MV Marco Polo sails to The Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock. Just 12 guests join each cruise, and while most are certified divers, non-diving guests are welcome to join. The boat is 23 metres in length and it has a very good reputation and lots of repeat customers.
There are six cabins on Marco Polo, each accommodating two guests. All cabins have air-conditioning and private en-suite bathrooms. The cabins are brand-new, with bunk beds and large bathrooms. At the rear of the main deck is where the well-designed diving platform is, with an extremely-quiet compressor, plenty of tank slots, and Nitrox facilities. EANx certified divers get free Nitrox 32% fills throughout the trip.
On the upper deck is where guests eat and socialize. There is a small indoor lounge saloon. Here is where great food is served throughout the cruise, and includes western and local cuisine, all freshly cooked every day. However, most guests decide to enjoy their time outside on the same deck. Here we have a covered area with several tables and seating. Guests can enjoy the sea breeze and beautiful scenery while chatting in small or larger groups, or even relaxing alone. There's also a sundeck on the roof of Marco Polo that has soft mats and is partially shaded.
The dive trips on Marco Polo allow enough time to enjoy all of Thailand’s best diving sites without having to miss any out or race from one to the next. Marco Polo now sails from Khao Lak. The 5D/4N trips leave in the evening, and the 3D/2N trips leave in the morning. 4-night trips start at The Similans, before sailing north to Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock. And the shorter trips go directly to Koh Bon, then onto Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock.
The amount of time aboard enables divers to take part in diving courses, such as the Advanced or Nitrox. Having completed these courses enables you to dive deeper, and for longer. For anyone wanting to fully immerse themselves in the best diving in Thailand, and staying on board with not too many other people, Marco Polo is a great option. But what really sets this boat apart is the very small number of guests, and the extremely well-run organisation.
After being allocated cabins and introduced to the crew and safety procedures, guests enjoy dinner/breakfast on board while getting to know one another.
For 5D/4N trips, Marco Polo sails into the night, the boat arrives at the dive sites in The Similan Islands at about midnight, allowing everyone on board to get a good night’s sleep before the diving starts first thing in the morning.
The 3D/2N trips leave in the morning, but you still get a full day's diving in, starting at Koh Bon.
The first dive of the trip is always at an easier dive site, and known as a 'check dive’. The Divemasters, instructors and cruise leader make a better and final decision of who will dive with who, using their assessment of each diver’s confidence and air consumption.
There are up to four dives per day, including a sunset or night dive. Meals or snacks are served before, between & after every dive, and there are excursions to beaches and snorkelling reefs when possible.
On the final day of the cruise Marco Polo sets sail back to Khao Lak, arriving around 6.00pm.
The itineraries below are the most-common for each trip, but these can sometimes be changed for a number of reasons. Small changes are made due to weather & sea conditions, special marine life sightings, overcrowded dive sites, local-authorities' instructions, and the needs & requests of the paying guests. The safety & comfort of all guests is most important at all times.
6x twin bunk cabins ith air conditioning and private bathroom
Electricity.
Every cabin has 220v outlets with electricity 24 hours a day.
Oxygen.
50 litre oxygen tank.
Central compressor station.
( 400 litres/minute ) (virtually noise-free tank re-fillings).
Compressors.
2 Bauer mariner compressors.
Generators.
3 generators 220/12V.
Safety.
GPS, dinghy, life raft, telephone.
Entertainment.
TV, video & hi-fi.
Courses
Taking part in a diving course onboard Marco Polo is a very popular choice for many of our guests. The multilingual instructors on Marco Polo are able to offer great-value SSI courses during the cruise. The most-commonly taken courses are Advanced Open Water Diver and Nitrox (Enriched Air). Some guests even do both!
Courses
Courses
Prices
N/A
Contact us
Transfer details
Free transfers are available on departure and return days. These are at fixed times and dependent on the location/destination of the guests.
