Historical Oktavia trips, cabins and guest reviews. The former programme is no longer operating; continuity with Orca Oktavia remains unconfirmed.
MV Oktavia dive boat review
Historical Oktavia images supplied through LiveAboard.com. They do not depict a verified current Orca Oktavia configuration.
Oktavia’s earlier Similan trips paired plenty of deck space with a relaxed, open-air atmosphere. The original Divezone account remembers the bow seating, generous communal areas and flexible stays: a boat for enjoying the hours above water as well as the dives below.
30 metres · documented 2003 build · historical standard and Master cabins
The former Oktavia programme is listed as no longer operating. This page preserves that operation’s history.
Divezone reader reviews
MV Oktavia, through your eyes.
The best advice often comes from someone who slept in the cabin, shared the dive deck and came back with a story. This is the place for your experience aboard MV Oktavia.
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Ratings by criterion & how the score works
The overall score is the average of the overall ratings in published reviews submitted through this form. Each optional criterion has its own average and response count. Unrated criteria are excluded.
Earlier stories remain part of the conversation, without assigning scores their authors did not provide. Reviews describe individual experiences; publication does not verify a stay or certify the boat’s safety.
Would you choose MV Oktavia again? Your review can help the next diver.
Stories shared on Divezone
Reader stories are available in the original comments below.
Reviews from other websites
How the accounts read together
The selected historical accounts favour the crew, relaxed atmosphere and meals, with more qualified comments on shared facilities and the final bill. They describe the former operation, not a later refit or another crew.
What guests love
Small dive groups, helpful staff and time to relax recur in the examples. Guests also remember the food as part of what made their stay enjoyable.
What guests like less
One account wanted cleaner shared bathrooms. Another noted that some dishes ran out and that extras raised the overall cost. Those dated observations should remain attached to their individual voyages.
LiveAboard.com · 8.8/10 · 32 reviews
Michael A, 14 January 2020, praises the organisation, small groups and Thai food. Stephen B, 3 March 2020, describes a spacious, relaxed boat but notes occasional dishes running out and the effect of extras on the bill. Read the original reviews
Dive The World · five historical accounts
Jonathan Ho, 27 March 2013, praises helpful crew and knowledgeable guides. Leah Ballantyne, 3 May 2013, found the cabins comfortable but thought shared bathrooms could be cleaner. These labelled accounts are not converted into a numerical average. Read the dated accounts
Checked 12 November 2026. No usable boat-specific DiveBooker review score was found. External accounts and the visitor poll are excluded from the Divezone reader score.
Standard or Master: the old layout
The historical configuration offered five twin cabins and four doubles sharing four bathrooms, plus two upper-deck Master cabins with private facilities. All were air-conditioned. Those eleven rooms match the old technical summary; another introductory listing gives a conflicting cabin count.
Standard double
A double bed in the standard category, with shared bathroom facilities.
Standard twin
Separate bunk beds in the standard category, also using shared facilities.
Master
A larger upper-deck room with its own bathroom. The original account distinguishes it from the standard accommodation.
The boat was marketed for around twenty diving guests. Higher theoretical capacities in old descriptions are not used as a booking recommendation. The surviving specifications date construction to 2003 and record a 2007 renovation; these are historical data, not evidence of present condition.
Time above the water
Oktavia’s original profile describes a large dining and briefing area, bow seating and a generous sundeck. That layout gave guests a choice between the social table and a quieter place to watch the islands pass.
The aft dive deck had individual equipment stations and storage, followed by the swimming platform. Camera charging and rinsing facilities were part of the documented setup. The old account’s broad claim that every expected safety system was ready is not repeated as a current assurance.
The documented Similan and northern trips
The five-night, nineteen-dive example left Thap Lamu, spent its first two diving days in the Similans, then headed to Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock. The return included a coastal wreck stop before disembarkation. These are historical examples, not present access instructions.
Route descriptions below.
Full northern circuit · five-night reference
Thap Lamu (1) → Similan Islands (2) → Koh Bon (3) → Koh Tachai (4) → Richelieu Rock (5) → Koh Tachai (4) → Koh Bon (3) → coast and Thap Lamu (1). The archived programme names Boonsung Wreck on the final day; its precise position is not plotted. A separate four-night example advertises fifteen dives along the same broad circuit.
Shorter stays · speedboat connections
Two-night Similan stays and three-night joins were historically offered using speedboat connections to the liveaboard. The short layer shows the mainland–Similan relationship, not a verified transfer track or a guaranteed pier. The three-night joining point depends on the actual sailing and is not separately plotted.
