Dive Inn Co. Ltd.

Dive Inn Co. Ltd. operated the junk June Hong Chian Lee in Thailand. The ship’s story goes back well before its diving career: built in Penang in 1962, it first sailed as a cargo vessel and was later converted into a dive liveaboard. Dive Inn’s role as operator should be distinguished from ownership; the junk changed hands in 2014, passing to Worldwide Dive and Sail.

From cargo vessel to dive ship

The June Hong Chian Lee is a three-masted junk from Penang. Originally, the vessel carried charcoal along the coast between Burma and Malaysia. In the early 1970s, it was fitted with an engine and continued in commercial freight service for about another ten years before arriving in Thailand in the early 1980s. There, it initially served as a pleasure and charter boat around Koh Phi Phi; dive trips to the Similan Islands were occasionally offered even during this period.

The ship changed owners in 1997. The new owners had it extensively restored in 1998 and converted for longer dive safaris. Around 15 carpenters worked on the reconstruction for more than a year, using over 60 tonnes of teak. After an initial trip with friends and owners in December 1998, it began taking paying guests to the Similan Islands in January 1999. This transition was more than a change in marketing: the wooden cargo junk gradually became first a Thai charter boat and then a purpose-fitted liveaboard for diving trips.

Change of ownership in 2014

In October 2014, the June Hong Chian Lee became part of Worldwide Dive and Sail. An announcement at the time by the new owner placed the ship among the offerings under the Siren Fleet and Master Liveaboards brands. It listed six air-conditioned cabins for up to 18 divers and six-night trips to the Similan and Surin Islands. For regional context, see the pages on Thailand and Phuket; the overview of Southeast Asian cruises covers longer routes in the region.