size compared to most other Similan liveaboards but when you consider how many guests are usually on each trip, it’s all of a sudden a spacious boat. Bunmee 3 has a good design, organisation & service.

Trips in Thailand only go to the best dive sites of Koh Bon, Koh Tachai & Richelieu Rock. They no longer visit the main Similan Islands. The reason for this is to focus on excellent diving more than join the 'selfie crowds' and snorkel day trips. Any gaps in Bunmee 3's schedule are because the boat makes regular trips to Myanmar during the diving season.

There are several cabin types on Bunmee 3, and all are fully-air-conditioned & cleaned daily. Starting on the boat’s upper deck, there are 4 ‘Standard’ cabins. These are 2 double cabins & 2 twins. Although they do not have private en-suite bathrooms, one bathroom on the boat is designated only for the guests of 2 Standard cabins, meaning that they are semi-private. On Bunmee 3’s main deck are the rest of the guest cabins. These are 4 ‘Comfort’ cabins which can be double or twin, and some have flat-screen tvs and private en suite bathrooms. At the front of the main deck is the boat’s ‘Master’ cabin, which has a large double bed, a sofa that can be used as a single bed, & of course a private en suite bathroom. All Bunmee 3’s cabins have space to store luggage, sea-view windows, and are well-decorated & designed.

The communal areas on Bunmee 3 are where most guests socialise, relax and listen to the special dive briefings. Starting with the sundecks, Bunmee 3 guests can relax on the boat’s roof or at the front of its upper & main decks. At the rear of the upper deck is a large and well-designed outdoor covered dining area. Three large tables & sofa benches are easily enough space for all guests to socialise and eat the delicious food. This area has a large flat-screen television, and food service counter. At times when the wind is strong or some rain falls, the crew can quickly pull down the temporary tarpaulin weather-walls. At the rear of the main deck is a large and well-thought-out diving platform. Here the machinery (compressors etc.) is kept out of the way, and divers can comfortably & safely stand and walk around. There’s a special material used on the floor of Bunmee 3’s dive platform that is soft and grippy. Bunmee 3 has a motorised tender dinghy to bring back divers who surface far from the main boat or near the reef, as well as to transport guests to the pristine beaches of the Andaman Sea.

A couple more things which make Bunmee 3 stand out among its competitors are the service on board. A combination of French flair and Thai hospitality makes every Bunmee 3 trip a truly wonderful experience. These include the dive briefings, which are accompanied by a video presentation. So many other Similan liveaboard diving trips’ dive briefings are presented with a picture on a portable whiteboard. The video briefings are so much better and easier to understand. Also, unlike the other boats which serve buffet meals all the time, Bunmee 3 guests are able to pre-order their breakfast the evening before. Not only is the food delicious, this a-la-carte service makes it so much more enjoyable. The maximum capacity is 18 guests, but the normal limit is 16. The management would much prefer to have around 12 very happy guests than have 16-18 guests who are happy, but not 100%. This attention to detail and service makes a big difference, especially for divers who have paid to visit the best dive sites in Thailand on one of the region’s best-run liveaboard boats.