The Life Aquatic — Attraction in Ko Samui

Can't fault this setup. Organised by email a few days before and sent all necessary details, so no messing at the Dock. Picked up bang on time, taken to boat just the other side of bophut. On the boat, there was plenty of space and the team had used the specs we provided to estimate kit size and weights, which to be fair were pretty much bang on. Shows what experience can do for you. Our guide gave an excellent briefing and as promised, it was a 1 to 4 ratio of guide to divers. He put all rhe kit together which avoided any faff. Cylinders on and checked. Hoses tucked, masks (clean and fairly new) hung round the BC so we didn't forget them. The team basically dressed everyone and made sure that all straps were fastened. He even went round and inflated the jackets before we went in. It feels like nannying, but having been on holiday boats before where people forget one of these key things and screw it up for the rest of us. I've been bobbing around at the back of the boat before now waiting for someone to add some weight before we can all go down. What's really good is that the guide did it so practically, no condescension, everyone treated the same. Checked your air, checked your gauge, filled your jacket. I can do all of this myself (and did anyway) but it was great to see the consistency. Reassuring. The boat brief was performed by Captain Steve, who had to have been an NCO at some point.. "in this cooler ate beers. They aren't breakfast beers. They are not lunchtime beers. They are after diving beers." The briefing was not just about beer, obvs, and it was clear and concise. The dive site, sail rock, is a 1 hour schlep from koh samui and by the time we got there there were 3 boats on it, this might have been one reason for the poor viz. 3to 5 M at best, but the fish were there. Not a chance of seeing a whale shark though! Apparently since covid, there has been a reluctance to go out early, can't blame the company for that, but if I had a choice, I reckon setting off at dawn would have meant clearer water. Surface interval was a full hour, which is a damn sight better than we got in Egypt... Lunch was provided, a very nice mild green curry and rice and water was on tap (and free). You could buy soft drinks on board, from the chiller so bring a few baht. Dive computers weren't provided, so if you have one, bring it. It was the only dive kit I brought and all I needed. A few baht for tipping was also useful, but no hard sell. A minibus was on hand to take us back to our hotel.

The trip length and poor viz meant we didn't do a second day on this trip, but then we weren't here to dive anyway, so if you, like us are just looking for a safe, well-managed Thai diving experience off Koh Samui, I can...

We chose The Aquatic Life because of their excellent reviews, and while the diving itself was truly memorable, there are a few important things to be aware of before booking:

The dive at Sail Rock was fantastic. Great visibility, abundant marine life, and our dive instructor was absolutely fabulous—professional, friendly, and made us feel safe and comfortable throughout.

Booking was simple, and the staff was responsive in the lead-up to our trip.

I think I'm old school as a major concern for us—as a non-smoking family traveling with kids—was ensuring a smoke-free environment. We clarified this well in advance and were assured smoking would not be an issue.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t our experience.

From the moment we arrived, it was the staff and crew—not the guests—who were smoking frequently, both outside and inside the boat cabin. There was even rolling of joints happening on board.

Despite mentioning our concerns to the organiser during the trip, and being told they’d ask the staff to stop, nothing changed. The smoking continued throughout the journey.

They advertise soft drinks as being included, but we were charged extra for each one. The drinks were served from a cooler of lukewarm water—not what you’d expect from a premium experience.

Water was offered, but in small, stained cups. At one point, the boat captain even told my son to put his used cup back on the tray for others to use. Hygiene standards were clearly not a priority.

Bottom line: The diving was absolutely worth it—no question. But the journey to and from? Not so much. If you're traveling with family or are sensitive to smoke, you may want to consider alternatives or clarify expectations very clearly in advance (which I...

The owner Joe lied to us. On Monday we went to the marina to meet them for our scuba diving tour.. after waiting for an hour they said the boat is broken so we need to postpone the tour till next day. We were fine with that and agreed to postpone... During the week Joe said the boat is fixed but kept saying the weather is bad and the sea is very wavy and it's not worth it to go scuba diving, while in reality their boat was still broken and they kept us hanging waiting for them.. he kept saying tomorrow or after tomorrow

Because we are traveling on Saturday and we don't have more time to wait We asked him again specifically if they are postponing because of the boat or if the weather is really not suitable for diving, and he kept saying the boat is fixed but the weather is bad... On Thursday I started having doubts so I checked with other companies and all of them were fully booked and have been functioning normally and said the weather has been very good but they are fully booked so we cannot join them.. Finally at the very last conversation with Joe on Thursday he said there are 3 mechanics working on the boat and he will give an answer for Friday tour later in the evening

So because of Joe, he ruined our experience and stopped us from looking for another company to join their tours because of his lies

It was our fault...