Manufacturing and Designing the first Andaman Islands Liveaboard
A liveaboard in the Andaman Islands – a global hotspot of bio-diversity – was a delicious dream of many divers keen to explore the remote islands of this secret paradise in Asia. It was my dream too, one that I had nurtured for a long time. And finally when I felt that I had the resources to do it, I decided to plunge in – and the first step would be to acquire a live-aboard.
I quickly learnt that acquiring the boat would not be an easy task as the boats on sale were literally all over the world. Even with the Internet making the search a bit plausible, it would still be impossible to visit far flung corners of the globe and inspect each boat.
The conclusion was that the best way to acquire a sound live-aboard would be to custom design & built it from scratch. Knowing that Thailand has an evolved ship-building industry with special expertise in building live-aboard vessels, I chose a Thai naval architect and a shipyard in Phuket and set about designing & building a modern scuba diving liveaboard vessel.
Quality standards for the new liveaboard
Our goal right from the beginning was to built a liveaboard that would set new global benchmarks for specifications and amenities. I wanted to make a vessel that could sail the open seas in all weather conditions, and offer all amenities and facilities for a comfortable & luxurious stay, and be specialized in scuba diving with all top of the line equipment and facilities.
But the most important thing would be to achieve a high standard of engineering, and the best way to ensure that would be to invest in getting an IACS class survey & certification for unrestricted navigation.
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This article is published by The Scuba Page, the online magazine for Scuba Dive lovers around the world. The Scuba Page is part of RUSHKULT : the online booking platform for adventure sports. Visit the RUSHKULT platform to book your next Scuba Dive training, guided trip and accommodation.
Some design elements & features of the Infiniti liveaboard:
- All steel construction
- RINA certified for high engineering and overall quality standards
- Large size (39m) with a majestic presence in the water
- Max speed of 13 knots
- Spacious guest rooms nicely furnished with supersize twin beds, tons of storage, large picture windows and all attached bathrooms with hot water showers
- All inside areas fully air-conditioned
- Multiple relaxation areas include a beautiful indoor lounge with a library of books, DVDs and games, an outdoor lounge with a bar, a large sundeck and a romantic * aft viewing point
- Six spacious and nicely furnished crew rooms, each with ensuite bathrooms
- A fully equipped kitchen including big deep freezers and commercial grade appliances
- A big indoor dining room for serving up the freshly prepared delicious & nutritious meals
- A spacious dive deck for kitting up & diving
- 2 RIBs
- 2 Bauer compressors for fresh, pure air
- Specialized for underwater photography with camera tables, fresh water tanks, charging areas in rooms & lounges, onboard computer with media center, plasma screens
- Top of the line scuba equipment for rental
- Well equipped for emergencies with a full fire management system including a CO-2 room onboard and an array of life saving equipments
- Fully fitted with all electronics for navigation and communications in the open seas
- Two generators for onboard electricity generation
- Fresh water maker
- Onboard laundry & storage
- Onboard computer with internet connectivity
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