MV Marco Polo Scheduled Transfers
4D / 4N Trips
16:00 - 18:30
Pick up from Phuket :
Free
19:00
Pick up from Khao Lak :
Free
20:00
Departure ( Tab Lamu Pier, Khao Lak )
17:00
Return ( Tab Lamu Pier, Khao Lak )
18:00
Drop off to Khao Lak :
Free
18:00 - 19:00
Drop off to Phuket :
Free
MV Marco Polo Scheduled Transfers
3D / 2N Trips
5:30 - 6:30
Pick up from Phuket :
Free
07:00
Pick up from Khao Lak :
Free
07:30
Departure ( Tab Lamu Pier, Khao Lak )
17:00
Return ( Tab Lamu Pier, Khao Lak )
17:30
Drop off to Khao Lak :
Free
18:30
Drop off to Phuket :
Free
Booking / Enquiry
Booking or enquiring is easy follow these steps
Step 1:
Complete the form below by entering your details
Step 2:
We usually reply within 2 hours (please check your email & spam)
Step 3:
We can reserve your space(s) commitment-free for up to one week
Step 4:
Deposits to book are usually paid using any card, PayPal or bank transfer
MV Marco Polo Reviews
Read real reviews from people who have dived with
MV Marco Polo
Kris
Nationality: Polish
Dived: 02 January 2026
Boat rating: 10/10
Just got back from three days diving the Similans with SeeBees on the Marco Polo, and what a trip!
That t-shirt slogan “Dive Safe, Dive Smart, Dive SeeBees.com”? They actually walk the talk. The dive site selection was brilliant – they constantly checked weather and sea conditions and adjusted plans accordingly. No stubborn “we’re going here anyway” nonsense. We hit the best spots at the best times.
Sigrid, Dave
& Chris – the three master-divers – gave excellent pre-dive briefings. Clear, informative, not boring. Special thanks to Chris, our group guide, who combined top-notch professionalism with a great sense of humor. The guy spots everything underwater and kept us laughing between dives!
Massive props to the boat crew too. They handled all our gear, kept everything running smoothly, and the food? Outstanding! Seriously confirms my theory that the best meals always happen on boats.
About the boat: Look, it’s not Red Sea or Maldives luxury. The Marco Polo is solid and functional – A/C and private toilets in cabins, which is all you really need. It’s a different market here. But honestly, you’re here for the diving, not fancy sheets, right?
Bottom line: Great diving, smart operations, excellent guides, wonderful crew, surprisingly good food. Already planning my next trip!
Highly recommended! 🦈
...read more
Coco
Nationality: French
Dived: 15 November 2024
Boat rating: 9/10
Great team, great dives; Richelieu rock really rocks! Staff are sooo nice and warm hearted! I can only recommend!
Dad & Son
Nationality: Australian
Dived: 19 April 2024
Boat rating: 10/10
An awesome experience. from this booking site with its detailed information and responsive team through to the 10 out of 10 experience for our 2N/2D trip. The boat we took was a small intimate experience, 12 diver max, which worked out really well. The MarcoPolo thai boat team, the dive leader and our dive guide were very professional, great equipment management, knew every site like the back of their hand and gave a dammn abo
ut it. Everything ran to a plan, it all worked and when their was a hiccup, they solved it with no fuss with positive outcomes. Best dive by a mile was Richelieu Rock. 100% fish soup, 3 dives different everytime. WoW!
...read more
Jackie
Nationality: New Zealander
Dived: 27 January 2023
Boat rating: 10/10
Very well organised boat, super dive guides and fantastic food. Reefs were some of the best dives I have been on.
HENRI FOURNIER
Nationality: French
Dived: 20 January 2023
Boat rating: 10/10
amazing ! good saff on marco polo,very nice trip
Olli
Nationality: German
Dived: 18 March 2022
Boat rating: 10/10
Great guides (my group had Nat), great crew, awesome food. Good beds. I would book again
Malthe
Nationality: Danish
Dived: 28 January 2022
Boat rating: 9/10
Really nice boat. Perfect for “the real liveaboard”. Not overcrowded. Divided in two groups with a talented divemaster in both. Food delicious and plenty. Its difinitely an eat/sleep/dive trip 🙌🏻👌🏽🥳
Maya
Nationality: Austrian
Dived: 28 January 2022
Boat rating: 10/10
I loved the experience, the staff was amazing and always ready to help. The dive guides where very familar with the dive sites and took good care of us. Thanks a lot for the great experience!
Lepper22
Nationality: German
Dived: 28 January 2022
Boat rating: 10/10
A great trip, with friendly staff, delicious food and amazing dive sites. I can really recommend it
Michael
Nationality: German
Dived: 26 December 2021
Boat rating: 10/10
Perfect organization and smooth booking process! Staff onboard is very kind and helpful! Diving was excellent!
Thailand
There are six cabins on Marco Polo, each accommodating two guests. All cabins have air-conditioning and private en-suite bathrooms. The cabins are brand-new, with bunk beds and large bathrooms. At the rear of the main deck is where the well-designed diving platform is, with an extremely-quiet compressor, plenty of tank slots, and Nitrox facilities. EANx certified divers get free Nitrox 32% fills throughout the trip.