Numbered map points are regional references; arrows show the broad circuit, not navigable tracks or underwater entry points. Old schedules do not establish which sites are accessible today.
Diving requirements and non-divers
The former agent conditions required Advanced certification or an onboard Adventure Deep course. Nitrox was available for appropriately certified divers. These were conditions of the old product, not confirmed requirements for Orca Oktavia or a future offer.
The original programme also welcomed snorkellers. Companion discounts varied by itinerary, and the earlier two-night and longer trips had different terms. No old discount or supervision arrangement is presented as currently bookable.
Oktavia and Orca Oktavia are separate listings
Dive The World states that the former Oktavia operation has ceased; Dive Happy’s 2026–2027 update also lists it as not operating. Khao Lak Explorer retains an archive schedule headed 2019–2020 with a no-longer-running notice.
Orca Oktavia has a separate current operator website and booking profile, advertising a different all-ensuite arrangement. The evidence reviewed does not establish the vessel’s continuity, ownership history and refit sequence clearly enough to transfer the old reviews or cabin description to that product.
For an offer using the Orca name, the Orca Oktavia operator website is the relevant starting point. The name, room category, sailing date and conditions on the booking must match that offer. This historical page does not supply a current Orca fare.
The former US$468 and US$942 starting prices have been withdrawn. No current departure or comparable all-in trip total is verified for the old Oktavia product.
Who might prefer another boat?
Anyone planning a new holiday needs an operating departure, rather than an archived recommendation. Guests requiring a private bathroom should also distinguish the historical standard rooms from Master accommodation and from the newer Orca listing. Combining those descriptions would give a misleading picture of what is being booked.
A film from Oktavia’s earlier trips
Oktavia Dive Center shared this guest film on its Deepblu profile. It records an earlier five-day voyage, not a current inspection. Watch on YouTube
Oktavia questions
Is the former Oktavia programme operating?
The surviving agents describe it as ceased or not running, including a 2026–2027 season notice.
Is Orca Oktavia the same boat?
The name and some specifications overlap, but the reviewed evidence does not establish continuity clearly enough to merge the two products or their reviews.
Did all old cabins have private bathrooms?
No. The historical standard doubles and twins shared bathrooms; the two Master rooms had private facilities.
Were short stays possible?
Yes, earlier programmes offered speedboat connections for shorter stays. Those old arrangements are not current transfer instructions.
Do these photos show today’s Orca rooms?
No. They are from the historical Oktavia listing and should be read with that context.
Planning a Thailand voyage
The Thailand liveaboard guide introduces other boats and routes. The Similan Islands diving guide provides destination context.
Updated 12 November 2026. Historical Oktavia operation; later Orca identity continuity remains unconfirmed.
Where does this liveaboard dive boat go?
Check out the fabulous places where this dive boat travels to.
Note: some destinations may not be listed below, please enquire for more details.
Khao Lak
A mainland base for northern Andaman liveaboards, island day trips and fish-filled local wrecks. The best choice depends on your experience, crossing time and the actual departure programme.
Surin Islands
Island reefs and the offshore spectacle of Richelieu Rock, with day-trip and liveaboard options. Surin snorkelling and a pinnacle dive are different experiences with different requirements.
Similan Islands
Granite boulder dives, reef photography and northern Andaman liveaboards. Day boats also visit the Similans; route choice, current and park access determine the right trip.
Phuket
Racha reef days, offshore wrecks and longer Andaman trips: Phuket offers several ways to dive, with the right choice depending on experience, season and time aboard.
Koh Phi Phi
An island base for Bida reefs, limestone walls and local dive trips, with courses and varied reef life close to Phi Phi Don.
Koh Lanta
Offshore reefs, island day trips and a relaxed beach base, with the right route matched to experience and season.
Koh Tao
An island base for learning, reef days and offshore pinnacles, with year-round diving shaped by Gulf weather.
Thailand
Two coasts, very different dive holidays: Andaman liveaboards and limestone islands, or Gulf reefs and Koh Tao dive schools. Season, experience and the actual itinerary make the difference.
- If you have been diving on board this liveaboard dive boat in Similan Islands & Thailand, please share your review and let us know what you thought. Please post your comments in the review section below, by doing so you will help fellow divers to plan their next diving trip
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MV Diverace Class E
This is a historical vessel profile, not a bookable liveaboard. DiveRACE confirms that Class E was lost following a fire in April 2025. The former boat’s photographs, description and reader memories are retained below as an archive.