MV Koon9

MV Koon 9 is brand new and the largest Similan liveaboard at 52 metres long and 10.5 metres wide. It's is simply huge. Although its guest capcity is 30 divers, there is still plenty of room for everyone to relax on board, and to gear up on the vast dive deck before jumping into the crystal clear Andaman Sea. All cabins are en suite, have a large window, and most have a smart tv. The boat's range of itineraries also makes it the perfect choice for a Similan or Richelieu Rock scuba diving cruise.

There are guest decks on MV Koon 9. On the main deck there is a vast diving platform, which is well designed to enable everyone to have their own tank slot and space to gear up. There's also plenty of storage boxes, cubby holes and rinse tanks. Just in front of the diving platform you will find the communal bathrooms. This is the perfect place to take a post-dive shower, use the toilet, or change into your wetsuit. Then we have a sliding door from here into the air-conditioned corridor that leads to all of the boat's cabins. There are twin & double cabins on each side, and at the front of this main deck there are fixed double-bed cabins. All the cabins are air conditioned, and have a private en suite bathroom.

The upper deck of Koon 9 is where you spend most of your time relaxing indoors. There is a small outdoor seating area at the back of this deck, normally where guests might smoke or relax with a drink. But most of this upper deck is air-conditioned semi-indoor communal areas for dining and socialising. Approximately 70% of this upper deck's indoor area is a huge restaurant dining room. Here you can enjoy fresh fruit & snacks all day & night, plus delicious meals served throughout the day. There's plenty of space to eat, and the food is what you can expect from a master Thai chef! The remaining floor space is a large lounge saloon with comfortable sofas and armchairs, and a huge television with a games console. 

Finally, the top deck of Koon 9 is an exposed area where you can top up your tan, enjoy 360° views, gaze at the night sky, or just enjoy the breeze with a few drinks with friends. There are sun loungers, soft seating and some shaded space up here. Wherever you spend your time on Koon 9, you will have space and the opportunity to relax and enjoy a wonderful diving cruise.

And another thing that makes Koon 9 such a great boat to join is its choice of itineraries. You can choose to join for trips, which start in the morning six days a week and stay aboard for one, tow, three or even four nights! Or, if you join on a Wednesday it's in the evening and you can stay until Friday, Saturday, Sunday or even Monday late afternoons. This is made possible by daily speedboat transfers from the mainland. Therefore, you can join in the morning and stay as long as you like, or join on a Wednesday evening, too.

In January 2025 our team dived from Koon9 and you can watch the video below👇🏻. We were incredibly impressed with how the system works. Divers who join by speedboat in the morning arrive on a nearly-empty boat, because the overnight guests have already gone diving. Then by the time the new guests are ready to dive, those others are coming back from their dive for lunch. The whole day is staggered like this, so that the dive site, dive platform and buffet food area are never crowded. And don't worry about being in the second wave to meals, because the wonderful chef team are constantly cooking and serving fresh and delicious meals. We were also very impressed by the rental gear, the team of guides and instructors and the quality & service everywhere on the boat.

Prices & Schedule

Koon 9 has lots of different itineraries, so please check carefully.

If you join on a Wednesday evening, you get to dive four times on Thursday and every day after that, until your final day where you dive three times before coming back by speedboat.

If you join in the morning, then your first and final days give you three dives. Any days in the middle have up to four dives.

At the end of your trip, you come back to Khao Lak by speedboat, apart from if your trip ends on a Wednesday.

Depending on the day of the week, your trip will visit different diving sites, and there are two different piers that the speedboats use.

Normally Thursday & Friday is from Tab Lamu and the rest of the week from Baan Nam Khem.

Please check carefully to make sure your chosen trip on the schedule matches the itinrary that you are looking at.