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.
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.
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.
3 x 65person life rafts, Oxygen, First aid, Fire extinguishers, CCTV.
Courses
There's a selection of courses available on Koon 9, but most need to be booked in advance so that the team can prepare staff and materials.
Nowadays, it's common to do PADI eLearning online before you come, to reduce time spent studying on the trip.
SSI courses don't have eLearning, but are less expensive than PADI.
The Advanced Open Water Diver and Nitrox EANx courses are the most-commonly chosen courses on liveaboards.
Courses
Courses
Prices
SSI:
SSI Adventure Deep Dive
55
USD
PADI:
PADI Adventure Deep Dive
55
USD
SSI:
SSI Enriched Air Nitrox
138
USD
PADI:
PADI Enriched Air Nitrox
Including: eLearning
169
USD
SSI:
SSI Advanced Adventurer
214
USD
PADI:
PADI Advanced Open Water
Including: eLearning
276
USD
Transfer details
The Koon 9 team collect you from Khao Lak hotels in the morning for most trips, and in the evening for trips that start on Wednesdays. Transfers are shared with other guests, and at set times.
Phuket transfers are available on nrequest for a small fee.
At the end of your trip you will be taken back to your Khao Lak hotel, in a van shared with other guests. If you need to go to Phuket, the Koon9 team have a shared minivan every day.
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 Koon9 Reviews
Read real reviews from people who have dived with
MV Koon9
Sullivan
Nationality: French
Dived: 16 March 2026
Boat rating: 10/10
This was my first time doing a liveaboard and I was a bit unsure whether it would be for me. I spent 3 days on the MV Koon9 and I absolutely loved it. The whole staff was super attentive and helpful, the boat never feel too crowded and the food and facilities were much much better than anticipated. 100% recommend
Jessica T
Nationality: American
Dived: 15 March 2026
Boat rating: 10/10
Great experience! SUPER organized operation. Guests that had tried several boats in the area said this one was definitely most organized. Delicious plentiful food, super helpful staff (princess diving where they do everything for you except hang up your wetsuit) and fantastic dives. Richelieu rock was of course great but the other ones were actually just as cool. There were a lot of divers on the reef, and I'd like boat staff
to confront the coral kickers more and make more of a point of this during orientation, but otherwise great dive guides. The reef is stunning and pristine, huge schools of fish, a tornado of barracuda. Their rental gear is great, from divesuits to octopus/ bcd. Boats great. Plenty of boat staff, very helpful, rush to put your fins on if you're struggling (these divers are for Advanced only FYI). Divers are very international. The boat has an upper deck for stargazing at night and you will be almost always in the shade during the day, so suntan lotion not really even needed. Most time will be spent underwater or in the spacious communal food hall deck, eating, meeting and hanging with other guests. Between dives you can also go back to your cabin, shower and dry off and have nap time if you wish. The dive boat manager was particularly organized and they made a few accommodations for me that I really appreciated.
Cons: The boat beds and pillows suck but apparently this is normal on a liveaboard. Bring a blowup pillow if you can to supplement the flat one.
Wildlife: the wildlife selector below does not have options for all we saw. Giant Octopus, huge swirling schools of barracuda, mantis shrimp, huge morays swimming around, eels, trillions of glass fish, too many other fish to mention but huge schools everywhere, lionfish, several types of nudis, etc etc. Beware: all the dive marketing mentions whale sharks and large rays, but apparently this is almost an impossibility (has almost never been seen). Go anyways, this is now one of my favorite div
...read more
Zoe
Nationality: Irish
Dived: 11 March 2026
Boat rating: 10/10
We had the best time aboard Koon9. This was our first live aboard so we didn’t know what to expect but we were blown away! The dive boat is huge - bedrooms and ensuit are a good size; the food is some of the best we have had in Thailand and includes different menu each day; the staff are all of welcoming. We felt very pampered - you get a warm glass of tea brought to you after each dive and a warm towel. The dive sites were
incredible and we felt very safe with our guide Kui. Jamie from no troubles was easily contactable and I am already thinking of booking my next trip through no troubles! We would love to do it all over again!
...read more
KTK
Nationality: American
Dived: 10 March 2026
Boat rating: 10/10
We really enjoyed our trip on MV Koon9. Extremely organized from start to finished. Boarding is flexible which allows you to design your liveaboard experience. Great diving.
SirJ
Nationality: Swiss
Dived: 04 March 2026
Boat rating: 10/10
The experiance on Koon 9 was also the 2nd time amazing! The crew ist super helpful and friendly, the boat and rooms are really comfortalbe. The food was also good. The prize/value is great and you not need to pay a lot in addition as on other boats. I not need to mention the great dive sides:-) Overal just fantastic!
Tom H.
Nationality: American
Dived: 22 February 2026
Boat rating: 10/10
Super organized. I was 100% satisfied with my days onboard the Koon9. Linda, the manager, and the entire team were outstanding in delivering customer-focused and safe scuba diving and onboard support. It operated like a well-oiled machine. Food was all fantastic, especially the coffee (which is important to me).
Highly recommend.
Yoav
Nationality: Israeli
Dived: 10 February 2026
Boat rating: 9/10
I spent 3 days and 2 nights on the boat, and it was a great experience. The boat is fully equipped, and even though I didn't bring my own gear, the rental equipment provided was good. I especially appreciated the level of organization; everything was clear, well-timed, and professionally managed. A standout feature was the small group size—4 divers per guide—which allowed for optimal dive leadership. The boat itself is new
, spacious, and much more comfortable than others I’ve been on, though the price reflects that quality as it is relatively expensive. Bottom line: I highly recommend it for those who aren't looking to pinch pennies.
...read more
Marc
Nationality: German
Dived: 08 February 2026
Boat rating: 10/10
We had a perfect stay on the MV Koon9 for 4 days. Amazing diving, instructor and crew. Jaime was super professional and helping us out with every question. Can 100% recommend!
Brien/Eriksen
Nationality: Norwegian
Dived: 03 February 2026
Boat rating: 9/10
Thank you for a magical trip with Liveaboard, diving, food, service and crew🤩🥰🤿
️We will be back and can recommend this boat and center to everyone 😎👌
Stephen
Nationality: American
Dived: 03 February 2026
Boat rating: 10/10
Really enjoyed my 3 days on the MV Koon9. Jaimie made the booking super easy and everyone on board was super helpful. Felt guilty how much they pampered us when getting gear on. I would definitely recommend the trip.
Thailand
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. 
